SaskPower set to install residential smart meters across province

SaskPower is preparing to start installing smart meters on homes across Saskatchewan.

The widespread installation comes after a pilot project put residential smart meters on the homes of 17,000 volunteers earlier this year.

“Smart meters are an important part of our efforts to build a modern power grid in Saskatchewan,” Don Morgan, the minister responsible for SaskPower, said in a media release.

“These meters will allow SaskPower to respond to outages faster, ensure accurate billing, and provide customers with detailed information about power use to help them save on their bills.”

In 2014, SaskPower’s attempt to install residential smart meters was halted after a different type of meter than what is being offered now failed in what the corporation called “an unacceptable manner due to dust and moisture getting into the meter.”

In fact, 10 fires were blamed on the smart meters. More than 100,000 smart meters that had been installed were removed and replaced.

SaskPower said there haven’t been any issues with the new models. As well as the 17,000 meters installed at homes, another 45,000 commercial and industrial smart meters have been installed in the province.

During a news conference Monday, Morgan and SaskPower president and CEO Mike Marsh offered more details on the safety and quality assurance work put into the new meters.

“We’re fortunate that the fires that happened were of a minor nature and nobody was hurt in them, but nonetheless, it was a frightening and eerie thing. So that’s why they did the extensive testing and trial process … We’re well satisfied that we don’t have an issue,” Morgan said.

Marsh elaborated on what kind of testing the Crown corporation did.

“We also undertook testing in Saskatchewan climate conditions, right down to -50 C — extreme heat in the summer and extreme cold in the winter. We tested it with various levels of voltage to make sure that it didn’t fail, and if it did fail, it failed quietly with no fires and no hotspots,” he explained.

“So we’re very happy with the product that’s out there today.”

Smart meters allow SaskPower to detect outages as they occur instead of relying on customers to report the power failures.

“We are pleased with the results of the pilot and are looking forward to making the benefits of smart meters available to everyone in Saskatchewan,” Marsh said in the release.

“We are beginning the program with a number of farm and rural customers because they typically receive a meter reading once a year, unlike SaskPower’s urban customers, whose meters are typically read every three months.”

The rollout of the new meters will take a few years. SaskPower’s distribution plan is based on the availability of meters, which has been affected by the global microchip shortage.

SaskPower customers also can opt out of having their meters switched to the new smart models.