Customers criticize Nova Scotia Power over lack of info over opting out of smart meters

Some Nova Scotia Power customers say the utility is not being transparent enough about the fact they can opt out of the company's $133-million smart meter program that automates meter readings.

The smart meters allow the company to automatically measure how much electricity people consume and will eliminate the need for meter readers to manually take the measurement.

"The letter they sent around didn't actually mention anything about it being optional, just that it would be happening in the near future so I didn't know I could opt out," said Andrew Aulenback of Halifax.

Aulenback, who does not object to having a smart meter, said the technician who installed his meter last week did not mention it was optional.

Nova Scotia Power said it's following the opt-out communications plan approved by its regulator, the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (UARB). As part of that, opt-out information is available on the company's website and through its customer care department.

"The goal of our smart meter upgrade program and how we communicate it has always been to provide Nova Scotia Power customers with factual information about smart meters so they can learn the many long-term benefits around control, convenience and reliability," spokesperson Jackie Foster said.

The company said smart meters will allow customers to manage their electricity costs, eliminate the need for on-site visits for connections and disconnections, and improve response times in the event of an outage.

Customers who opt out will have to pay for manual readings — approximately $4 for bimonthly readings and roughly $22 for monthly ones. The actual amount will be determined at a later UARB hearing.

The organization is not permitted to charge any other fees, unless approved by the UARB.

Nova Scotia Power said using smart meters will result in annual savings of $4.6 million because of less meter reading and field work.

Opt-out option not mentioned in customer mail-outs

In an August 2018 submission to the UARB, Nova Scotia Power said it would "provide full details on [an] opt-out process." However, none of the six pieces of communications it says it provided to customers contain the words "opt out." Nova Scotia Power said the communications refer people to their website or call centre if they have questions.

Dalhousie University marketing professor Ed McHugh said the company should have been more up front with customers that opting out is an option. He called the company's approach a "public relations glitch."

"Those pieces of communication are gone through quite thoroughly and quite edited and quite vetted," he said. "Obviously, they wanted to go in a certain direction and when it got to their actual communication with consumers they didn't give the option, which speaks very loudly to the path that they wanted this to go."

Some people have expressed concerns about potential health effects from using the meters, the safety of the devices and whether their use will lead to higher power bills.

Dartmouth resident Roger Morrison returned from Florida in March to find a notice on his door telling him his meter had been upgraded to a smart meter.

He said he'd heard about smart meters but doesn't remember being notified his meter would be changed. He said he didn't know he could opt out until a friend told him.

"They should have let me know that if I didn't want it, I could continue with my old meter," Morrison said.

Halifax resident Jordan Bonaparte was on vacation over the Canada Day weekend when he received a message from his neighbour saying Nova Scotia Power was at his house changing his meter, which resulted in his security lights not working.

Bonaparte, who said he's "pretty on the ball" about paying attention to his bills and mail, said he was unaware of Nova Scotia Power's smart meter plans.

"NSP should have made contact with me, let me know what they were installing and why and given me the option to opt out. Maybe I would have agreed to it, but I just feel like I had nothing to do with the decision," he said.

Below is a mailer Nova Scotia Power sent to its customers when it launched its smart meter program:

In an email to CBC News, UARB executive director Paul Allen said the approved plan "did not specifically require the company to provide written instructions on opting out in their printed materials." He said it wasn't raised as a specific issue by participants in the UARB hearing.

Allen said media coverage is one way people could have learned about the option to opt out.

He said the board believes the utility is following the approved plan, which includes:

• Sending letters to customers 30 and 60 days prior to installation.
• Placing a notice on the doorknob about two weeks before installation.
• Having the technician speak with the customer on the day of the installation to explain what is happening. (Allen said if the customer objects, the installation is not supposed to go ahead.)

There is no mention of what should be done if the customer is not home when the technician arrives.

Besides the UARB requirements, Foster said Nova Scotia Power has produced informative videos on what to expect during an upgrade, issued updates to local media prior to starting work in a community, attended community council meetings and ran advertising campaigns.

She said as a result of customer feedback, the company also started making automated calls to customers one to two weeks in advance of their meter upgrade.

Foster said the company's efforts seem to be working. She cited a recent customer survey that suggested the vast majority of customers are happy with the information provided by the utility.

Consumer advocate calls for more transparency

Nova Scotia Power's consumer advocate, Bill Mahody, wrote a letter to the company after learning of its communications approach.

"If this is correct, there is a real risk that the customers who do not access Nova Scotia Power's online materials will not be made aware of their ability to opt out of the program. It would be appreciated if you could check into this matter and consider revising Nova Scotia Power's communication protocols, where appropriate," his letter said.

Nova Scotian Peter Ripple, who operates an anti-smart meter website, called the company's approach highly unethical.

"The way they're handling it seems to be by use of tacit agreement, which is a legal term which means that if they have made a public announcement then they consider that to be adequate," Ripple said.

Nova Scotia Power said it wants to hear from anyone who opted out, but still had a smart meter installed.

Allen said people who aren't satisfied with the opting-out process can file a complaint with the UARB. If customers believe Nova Scotia Power did not follow its communications plan, they can contact the company or the board.

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