But in September, the Hanmer couple received a bill for $2,000 from Hydro One for three months’ worth of hydro. They say they think the problem stems from a smart meter installed at the cottage in the summer of 2009.
Hydro One took an “actual” reading from the smart meter for the first time this past summer, and found the cottage was drawing 123 kilowatts per hour each day, Lise said. On previous bills, the average amount of electricity the family was using was about 20 kilowatts per hour each day.
“I had about 10 different conversations with different people (at Hydro One),” Lise said. “The final one was Oct. 22, when they did finally say they were going to get the integrity of our meter checked.”
Lise said a few Hydro One employees said she and her husband must have added an appliance that was using a lot of electricity. “We tried to tell them that there isn’t anything that has changed,” she said.
Although the couple is sure there’s been a problem with the smart meter, Hydro One still insists they have to pay their bill, Lise said.
The smart meters don’t seem so smart for some families in the North.
