Category Archives: theft of power

BC Hydro, BC Utilities Commission, BCUC, conflict of interest, Environmental Impact, SMART METERS, Solar, theft of power

[BC Hydro – BCUC – Solar] Will the BC Utilities Commission defend local power?

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https://www.bchydro.com/work-with-us/selling-clean-energy/net-metering.html   (click on photo to enlarge)

URGENT: Mail Today Feb.14/20!

Will the BC Utilities Commission defend local power? – Dogwood Petition:

 

From: “Dave Mills, Dogwood” <dogwood@dogwoodbc.ca>
Sent: February 14, 2020
Subject: BC Hydro is trying to mess with our solar
https://www.bchydro.com/index.html
& https://www.bchydro.com/search.html?site=bchydro-com&client=bchydro-com&proxystylesheet=bchydro-com&output=xml_no_dtd&q=smart+metering+program

The B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) is our energy regulator. It’s tasked with ensuring providers like BC Hydro serve British Columbians fairly.

Over the past 10 months, the BCUC has been hearing arguments for and against BC Hydro’s proposed amendments to Rate Schedule 1289 — the Net Metering program. And today is the last day for British Columbians to have their say.

A robust Net Metering program allows people to work together to create local power and get a fair return for their efforts. However, out of the blue, BC Hydro reduced the rate, stopped people from sharing power and placed restrictions that prevent people from cooperatively producing power. Now, they’re trying to make those changes permanent.

Send a pre-written letter to the BC Utilities Commission now , telling them to reject BC Hydro’s ruinous changes. https://dogwoodbc.ca/petitions/bcuc-defend-local-power/

BC Hydro’s changes to RS1289 will kneecap engaged British Columbians from harnessing their own solar power. Don’t let them get away with this.

Tell the BC Utilities Commission you oppose BC Hydro’s amendments throttling the Net Metering program. You only have until the end of today — Friday, February 14 — to submit your letter.

Thank you for standing up for local power,

Dave

P.S. BC Hydro is a big fish in a little pond — they’re trying to throttle a budding renewable revolution by kneecapping engaged citizens who are invested in producing their own power. Don’t let them get away with it: send this pre-written message to the BCUC right now telling them you oppose BC Hydro’s amendments to the Net Metering program. And if you want, you can add your own personalized message as well.

– https://dogwoodbc.ca/petitions/bcuc-defend-local-power/

PLEASE DONATE – https://dogwoodbc.ca/donate

 

Dogwood, PO Box 8701, Victoria, BC V8W 3S3

 

BC Hydro, Smart Grid, SMART METERS, theft of power

BC Hydro inflated claims of smart-meter benefits, NDP critic says

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Original published by:
VANCOUVER — The Globe and Mail
Published Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 8:50PM EST
Last updated Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 8:52PM EST

 
 

BC Hydro provided the public with misleading financial information in order to justify spending more than $1-billion to install smart meters across the province, claims NDP energy critic Adrian Dix.

 

In a detailed letter to Jessica McDonald, the president and chief executive of BC Hydro, Mr. Dix accuses the Crown corporation of inflating a claim that the smart-meter program would lead to more than $500-million in net benefits, largely by reducing $732-million in electricity theft by marijuana grow-ops.

 

In a statement responding to the criticism, BC Hydro has defended the program, saying it is exceeding expectations in helping to reduce electricity theft. But Mr. Dix said that based on BC Hydro reports, three years into the program, the promised savings haven’t materialized.

 

BC Hydro installed 1.8 million smart meters in 2012 after presenting a business case that the program would more than pay for itself by more accurately tracking energy use, making the system more efficient and helping to combat the theft of electricity.

 

“The thing has been in place since the end of 2012. I don’t think there’s any evidence of a substantial change in grow-op operations or a reduction in electricity theft,” Mr. Dix said. “And now British Columbians have to pay the price. I mean, we didn’t need to spend a billion on this program.”

 

In his letter, sent to Ms. McDonald by e-mail on Thursday, Mr. Dix accuses BC Hydro of inflating the cost of electricity theft by grow-ops.    He says that in 2004, the utility claimed that total electricity theft from grow-ops was $12-million, but those estimates jumped dramatically – from $50-million in 2006 to $100-million in 2011 – to justify the smart-meter program.

 

“If you look at what they did, suddenly the amount of electricity theft started to go up,” Mr. Dix said. “In fairness to BC Hydro, they were ordered to [move to smart meters].” Then-premier Gordon Campbell “wanted to do it. Cabinet ordered them to do it. And so they had to come up with a new business case to somehow justify all this.”

 

Mr. Dix demanded an accounting of the smart-meter program from BC Hydro.
“They need a new business case. They need to be honest with people that smart meters are going to be a net cost to the province. They can still defend them if they want, they can say, ‘Well, we have to [replace] analog meters, etc.,’ but don’t continue to mislead people,” he said.

 

And Mr. Dix said that if BC Hydro can inflate the business-case numbers for “a massive and costly program” such as the switch to smart meters, it brings into doubt the corporation’s projections on other projects, such as the $9-billion Site C dam.

 

In an e-mail, Steve Vanagas, chief communications officer for BC Hydro, said the smart-meter and infrastructure program, known as SMI, is working as predicted.
“The SMI business case projected a reduction in theft to peak at 75 per cent by the end of [fiscal year] 2016. We are now expecting to reduce energy theft by 80 per cent or more. We expect that over 20 years, we will exceed our gigawatt-hour targets on energy-theft reduction,” he wrote.

 

“The original business case says the benefit from reduced electricity theft will be between $632 million and $832 million. While we are on track to exceed our theft-reduction targets, the exact value of these savings will fluctuate based on the cost of energy. We continue to expect the savings to be within that original range,” Mr. Vanagas stated.

 

He said BC Hydro had just received Mr. Dix’s letter and will respond to it in detail at a later