The number of households in New Brunswick declining the installation of an N.B. Power smart meter has surged to an estimated 17,000, marking a tenfold increase from the rejection rate reported by the utility to MLAs just a year ago. Despite this significant rise, N.B. Power has clarified that the adjustment in its approach towards customers opting out of the smart meter program, which includes tripling the associated costs, is not intended as a penalty.
N.B. Power is nearing the completion of installing approximately 388,000 new “communicating” smart meters across the province as part of its extensive initiative to modernize the electrical distribution grid. These upgrades will enable the utility to gather individual customer consumption data in real-time electronically, as opposed to the traditional monthly readings by meter readers.
Smart meters have the capability to maintain constant communication with the power utility, facilitating immediate identification and precise locating of outages. Customers can also monitor their daily electricity usage to make adjustments and prevent high monthly bills. Additionally, these meters will pave the way for future innovations such as offering varying electricity prices based on demand fluctuations throughout the day.
However, smart meters have faced controversy, with online critics raising concerns about potential health and safety risks, accuracy issues, and privacy breaches due to the constant collection of consumption data. Many residents, including Moncton’s Clarence Maillet, have opted out of having a smart meter installed and are displeased with the proposed additional charges for retaining their current meters.
N.B. Power is seeking approval from the Energy and Utilities Board to implement a special meter-reading fee of $4.65 per month starting in April for customers who choose to opt out of the smart meter program. The utility emphasizes that the standard meter is now the smart meter, and customers opting for a non-standard meter would require manual readings, with the associated costs to be covered by those opting out.
The revised opt-out plan from N.B. Power differs from its initial proposal during the smart meter installation approval hearings in 2020. The utility now plans to conduct six manual readings per year for customers refusing smart meters, citing better service and billing accuracy. Despite the increased costs, N.B. Power believes that this approach will enhance the overall customer experience.
While the utility denies that the adjustments are financially punitive towards opt-out customers, the change in the opt-out plan aligns with the growing resistance to smart meters in the province. N.B. Power has experienced a higher-than-expected refusal rate, prompting efforts to address concerns and persuade customers to reconsider their decision as installations progress.