Ontario Embraces Smart Metering

The Ministry of Energy of Ontario has indicated that the pending retirement of coal plants combined with the natural overall growth in the demand for electricity has created an urgency to build a conservation culture in the Province of Ontario and to make it a North American leader in energy efficiency. On Mar 28, 2006, the Energy Conservation Responsibility Act, 2005 received royal assent in the Ontario legislature. Six urban local distribution companies (LDCs) in Ontario have been selected to install and operate the first smart meters, which will perform to specifications based on density, growth rates, customer mix, terrain, weather, vegetation, congestion, and natural and man-made structures. Capital and operating costs associated with the initiative will be included in the LDC's distribution rates, including those costs related to any existing meters made obsolete by the introduction of advanced metering infrastructure.