Q & A

QUESTION : 

How do i know when bc hydre is going to do my house? 

Is a notice adequate or do i need ot be there in person

Hydro says that they will send you a letter about 2 weeks before installation, and then will knock on your door before beginning the installation.

If you are not home, they will install anyway. But in reality many people do not receive the pre-notification, and the installers do not consistently knock on the door asking permission before they install.

The best advice is to take action now. Write your non-consent letter, send it registered to Hydro. Put your sign on your meter, and the no trespassing signs in your yard and on your door. Protect your analog meter. Some people are even going so far as to build cages around them. In some instances Corix installers are ignoring the sign and Hydro is refusing to remove the smart meter.  It is best to be proactive.

QUESTION : 

 How can I exercise my right to refuse the installation of this meter with my Strata council?

Your strata council can agree to send a non-consent letter to Hydro on behalf of all the owners. You have the same rights as a home owner. Ask Hydro for a copy of the contract or services agreement. Insist that you get a copy. I’ll bet anything that you never signed anything at all. I’ve been told, I have not confirmed, that an implied contract is not legal in BC. If Hydro has an implied contract, it is worthless and you could, if you wish, ask the strata council to bring in an electrician, and replace all of Hydro’s meters with ones that you have purchased. Send the meters to Hydro, along with receipts for your meter. They cannot touch the meter if you own it.  There are strata complexes where everyone has agreed not to allow smart meters

QUESTION :   

What kind of information can be collected on these metres… on the privacy side of the argument.

What frequencies do the transmissions run at and with what power? 

There are different facets of the privacy concern. One is that all wireless

technology is hackable. The meter will be gathering data which can show

usage patterns which can allow someone to see when you leave for work and

return, when the home is vacant, etc. Hackers could use this info. to

determine that no one is home. Also your electricity can be turned off from

outside if someone hacks, your security system could be turned off. There is a major security concern.

The other concern is that the zigbee chip that is in the meter will

communicate with appliances that have a smart chip. All of the major

manufacturers are putting chips in appliances, large and small. This chip

will then gather and transmit when an appliance is in use, the type, the

make, the age, etc. In the US this information can be sold to marketing

companies, insurance companies, police, etc. There is a recent article by a

data firm telling utility companies that they will eventually make more

from data mining than from selling electricity. This is private data that

until now has required a search warrant.

There are 2 antennae, one operates in the 900MHz range, and communicates

with the other homes in the grid and with the main transmitter. The other

antenna operates in the 2.4 GHz range and communicates with appliances.

with power said to be ranging between 1-4 watts.  

QUESTION : 

I just got a letter in the mail today saying a smart meter will be 

installed at my house. Is there anyway to stop the install from going 

through?  I dont want a smart meter at all!!

The Printables page has a non-consent letter that you should send via

registered mail to Hydro ASAP. Having it registered, which costs $9 provides

legal proof that you sent it. Then get a sign on your meter telling Corix

that you do not give permission. This sign is also at that page. Also put a

no trespassing sign in your yard and on your door. Please send copies of

your non-consent letter via email to Clark, Coleman, Horgan, your MLA, etc.

They need to know that people are concerned. Some people are even going

further, and there are some photos on our printables pages showing what some

have done.

Hydro has promised to honour these non-consent letters for now. Know that

nothing in the law makes you accept a meter before Dec. 2012 and nothing

says the meter must be wireless. Please talk to your friends, send flyers

that you’ll find on this page to everyone you know. Many people still know

nothing about smart meters and this is the only way we can compete with

Hydro’s $8.6 million advertising budget.

Please sign the petitions and polls.  and print it out and get more signatures.

We are beginning to fight — a recall initiative is beginning and we are starting legal action.

Please Read and Print all the documents you need on the site under “Printables”

http://www.stopsmartmetersbc.ca/html/?page_id=585

Do not hesitate to contact stopsmartmetersbc.ca