Beginning in 2013, we will undertake a full-scale installation of approximately 500,000 advanced meters in the province. Advanced meters provide near real-time monitoring of electrical consumption and operational data. They are connected to a two-way communications network that retrieves and stores data. Advanced meters, sometimes referred to as smart meters, offer many benefits.
- Advanced meters have no moving parts, so they are not subject to the same sort of wear and tear as traditional mechanical meters, which slow down as they age and become less accurate over time
- Advanced meters are accurate to within 0.5 per cent of actual usage, exceeding the accuracy requirements as mandated by federal legislation
The installation of these advanced meters is part of our Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project—one part of an ongoing program to renew and prepare the province's electrical infrastructure for the future.
Benefits of advanced meters
More information means more opportunities for savings
Advanced meters provide more information than traditional meters. More information means you'll be able to make better decisions about how you use and conserve energy. By saving energy, you save money and help the environment.
More options means better customer service
In the future, advanced meters will allow us to respond more efficiently to unplanned power outages. We will know about a power outage as soon as it happens, so you won't have to call us to let us know.
Additional features with advanced meters will allow us to remotely read meters making tenancy changes easier and faster. We'll also be able to turn power on and off at a specific location, eliminating the need to send staff to a customer's location to perform this work.
More accurate billing means you pay for what you use
Currently, we read urban meters every three months and rural meters once a year. Currently every bill you receive that is not based on a meter reading is based on an estimate of your power consumption for that billing period.
With advanced meters, your energy usage information will be collected several times per day, so your bill will be based on what you use. Estimated bills will become a thing of the past, which will reduce billing discrepancies as well.
Two-way, secure communications means fewer visits to customer locations
Advanced meters will 'talk' to our system, so your meter will be remotely read several times per day. This will eliminate the need to manually read your meter and will result in fewer visits to your premise, and fewer visits means we'll use less gas, which will lower our overall carbon footprint.
The communications between your meter and the power system will be encrypted for security purposes. This secure network may use a combination of wireless and wired communications technology.
AMI at a glance
The Advanced Metering Infrastructure project
- involves the installation of 500,000 advanced meters
- is scheduled for full-scale implementation beginning in 2013; to be completed by September 2014
- is estimated to cost $190 million
- is expected to pay for itself in 13 years
AMI and health
SaskPower continues to monitor concerns related to the radio frequency (RF) Electric and Magnetic fields (EMF) emanating from smart meters.
International health agencies and a large number of independent scientific bodies have been unable to establish any associated health risks from exposure to RF EMF from smart meters, although a World Health Organization (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) report issued in May 2011 classified RF EMF as possibly carcinogenic to humans when associated with wireless phone use.
We continue to closely monitor research to ensure we're current on all RF EMF findings and regulations.
AMI and privacy
Your privacy is important and SaskPower will apply the same privacy protection standards to all customer data we collect, including the usage information obtained by smart meters. Only encrypted meter readings and meter identification are transmitted through smart meters, not your personal information.
The data we collect through our meters is used only to ensure accurate billing. The new system will allow us to better match electricity supply to demand, which will increase the efficiency of the electrical grid.
For more information, please read our Privacy Policy.
Did you know?
The Equalized Payment Plan and the Pre-Authorized Payment Plan will not be affected by the installation of advanced meters; equalized payments will continue to be reviewed and adjusted normally, and pre-authorized payments will be based on actual usage and will be more accurate.
