Monday, March 26, 2012

Hydro-Québec customers can opt out of smart meters

Hydro-Québec has modified its proposal for the planned rollout of smart meters to allow for an opt-out clause.  Customers who decide to not use a smart meter for health or other concerns would pay an extra $200 a year under a proposal filed Thursday with the Régie de l'énergie. Consumers choosing to opt out would pay an initial fee of $98 and then $17 a month to cover the cost of manually reading the meters. The cost would be $302 the first year and $204 each year thereafter. These charges would ensure the cost of meter reading would not be passed on to consumers with a smart meter. Hydro plans to install up to 3.7 million meters by 2017. Hearings before the Régie are set to begin Monday in Montreal.

No comments: