Hydro One announced on June 22 that it had installed its one millionth smart meter within the province.  Ontario is currently fulfilling a mandate that was begun in 2006 where every residence and small business will have one installed by the end of the year.

The Ontario project is among the largest in all of North America.  Once the project is completed and time-of-use (TOU) pricing becomes available, the devices will work to encourage energy consumers to shift their demand to off-peak times when costs are lower.  TOU rates will allow consumers to conserve energy and better manage their costs.  Hydro One will benefit from the reduced peak load.  TOU pricing will begin next year.

"Smart meters, when combined with time of use rates, are central to creating a culture of conservation in Ontario," said Energy Minister George Smitherman. "They provide real time information, helping Ontario consumers make smart decisions about how and when they use electricity. The rates reflect the reality that electricity costs the most when demand is highest. Shifting electricity use to low demand times can help consumers manage their energy costs."

"Smart meters will provide our customers with opportunities to participate in time-of-use and other electricity demand management initiatives and collectively, make a significant contribution to energy conservation for this province," said Laura Formusa, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydro One. "We are pleased to have reached this important smart meter milestone and to support the Province's smart meter initiative."

“Smart meters and time-of-use pricing will make wholesale changes to how and when our customers use their electricity,” said Roger Albert, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydro One Brampton.  It was in Brampton’s service area where the historic milestone was reached.

“Giving our customers the tools to make smart energy use decisions is one of the most powerful ways to help this province reach its green potential,” continued Albert.

There are still about 400,000 Hydro One customers who are waiting to have a smart meter installed.  Hydro one switches customers over to automated meter reading (AMR) after a smart meter is installed and communications are established.  AMR eliminates the need for in-person visits from Hydro One and also does away with estimated billing.  Considering how vast Hydro One’s service territory is, considerable carbon emissions will be saved as well due to the utility no longer needing to dispatch work trucks.

Hydro One operates throughout the Canadian province and owns the transmission network that includes high-voltage wires 29,000 kilometres in length.  Hydro One delivers electricity over the high-voltage lines directly to various municipal utilities, such as the one in Brampton, and to large industrial customers.

The energy provider also has a network consisting of low-voltage wires that are 123,000 kilometres in length.  This distribution system serves 1.3 million customers and some smaller municipal utilities.  Hydro One is wholly owned by Ontario.

Hydro One
185 Clegg Rd.
Markham, Ontario L6G 1B7
http://www.hydroone.com

Hydro One Brampton
175 Sandalwood Parkway West
Brampton, Ontario L7A 1E8
http://www.hydroonebrampton.com
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