Event & Letters & Video - October 28 & 29, 2013 [Victoria, BC] TBYP Film Night - 1335 Thurlow Rd., Fairfield Gonzales Community Association - Friday, November 01, 2013 @ 7PM - By Donation (video 03:11) [Privacy - Illinois, USA] SIU Professor Researching Smart Grid Privacy Concerns - WSILTV - October 29, 2013: - wsiltv/news/local/SIU-Professor-Researching-Smart-Grid-Privacy-Concerns-229779621.html?m=y&smobile=y Editorial: B.C. Liberals shouldnt abuse energy consumers - The Province - October 29, 2013: - theprovince/business/Editorial+Liberals+shouldn+abuse+energy+consumers/9095127/story.html (Please Comment & provletters@theprovince) (photo) B.C. Hydro is being told to include more green energy initiatives in its plans. Our editorial board calls that political interference. When it comes to B.C. Hydro, the provincial government keeps insisting on having its cake and eating it too. The public should insist that it go on a diet. The continual political interference of B.C. Hydro and the B.C. Utilities Commission by B.C. Liberals, most recently by Energy Ministry Bill Bennett, must stop. Bennett has ordered Hydro to include more so-called clean energy in its future planning. Thats political. The Liberals want to be able to say they are doing good things for the environment. But consumers whove been paying attention to recent green initiatives both in B.C. and in other parts of Canada and the world know that just means higher electricity rates. The problem for B.C. energy consumers is that B.C. Hydro is a government-imposed monopoly; if you dont like its rates or policies (can anyone say smart meters?) youve got nowhere else to turn. To protect consumers, wiser politicians in the past established the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) to oversee B.C. Hydro and limit its ability to commit monopolistic abuses on ratepayers. The Liberals, who should know better and who should support free markets and consumer choice, have instead blocked the BCUC from doing its job, resulting in B.C. Hydro treating its captive clients with monopolistic contempt. Energy is a commodity; Victoria shouldnt interfere in that market. — What do you think? Email a brief comment, including your name and town to: provletters@theprovince. [Burnaby, BC] Burnaby MLA missing the boat on smart meters by Jim Ervin - Burnaby Now - October 29, 2013: - burnabynow/news/burnaby-mla-missing-the-boat-on-smart-meters-1.676231 (Please Comment - burnabynow/contact-us) & - theprovince/failing+smart+meters/9099825/story.html (Please Comment - provletters@theprovince) Dear Editor: Once again, B.C. Hydro continues to hound smart meter holdouts with another letter, telling us what our choices are. And once again, our MLA Jane Shin does nothing but pay lip service to her constituents in response. In her letter of Oct. 9 (MLA speaks out on smart meters, Letters to the editor, Burnaby NOW), she said she has raised this issue with NDP energy critic John Horgan. Well, thats fine, but theres more she could do. On Thursday, Oct. 24 I phoned her office. I mentioned to her secretary (once again no Jane available) that that day was the last day to register for intervener or interested party status with the B.C. Utilities Commission. This is in regard to having at least some say in the punitive rates set by B.C. Hydro for those who wish to retain their analogue meters, as well as a new fee if we dont allow them onto our property. Ive registered for intervener status, but whats stopping Jane Shin? She hasnt registered, and her secretary thought it was more of a personal matter. Not so personal if it affects her constituents, I said. Once again, we have an MLA who takes her direction from her own party only and not from the people who elected her. To us she offers tea and sympathy. But I guess we get what we deserve if youre prepared to accept that BS. Jim Ervin, Burnaby [Merville, BC] Hydro still estimating power use even at homes with smart meters by S. Joy - Comox Valley Record - October 28, 2013: - comoxvalleyrecord/opinion/letters/229585581.html (Please Comment & - comoxvalleyrecord/contact_us/?curSection=%2F&c=y&returnPath=%2Fopinion%2Fletters%2F229585581.html&bc09=true) Dear editor, Re: The letter by C. Miles about smart meters, in which he states Holdouts are receiving estimated invoices while smart meter holders receive bills reporting actual usage [- comoxvalleyrecord/opinion/letters/228055921.html] — not true! In many areas the receiving end of the smart meter technology is not turned on yet, despite the meters transmitters being turned on at installation. The receiving end will not be turned on for up to several more years in some rural areas, so many analog AND smart meter customers are currently receiving estimated bills, and will continue to do so indefinitely, according to the Hydro rep I spoke with on the phone. If you have a dispute about your estimated reading, you can contact Hydro and give them the actual reading, and your bill will be changed to reflect this. This computerized estimation method is working quite well, and theres no reason at all why it shouldnt be continued for analog meters. Before all this smart meter rubbish, they used to send someone around once every two months to read our meter, so that means we will now be charged $70 per reading ($35 per month), which is a total scam, as no one will even be coming out to read it, and we will continue to receive a computerized estimated bill, just as we are now. It must cost quite a lot for Hydro to buy the new meters and send installers around, and fight the lawsuits for meters that have malfunctioned, so just think of the money Hydro is saving on those of us who just keep the perfectly functioning meters weve had for years. We should be rewarded, not taxed. And I bet they sell off the old meters to be reused elsewhere, too. Hydro only has the right to inspect your meter once a year. You have always been able to call in your own meter reading monthly or bi-monthly to Hydro customer service/billing, and there is somewhere on the Net where you can send it in if you prefer. Your bill will then be based on this reading rather than an estimation. You do NOT need a meter reader to do it for you, you can just do it yourself. Hydro has never willingly given out this information, but its true. So the $35-a-month charge for nothing will be a lot like rural residents being forced to throw away money paying for the removal of garbage that many of us wont even be creating. Do not be duped by BC Hydro, which is seriously abusing its monopoly. Its hard to understand how they can get away with it legally. We desperately need electricity competitors here in B.C., as there are in many other places. That would definitely stop these extortionist tactics, and reduce bills as well. Competitor companies may have no objection to analog meters, so dont give yours up easily; youll never be able to get it back again. And by the way, analog meters are still largely in use in the U.S. and all over the world, and its another Hydro lie that they are no longer available for replacement. S. Joy, Merville
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 07:39:00 +0000
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