Smart meters, similar to this, have been a safety concern in Saskatchewan. Photo by Jeff Turl.
Smart hydro meters are associated with eight unexplained fires in Saskatchewan, but a North Bay Hydro official says local users don't need to worry.
President of North Bay Hydro Todd Wilcox told BayToday that the 23 thousand employed in North Bay have proved very reliable.
"We've had no safety issues with our meters," he said. "It's a different version than those in Saskatchewan."
The Saskatchewan government has ordered SaskPower to remove 105,000 smart meters installed in homes and businesses following concerns about eight fires associated with the units built by Sensus Corporation.
Smart meters were deployed in North Bay in 2009-2010 and only a few businesses remain on the old mechanical meters.
Wilcox says the equipment undergoes "a fair bit of testing" and thinks it may be the meter base wiring that's to blame rather than the meter itself.
Installation was mandated by the provincial government.
And Wilcox likes them.
"They are very accurate and customers can access their data through a web portal. We're pretty happy with them."
Weather, especially in winter, can throw a spanner in the works.
"It's the ice build-up," explains Wilcox. "It's not a safety issue, but they are sensitive and the tiny radio inside can fail."
That radio can also catch thieves, although Wilcox admits it's not a hot item in the criminal market.
"Sometimes people pull them off but with the radio we can track it, so in theory we can find it."
