1) CORIX is on Sawward Island BC
From a member, Corix has been in Sayward since Wed. Chad is the installer’s name. When pressed he will find an analog—old ones, but they are analogs. Pass the word.
Nothing specific from Salmon Arm except Corix is there.
On Saturna Island very pleasant fellow is making appointments and finding analog.
Reports from Cortes Island is that one of the installers is extremely pleasant and patient.
2) BC Hydro Catchup Bills
Someone who got a “catch up” bill, with the surplus charged at the higher, post-April 1 rate. She complained giving them the correct readings that she had been keeping and, GOOD NEWS, they sent a corrected bill. We cannot trust anything we get from Hydro. Complaining is good.
I raised a little hell with Hydro over their underestimating and then sticking all the hours into the one month at the new, increased rates. Well I just got my latest bill and guess what?….. they have made every single correction I demanded, exactly as I told them it ought to have been done in the first place. Score one for our side! Resistance really is Fertile. 🙂
3) Privacy: $meters CAN tell what movie you’re watching!!
4) BC Government and BC Hydro misleading accounting
The auditor general’s report on Hydro and the misleading accounting practices demanded by this government are summarized for the year 2011 in a video.
http://www.bcauditor.com/pubs/2011/report8/bc-hydro-audit-rate-regulated-accounting
5) Will power utilities soon become obsolete?
“Could solar paired with battery storage make utilities obsolete? That’s the question analysts are asking as the economics of the technologies improve.”
“‘Technological change creates precisely the environment where slower-moving incumbents [BC Hydro] and their regulators [BCUC] can fall behind the curve, risking credit volatility, or disrupt the regulatory compact, possibly leading to unexpected losses for bondholders,’ they concluded.”
https://soundcloud.com/the-energy-gang/solar-plus-storage-could-a
6) Industry is saying that smart grids are worth any rate hike, no matter how large!!
*******************************
Letters:
Sent: June 25, 2014 3:23 PM
To: Smart Meters; greg.reimer@bchydro.com
Cc: bchydroregulatorygroup@bchydro.com; Complaints BCUC:EX; Commission Secretary BCUC:EX; director@stopsmartmetersbc.ca; una@citizensforsafetechnology; John.Horgan.MLA@leg.bc.ca; leader@bcgreens.ca; Patrick.Wruck@bcuc.com; mike.farnworth.mla@leg.bc.ca; Office PREM:EX OfficeofthePremier; bill.bennett.mla@leg.bc.ca; don.mcrae.mla@leg.bc.ca
Subject: Arrangements to have my meter changed
Dear Mr. Reimer and BC Hydro,
I have just had a phone conversation with Michael from your smart meter department trying to reach some understanding over what I require if my current expired analogue meter is going to be replaced. Michael was respectful, though quite dismissive of my concerns, telling me I was “cynical” in my attitude towards BCH, and that though I was entitled to my “opinion” on smart meter technology, he expressed that I was misinformed and that my views are not corroborated by science.
I realize that a discussion like this with BCH is likely to be circular and somewhat pointless. However, I want to express that the “cynicism” Michael referred to is really not that, but is based in mistrust of BCH. Here are some of the reasons that my trust has been eroded, and why I feel on high alert in any dealings with BC Hydro.
• Far too many people have been harassed, lied to, bullied and deceived during the smart meter rollout program. Meters have been replaced against the explicit wishes of many customers, often using tactics that are truly obnoxious. I personally felt compelled to protect my meter, and whenever I’m away from home I worry about what BCH/Corix may try to do to my home. I dislike intensely this siege mentality that has been forced upon me.
• No effort was made to educate customers about this program before it began.
• People like Hydro’s Ted Olynyk look pretty foolish when they continue to espouse untruths about smart meters and claim that WHO says they are safe, that they use the same frequencies and in the same way as radios and TVs, etc. Such misleading and misinformed talking points do nothing to engender trust for BCH.
