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Saskatchewan Yanks 105,000 Smart Meters After Numerous Fires, Sparking a Debate in BC


Smart Meter (Photo Credit: Stock Photo)

Saskatchewan’s Energy Minister Bill Boyd has ordered that province to remove all smart meters from homes after a number of incidents in which the meters have caught on fire.

On Wednesday afternoon the Minister said that all 105,000 smart meters needed to be removed and replaced with the old meters because of concerns after at least eight meters in the province have caught on fire.

SaskPower has been has been investigating the meter failures, with the most recent incident occurring on July 26th in Saskatoon, and had recently suspended installation of all smart meters in the province.

The cause of the meter failures has not yet been determined following a preliminary investigation and SaskPower is now working with third parties to conduct a more comprehensive investigation. Results are not expected to be available until late August.

Example of an installed smart meter (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

But Saskatoon Light & Power says they will continue to install smart meters in its customers’ homes. “Saskatoon Light & Power uses a different brand of smart meter than the ones SaskPower has been ordered to remove,” says Kevin Hudson, Metering and Sustainable Electricity Manager. “The City-owned power company has been installing AMI meters supplied by Elster Canadian Meter Company since 2008 and we have not heard any reports of problems with the Elster brand meters.”

The debate is now heating up in other provinces and the Coalition to Stop Smart Meters is calling on Energy Minister Bill Bennett to pull the meters in BC. In response to the issues to smart meters in Saskatchewan BC Hydro has issued a statement.

“We've installed 1.9 million meters and they have a proven track record of safety over the last 3 years. They have been proven safe here in British Columbia.

“Last year, the University of the Fraser Valley issued a report concluding there have been fewer residential structure fires since BC Hydro began installing smart meters in 2011. There is no evidence that a smart meter has ever been the cause of a fire in British Columbia.

“In response to issues with smart meters in Saskatchewan: SaskPower's meters are made by a different manufacturer than BC Hydro's meters.

“The installation of new meters has made the grid safer here in B.C. We repaired over 2,000 pre-existing unsafe meter socket conditions on customers' homes at no cost to the homeowner.”

A smart meter that caught fire in Illinois (Photo Credit: Wired.com)

But Stop Smart Meter groups around the province claim there has been several fires linked to the newly installed smart meters and go even further to say the Liberal government is covering up these fires.

“Fires have been occurring for the last 3 years, and Hydro and Liberals have denied it. The evidence has been hidden and people have been living with a fire hazard on their bedroom walls,” reads a statement from the Coalition.

For now it appears smart meters in BC will stay put, but the debate as to their safety is expected to rage on with this latest decision made in Saskatchewan.



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