In an effort to help manage electricity usage and encourage energy conservation across the province, the Ontario government has committed to smart meter billing.
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| 1. What is a smart meter? |
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A smart meter measures electrical energy consumed (kWh) over a specific period of time. Unlike current meters that simply accumulate total kWh consumed, smart meters are able to report how much is used between specific times of the day. |
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| 2. Why do we need smart meters? |
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| Oakville Hydrocan’t stock up on energy the way you can with laundry detergent on special at your local store. So we have to pay our suppliers more for electricity during high-demand or peak times, like weekday business hours. Smart meters encourage more usage during off-peak hours, when electricity costs much less, such as evenings, weekends and holidays. |
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| 3. What are the advantages of smart meters? |
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| The detailed consumption information that a smart meter gathers gives you the ability to monitor your electricity usage and manage your costs on a daily basis. Our customers now have a choice of using electrical appliances during the time of lower power costs, and consequently paying less. |
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| .4. When will smart meter billing begin? |
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| The Ontario government’s target is to have smart meters installed in all homes by 2010. While we await the details of that undertaking to be worked out by our regulator (e.g. how we will pay for the replacement meters), Oakville Hydro is proceeding at a steady pace. Beginning in 2004, we made a decision to make the installation of smart meters mandatory for all new construction in Oakville. This includes residential homes and individual condominium units. |
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| 5. I live in a condominium. Can I get a smart meter? |
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| Yes. Converting multi-unit residential buildings from bulk to individually metered units is by far the best energy conservation measure there is. Our local experience proved that such a conversion typically results in a 25% or better reduction in electricity consumption. However, some condominiums cannot be retrofitted due to the design of the electrical system or space restrictions in the electrical rooms. Oakville Hydro will inspect the electrical facilities to determine if a retrofit is possible. |
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6. Our condominium might be interested in a conversion. How much will it cost?
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Nothing. Assuming that it is technologically and physically possible to retrofit your condominium with smart meters, Oakville Hydro will do all of the work under its Energy Conservation Program. |
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| 7. When will I get a smart meter installed on my house? |
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Oakville Hydro has been installing smart meters on all new homes starting in 2004. This is mandatory for all new construction (including condominium units) in Oakville. This takes our community to the forefront of energy conservation initiatives. Support from the Town Council was instrumental to our ability to go ahead with this smart meter initiative. Today we have approximately 3,000 smart meters installed and operational. Because of the complex and untested nature of the new billing process, we are converting customers with a smart meter to “time of use” rates in small increments.
The above applies to the newly constructed homes. The program to retrofit existing homes is not yet finalized at the provincial level. It will cost millions of dollars to convert the existing meters in Oakville, and there has to be a mechanism to pay for the new equipment. These, and a few other important issues, are being worked out and we hope to get some clarity from the Ontario Energy Board (our provincial regulator) some time later this year.
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| 8. Will my electricity bill go up? |
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This depends on your consumption. What this means is that the price of electricity per kWh will vary depending on when you use it. Currently the proposed rates are:
Off-Peak Period: 3.4¢/kWh
- Winter (November 1 to April 30) and Summer (May 1 to October 31) Weekdays: 10 p.m. to midnight and midnight to 7 a.m.
- Winter and Summer Weekends and Holidays: 24 hours (all day)
Mid-Peak Period: 7.1¢/kWh
- Winter Weekdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Summer Weekdays: 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
On-Peak Period: 9.7 ¢/kWh
- Winter Weekdays: 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Summer Weekdays: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
his compares with current pricing of 5.5¢/kWh for the first 1,000kWh and 6.4¢/kWh for the rest during the summer. During the winter the threshold is 1000 kWh. Depending how and when you use electricity you may pay more or less or see very little difference. With smart meters, those who try to conserve and shift their usage to off-peak, weekends or holidays will benefit the most.
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| 9. How will I know how much electricity I am using? |
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| Your bill will change to display your total usage by peak period. In addition, Oakville Hydro will provide a free and secure online service that has all the information you need to help manage your electricity costs. Then you can make informed decisions and see the impact of how and when you use common household appliances. More information about this service will be distributed in future bill inserts and customer communications.
Access your account online now through eCare |
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