Quotables:

• Between September 2020 and December 2021, commercial and industrial customers who haven’t already received a smart meter will get one.
• Safety is our top priority. SaskPower has successfully installed more than 21,500 smart meters in Saskatchewan since 2017.
• Customers who’ve gotten a smart meter are already seeing the immediate benefits, like accurate bills each month that are based on automated, actual meter reads, instead of estimates.

Learn more about the safety, process and benefits for you as we roll out smart meters to the rest of our business customers.

1. What’s happening?

   Between September 2020 and December 2021, commercial and industrial customers who haven’t already received a smart meter will get one. Approximately 27,000 smart meters are part of this final phase. 
   
   An additional 3,200 farmers and 1,100 residential customers are eligible for the type of meter being installed. They'll be offered a smart meter so they can begin to access the benefits. This will also provide SaskPower with more visibility into the power grid to begin improving outage response times. 
   
   Everyone getting a smart meter during this phase will hear from us by mail and phone. Customers can choose not to have a smart meter until a later time. 

2. How has the meter roll out been going so far?

   Customers who’ve gotten a smart meter are already seeing the immediate benefits, like accurate bills each month that are based on automated, actual meter reads, instead of estimates. 
   
   They also have online access to details about their power use. This gives them the data they need to help them understand how they use – and can save – power. 
   
   In the future, smart meters will also help us pinpoint outages faster as we build a more modern power grid for our customers. 

3. Are smart meters safe?

   Safety is our top priority. SaskPower has successfully installed more than 21,500 smart meters in Saskatchewan since 2017. Meters we have installed have performed as expected, with no unacceptable failures. To date, there have been no issues with any of the meters we’ve installed.
   
   The technology has also proven safe after more than 4 years in some of Saskatchewan’s toughest weather. SaskPower has set its own standards for smart meters in Saskatchewan, and this goes far beyond industry standards in North America. The meters must pass a third-party test to ensure they meet this standard. We also test the meters at our own facilities. We push them far beyond their capabilities to ensure they’re safe. 

4. How does the installation process work?

   The smart meter and installation are free of charge. In some cases, a short power outage during the meter exchange is needed. If an outage will impact critical business operations or timing is a concern for you, SaskPower will work with you to arrange a time that works better.
   
   A combination of our own employees and contractors complete the installations. All contractors are journeyed power line technicians or electricians from Saskatchewan. Some are former SaskPower employees. They follow all our policies and procedures when installing. A SaskPower manager ensures their work is up to our standards.

5. Are smart meters being installed on my house?

   Currently, we don’t have suitable smart meters available for all our residential customers. We anticipate we’ll have some ready by early 2021. Stay tuned for an announcement on that in a few months. 

Learn more:

• Building a Modern Power Grid