Smart meter removal ahead of schedule: SaskPower

SaskPower says it’s ahead of schedule when it comes to removing smart meters in the province, but admits, the job could be done even faster. 
 
“As of the end of last week we’re about 40 per cent through removing and replacing the smart meters,” said Tom Kindred, vice-president of information technology with SaskPower.
 
The company is replacing about 5,000 smart meters a week, but according to Kindred, the only thing holding them back is the availability of the meters to replace the smart meters.
 
He said they’re replacing the smart meters as fast as the manufacturer can make the new ones.
 
“These are the legacy, or older style, meters. Most manufacturers have tooled up to produce new smart meters and so for them to produce these older meters again for us, is a bit of a change in their process.”
 
Kindred said they hope to have all smart meters uninstalled in Saskatchewan by mid February.
 
Last Friday, another smart meter caught on fire on a home – this one in Regina. Kindred said that fire doesn’t put more pressure on he and his team because they’ve been under a lot of pressure from the beginning.
 
“For us, any time customer safety is in question, that obviously puts a lot of pressure on us and our team.”
 
He said the fire is more of a reminder of why they’re removing them.
 
“We know we’re replacing these meters because they do fail, and they do consume themselves when they do fail like this.”
 
According to Kindred, as they keep removing the smart meters and as it gets colder, the meters catching on fire will become less likely.

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