Smart Metering

We're excited to support the Ontario Government's initiative to install a smart meter in every home and small business by end of 2010.  Smart meters help businesses and homeowners manage their energy usage. With a smart meter you can be in control of your energy costs, choosing to use appliances and utilities during off-peak hours — saving you money and helping to reduce the strain on Ontario's power grid.

How the initiative works

As part of fostering a conservation culture, the Provincial Government has mandated the installation of smart electricity meters (Smart Meter) on every Ontario home and small business by December 31, 2010 under the Provincial Governments Smart Meter Initiative.  Ontario is introducing Smart Meters along with “time-of-use” (TOU) electricity prices to help consumers manage their electricity costs, while helping Ontario build a more efficient, more environmentally sound electricity system.   Through smart meters we can all participate in building a culture of conservation, which is vital as we look to protecting the environment and how to wisely steward our resources.

Residents and small businesses can not choose whether or not to have a smart meter.  Smart Meters will be standard province wide by December 2010. 

To comply with this mandate, homes and small businesses within Erie Thames Powerlines distribution territory will soon become “smart”, as Erie Thames Powerlines prepares the launch of an-area wide installation of the new smart electricity meters.  The project – which will see the exchange of approximately 13,000 current residential and small commercial meters with a “smart meter’ will begin on May 31 and is expected to be completed by the end of December 2010.  The first communities to receive smart meters include Belmont, Burgessville, Otterville, Aylmer and Port Stanley, with the remaining communities smart meter installations to follow.

Current meters only measure the total amount of electricity used per billing period so homeowners do not have the ability to track their ongoing consumption of electricity, while a new smart meter measures how much electricity is used on an hourly basis and at what time of the day the electricity is used.  However, it is important to note that until Erie Thames Powerlines implements the “time-of-use” rate structure there will be no change to how electricity rates work and how Erie Thames Powerlines customers are currently billed for electricity.  Implementation of “time-of-use” rates for Erie Thames Powerlines is not scheduled until May 2011. 

Residents who have an outside meter will not need to be at home when the switch to the smart meter is done.  If the meter is not accessible, a notice will be left behind by a representative of Olameter, the company contracted by Erie Thames Powerlines to do the installations.  The notice will provide the customer with a toll-free call center telephone number so the customer can call and schedule an installation appointment.  There will be a short power interruption during the meter exchange, but it should not affect the temperature of refrigerators or freezers although, clocks and timers on equipment will have to be reset.  An information package on smart meters and “time-of-use” rates will be provided with each installation.  Olameter representatives will carry identification and will not be asking for your hydro bill.  No contracts are required and the customer doesn’t need to sign any documents. 

For more information on the province-wide smart meter initiative please visit www.smartmetersontario.ca and to learn more about smart metering and time-of-use rates please visit 10 Smart Meter Lane. 

To view the "Smart Meter Answer" booklet please click the booklet below.