• No choices were presented until the backlash was felt at the political level. The “choices” that were eventually developed were quite unsatisfactory to many, if not most customers who did not want digital technology added to their homes. The “legacy” fees are the highest in North America.
• Businesses were not even included in that “choices” program.
• Costs of the smart grid program are murky, as are plans to pay for it. Is this one of the reasons for the exorbitant “legacy fees”?
• What are BCH’s intentions vis a vis tiered rate structures and time-of-use-billing? We are being led to believe that smart meters will reduce electricity costs. Yet in nearly every place that smart meters are being deployed, electric bills have increased significantly.
• BCH continues to deny that there is ANY valid science that questions the safety and efficacy of smart meters.
• Security issues have never been addressed by BCH.
• Privacy issues have never been addressed by BCH.
• Fires have never been addressed by BCH.
• Government has interfered in BCUC’s ability to fulfill its mandate as the watchdog the public relies on to keep BCH in check. This has been particularly vexing with Direction No. 4, which in effect placed the BCUC in a straightjacket in its ability to examine whether the “Choices Program” was in the public’s best interests, and whether it was fair and equitable to the public. Only BCH’s recovery of costs was used to determine the “choices” fee structure. We now have no one who is looking after the interests and concerns of the public, and Hydro rules the roost.
• Until today’s phone call, my personal communications have been answered only with form letters, including the threat to cut off my power — never a serious attempt to acknowledge my concerns, much less a willingness to work with them.
The list goes on. I hope you get my point: there are a lot of reasons for not trusting BC Hydro, and this in not cynicism, just common sense.
It is tempting to once again reiterate the MANY independent, science-based studies that call into question the safety of wireless technology, including wireless smart meters. My views are NOT just “opinions” — they have considerable scientific validity, and there are some excellent reasons to be very cautious about embracing wireless technology so enthusiastically as our culture is doing at present. For some examples of these reasons, please look at this summary of the 2012 Bioiniative Report, or check out the entire report. And this would be just a beginning to any serious examination into the many concerns over this technology.
So once again, I must list to you my requirements to have my apparently expired analogue replaced.
1. An appointment MUST be made in advance to gain access to my meter. I need to personally be in attendance when this exchange is made.
2. I have received from you via email the apparent expiry date of my current meter. Though I requested a photocopy of the actual Measurement Canada Certificate or Seal, I will accept what you have sent me. I also require in writing or by email the expiry date of the meter you intend to replace it with, BEFORE it is placed on my home. I will not accept a meter that is set to expire again in a year or two, and go through all this again.
3. The replacement meter MUST be a mechanical analogue, in top condition: no dust, rust, mold, etc. It must be pristine! I WILL NOT accept a digital meter of any kind.
4. The technician who replaces my meter must show me his/her ID, and be in possession of some sort of certification that he/she is a qualified electrician. No 5-day training course will suffice. I would greatly appreciate it if this person is an experienced BC Hydro worker, and not a contractor. Failing this, I have the option of having an electrician present to observe/witness the work being done.
5. My power must be turned off before my meter is worked on.
All this must be fully negotiated BEFORE I allow anyone to remove my meter. If your technician/electrician arrives before these matters have been resolved, I will refuse installation. I WILL NOT PAY ANY “ FAILED INSTALLATION FEE”, as you have been asked repeatedly to work these matters out with me before work can proceed.
Be advised that it is of no concern to me that my meter has expired. It was installed in 1975, and its certification expired in 2011, so a few more months or years is immaterial to me. I also cannot help but wonder why all of a sudden there is now such a mad rush to replace all these expired meters. My meter has been expired for 3 years, and no one has been concerned about this till now. No explanation. Puzzling! One more reason to wonder what is really going on behind the scenes at BCH! This lack of transparency, especially from a supposedly publicly owned company, does nothing to build trust with customers.
Thank you for receiving this email. I look forward to hearing from a representative to work out the details of having my analogue replaced in the manner I have requested.
Sharon
Get up, stand up for your rights!
RESISTANCE IS FERTILE.