BC Hydro, Smart Meters & 2 Tier Hydro Rate In-equities.
For Those that live in British Columbia, Canada (BC), we get our electricity from BC Hydro, and for the most part they do an excellent job providing all of us with the electrical juice we all so much rely on 24/7/365, with out much interruption or concern.......
Good for us, so why write this blog and why are we more than a little juiced with BC Hydro.......?
Firstly the entire Smart Meter introduction, launch and "you don't have a say in the matter" attitude by which the Smart Meter program is being shoved down to us rubs me very much the wrong way.....
If you watch any of the "The Smart Meter is a good thing" commercials currently running on most local Television Channels...... You will already know that these things are being promoted as being some magic potion. Personally, every time some essential service or government uses that good news method, all the hairs on my sizable back stand up and send me warning signals........
My parents told me many times about the Churchill speech, (all is well in Europe) the night before Germany invaded Poland, so I am still a little suspicious about good news announcements from any government (or look a like) entity.
With what has been happening in many if not all areas in the world where these "smart meters" have been installed, there are not very many people too happy about them...... Why, you ask..... Well, they will change your life and or how you live it.... Higher rates at peak hours, ration periods, if you use to much you will be penalized in some way or fashion......
The pitch that some how these meters will make our lives better does not really come across as realistic or likely, and to be honest the entire energy conservation motivation is not very believable either, which leads me to my second pet peeve with BC Hydro......
Under the motto of encouraging people to conserve energy, BC has a 2 tier energy consumption rate system.....
In Victoria this means;
- Step one rate at $ 0.06670 per kW.h up to 688kW.h
- Step two rate at $ 0.09620 per kW.h thereafter......
Although that seems a fair way of doing things when you initially look at it, but on closer inspection it is not equitable at all........
The issue that this 2 tier rate method totally ignores becomes pretty obvious when considering the reduction of energy consumption objectives.....
We all know about how the use of public transportation, and or car pooling reduces waste, consumption and uses the concept of optimizing space and resources......
The huge benefits in saved energy consumption, reduced emissions, reduced wear and waste from worn out equipment etc all work towards savings........ 
All accomplished by sharing resources and creating economies of scale, a notion that has been totally ignored by BC Hydro in their 2 tier rate system.
This notion of reduction of waste and higher efficiency per space works in larger households as well, however at present this is being penalized with higher rates per KW.h, in some insane logic that that gives BC hydro the right to do so, even though you actually consume less hydro per person.
We belief it is a growing trend in our society where we see a substantial increase in shared households (more people living semi independently under one roof/ one meter). This trend towards more people per household, essentially makes energy consumption more efficient per person, in very much the same way as car pooling makes gas consumption more efficient.
It is our conviction that the consumption per person with say 5 people sharing under one roof and one meter versus the same 5 people each having their own roof/meter will be dramatically different.
Without having scientific proof, I bet that the sum total consumption per person, will be at least 20 - 30 % lower by way of the 5 people sharing space and one hydro meter as in our example above, and as such they should be rewarded for sharing their hydro by way of either a lower rate or at least the same rate as the rest of our community rather than being penalized with a higher rate, as is currently the case.
The currently used system defies logic and common sense, and should require BC Hydro to re-evaluate its 2 tier rate method and practices, to more appropriately allocate rates and charges in an equitable method more reflective of consumption per person in a single household/ meter per location.
The current 2 tier hydro rate method, potentially costs more to thousands of shared households that are less likely to be able to afford these penalizing higher rates, for example;
- People with large families
- households with more than 2 generations sharing a home (families looking after their parents and even with grand children)
- homes with legal and or illegal suites or in-law suites
- smaller group homes, and or boarding houses.
- families taking in foster children and or people with special needs.
- people that live and work from home (with or without employees)
- student and or otherwise higher than average density housing in privately owned property.
- People with significant health issues with a need for in home care, monitoring equipment and or live in caregivers.
It is our contention that this current 2 tier hydro rate inequity will become even bigger and cause further issues once the "smart meters" become effective and start dictating what rates will be charged at certain times of the day, again ignoring the number of people in a household.
We typically do not get this outspoken about issues, however we feel strongly that both the method in which people that share households are being penalized with higher BC Hydro 2 tier rates and the entire smart meter issue, very much affect the quality of life and personal lifestyle decisions now and in the future for many families in BC and Greater Victoria.
BC Hydro, Smart Meters & 2 Tier Hydro Rate In-equities. We would love to hear your thoughts and opinion on the matter.
METER MAD: Barbara Haagenson stands next to a panel on her home that Corix Utilities workers ripped off during a smart meter installation. Corix will repair the damage in this case, but often homeowners are responsible for any repairs.
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