Smart Meters Explained
Smart meters explained
Smart meters are sophisticated, digital devices that record electricity use and send it to us through a safe, secure wireless connection. Moving forward, smart technology will be the foundation for a cleaner, more reliable and affordable energy future for Nova Scotia.
Know the facts about smart meters
It is important to us that our customers have access to factual information about smart meters and the long-term benefits of the technology.
OUR NEW STANDARD SERVICE METER
Seventy percent of homes and businesses across Canada are using smart meter technology and we are excited to offer Nova Scotians the same benefits many Canadians are already enjoying. Smart meters provide you with more information to help you manage your electricity use and billing inquires. They can also help us get the lights back on faster when outages occur. That’s why they’re now our standard meter.
SAFETY IS ALWAYS OUR TOP PRIORITY
We are installing the OpenWay Riva CENTRON meter. Our supplier has installed more than 80 million CENTRON meters in North America without any safety issues. Our meters meet or exceed all regulations and standards that protect the health and safety of our employees and customers, including Health Canada, Measurement Canada and Underwriters Laboratories.
SMART METERS ARE SAFE
Our smart meters adhere to Health Canada’s Safety Code 6, which reflects an ongoing review of scientific studies about safe human exposure and sets safe exposure limits for radiofrequency emissions. In third-party testing conducted in October of 2020, a single smart meter tested at 100x below the safe exposure limit set by Health Canada.
YOUR INFORMATION IS SECURE
Smart meters transmit energy use information, in an encrypted format, over a private and secure wireless network to our data centre. Smart meters do not transmit personal information. Our smart meters adhere to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Interagency Report 7628 that sets guidelines for smart grid cybersecurity.
SMART METERS DON’T CAUSE HIGHER BILLS
Energy use, the weather and the number of days between meter readings are factors that can increase bills. Like all meters, smart meters measure consumption but do not affect energy use. Similar to analog and digital meters, smart meters are regulated by Measurement Canada and undergo rigorous and regular quality testing to ensure power consumption calculations are accurate.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS
Smart meters are our new standard service and there is no additional cost to take advantage of their benefits. If you opt out of a smart meter, you will be choosing a non-standard meter and will be charged a fee for that service. This ensures that the costs to manually read your meter and maintain older systems and processes for non-standard meters are not passed on to smart meter customers. For more information on opting out and fees, click here or contact our Customer Care Centre.
