Smart-meter holdouts could lose power
The last 2,500 smart-meter holdouts across B.C. may soon be out of options.
As the seals on the remaining “legacy” electrical meters have expired, B.C. Hydro is requiring residents who rejected installation of a smart meter in the past to switch to a “radio-off” smart meter or face having their power disconnected.
The utility company began contacting customers in August to inform them of their choices, issuing about 350 “final notices of disconnect” across the province, according to B.C. Hydro. So far, staff have conducted about a dozen disconnections out of more than two million accounts.
The old meters must now be removed from service when their Measurement Canada accuracy seals expire, as B.C. Hydro no longer stocks or services them.
Many of the 60,000 B.C. Hydro customers who first rejected installation of a smart meter have already transitioned, but a group of about 2,500 holdouts remain.
A Surrey couple has filed a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal alleging discrimination based on physical disability, saying the utility company’s threat to disconnect the power has comprised their health and safety.
Cheryl Shewchuk and Daryle Hanson said B.C. Hydro installed a smart meter at their home without their permission.
Shewchuk said she was sick in bed on Oct. 2 when she heard a knock at the door. She was unable to answer and later discovered their electrical meter had been replaced with a smart meter.
Earlier this year,the couple began receiving letters advising them that the legacy meter needed to be replaced, otherwise the couple’s electricity would be disconnected.
But Shewchuk said the couple never gave the utility company permission to change the meter. Instead, they taped a sign to the box, stating: “Do not install a smart meter here ... This is notice of my refusal to accept a ‘smart meter’ ... “
She’s not certain why B.C. Hydro disregarded the sign.
Shewchuk said her husband is a double-amputee and has several disabilities, including diabetes. The couple is concerned about the safety of wireless technology and the radiation it emits and are wary of the “radio-off” smart meter.