1)   Just when you think it couldn’t get worse, now Google and Levi are planning to make the clothes you wear an antenna!

http://fusion.net/story/141560/google-and-levis-are-teaming-up-to-make-computerized-pants/

 

2)    Info. members shared  re. water meters is below in the Letters section.

 

3)   It looks as if many communities have “Smart” water meters or will have. A member found this information:

http://www.grandforks.ca/water-conservation/water-meter-information/

Grand Forks joins a growing list of communities across BC that have installed water meters, including West Kelowna, Oliver, Penticton, Summerland, Peachland and Lumby. All residents supplied by the City of Kelowna water utility are on water meters, Vernon has universal metering, and Kamloops is currently undertaking a meter installation project.

Water Meter – The customer is required to provide and install at its cost a new Neptune 5/8X3/4″ T-10 meter with an E-Coder R900i (m3) register, available from:

Fred Surridge Ltd. 1245 Industrial Road, Kelowna, BC V1Z 1G4 (250) 769-9000”

http://windermerewater.com/pdf/water-connection-application-140922.pdf

 

This Neptune meter can be an AMR type that transmits data wirelessly (every 13 seconds as measured by one member) and the meter reader eventually comes by to gather the data from his car. But it can be easily modified to become an AMI meter – like the ITRON meter, that can send and receive data, and would most likely transmit data to a collector or cell tower.

Both types have a lithium battery and transmit RF in the 910-920Mhz range, like the ITRON.  Here are the specs.

 http://www.neptuneequipment.com/pdf/endpoints/R900IMaintenance.pdf

 https://www.neptunetg.com/Water-Meters/Residential/

 

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 Letters:

From a Sunshine Coast member:

I just want to let you know that the Sunshine Coast Regional District is intending to install “smart” water meters. But they aren’t calling them “smart meters” they are calling them “water meters”. This is planned for January 2016. I know this because I called and asked them about it. I don’t know what kind they are planning to install, but when I find out, I’ll let you know.

 

I’ve told them I want to be in the “opt out” program, and of course, they will charge a fee for this, and I politely told the gentleman I was talking to that I think that’s extortion. He was very kind to me, and heard me out. $$meters (water) meters have already been installed in the Pender Harbour area, and I was told by the SCRD that not 1 person opted out and there have been no complaints of health problems, as if that would change my mind!!

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From a Kamloops member:

We have analog (new) installed since the program started in Kamloops.

These were offered free of charge to install with an $8.33 a month to pay to have it read. $25.00 a quarter. They put a gun shaped reader over a button installed by our doorstep, and they’re re gone in under 10 seconds after arrival.

It’s hard wired through the wall from the analog (new) that was installed below.

Kelowna may be? the same offering … Sharon, as an option.

Note: the analog option at 8.33 monthly or 25.00 quarterly billed, is not the same (extortion) 32.40 plus gst  that BC Hydro zonks us for, to keep with analog. It’s quite a substantial difference in the monthly / quarterly billing.

It sure makes one wonder, why BC Hydro cannot do it – for the same fee ?

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Sharon Noble

“In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot.”
Czeslaw Milosz