BC Hydro is implementing smart meters and supporting infrastructure to encourage energy conservation at home and at work. This Program is a foundational step to help B.C. become energy self-sufficient by 2016.
The smart metering IT infrastructure will also improve the electrical system's reliability and performance, offering many operational efficiencies and customer benefits.
 | | Enhanced Customer service – The customer experience will change with increased availability of consumption data, automated outage and restoration detection, and on-demand meter reads. | | Simplify move-in/ move-out | The Smart Metering & Infrastructure program enables the ability to be connected and disconnected remotely. That means more accurate bills: being able to stop and start your billing on the spot. Example: A customer can phone up on moving day and have their power connected within minutes. Likewise, you can have your power disconnected as you are moving out of your house, stopping your billing immediately. |
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 | | Conservation and energy efficiency – Increased customer awareness of how and when electricity is used; encouraging customers to shift consumption to off-peak hours and reduce their overall consumption. | | Detailed consumption information | Customers will have access to an unprecedented amount of consumption information. Today, customers have access to a maximum of 12 meter reads per year, but smart meters will collect information at least 24 times a day, 365 days a year. Customers and call centre agents will have access to the details they need to investigate unusual consumption, or bills that seem too high. Customers will appreciate how easy it will be to access, view and understand their consumption data. Example: A customer checking consumption data could discover that on a particular Saturday, much more power was used than normal. Checking the calendar and his memory, the customer remembered that was the day the family's new home entertainment system was installed and put to good use for a movie-marathon weekend. |
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 | | Operational efficiencies – The Smart Metering & Infrastructure program will give BC Hydro more information about how the system is operating, helping us provide more reliable power to our customers. | | Outage detection and response | Smart metering will help us to detect power outages, and let us know when power is restored. For example, we'll be able to proactively notify customers that their power has been restored. Example: Here's what would happen in the event of tens of thousands of people losing power due to a massive wind storm hitting the Lower Mainland. Smart meters would send a message to BC Hydro, which would let us know within minutes which customers don't have power. And when power is restored, those individuals would be notified. |
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 | | Enable future technologies and applications – The Smart Metering & Infrastructure program is a key component of BC Hydro's Smart Grid program. Today's distribution grid is little more than an interconnected system of generating units, power lines, substations and transformers that deliver electricity to customers. Smart Grid refers to a modern, intelligent electricity transmission and distribution system that incorporates traditional and advanced power engineering to enhance grid performance and support a wide array of functionality for customers and the economy. | | Flexible for the future | The IT infrastructure we are building will help to modernize and automate our system. This will ensure that we are well positioned to take advantage of future technologies and applications. Example: With this infrastructure, it will be possible for customers to have their own backyard wind turbine. Customers could generate their own power and sell any surplus back to BC Hydro through the grid. |
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