Hydro-Québec has installed 2.5 million new meters

They are reliable, safe and secure

Hydro-Québec has reached a milestone, with 2.5 million next-generation meters installed. As the project is running smoothly and at a sustained pace, the rollout should be complete by the end of 2016. By that time, a total of 3.8 million meters will be in operation throughout Québec.

Customers are already enjoying the many benefits of this new technology, including remote transmission of electricity use data, billing based on actual consumption rather than estimates and automatic outage detection. Starting in 2015, customers will also be able to monitor their electricity use from their Customer Space.

Meters comply with standards

All meters installed by Hydro-Québec are reliable, safe, secure and approved by Measurement Canada, an independent agency that imposes strict rules on companies to guarantee the precision of the measurement systems they use. Hydro-Québec is therefore required to install meters that comply with those standards. Next-generation meters installed are reliable, safe and secure and measure actual electricity use.

Accurate bills based on actual electricity use

Replacing meters has nothing to do with any variations in customers’ bills. Recent complaints reported in the media have been investigated and, in every case, the bill reflected the customer’s actual electricity use. The impacts of the cold winter of 2013–2014, changes in energy consumption habits, an outstanding balance, a meter reading instead of an estimate (as with the old meter), the addition of new electrical equipment (like a heat pump), no longer using an alternate heating source (like a fireplace) and other highly individual reasons were behind the differences seen.

Winter 2013–2014: Record consumption

Temperature variations or changes in energy consumption habits can affect electricity bills. The winter of 2013–2014 was extremely harsh, 3°C colder than the year before. That had a big impact on the amount of electricity most customers used, regardless of whether they had next-generation meters or not. Electricity use was higher than in any of the prior 10 years, because of the cold that lasted from November 2013 until March 2014. This increase was reflected in people’s winter electricity bills or, in the case of customers on the Equalized Payments Plan, in the annual review of their monthly installments, sometime between July and October.

It should be pointed out that Hydro-Québec had already sent customers two inserts with bills or by e-mail (after the winter for those who receive their bills every two months and ahead of the annual review for those on the EPP), informing them in advance of the impact the winter would have on their bills.

For more information about the benefits and installation of new meters: meters.hydroquebec.com

Information

Hydro-Québec
Affaires publiques et médias
514 289-5005