(File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

AMI Accommodation Policy

NB residents can opt out of Smart Meters at a cost

Jan 12, 2022 | 2:22 PM

North Battleford residents who want to be exempt from having the new Smart Water Meter technology in their homes will now have that option for a fee.

The City of North Battleford approved a resolution for a Residential Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Accommodation Policy at this week’s meeting.

Administration made the proposal following council’s request for information last year, after a resident expressed concerns about his electromagnetic sensitivity, a disorder resulting in sensitivity to electromagnetic radiation, and did not want the AMI system in his home. The resident came before council in September to discuss his symptoms and issues related to the technology.

City Environmental manager Jeffrey Blanchard said administration’s proposed AMI Meter Accommodation Policy is only applicable to the radio portion of the Smart Meter system. Because of the existing aging meters and infrastructure, the household would still have their existing meter replaced with the new radio-compatible meter. However, that meter would not have a radio installed, to address their sensitivity concerns.

The cost for households that request the accommodation policy will be $22.31 per month, reflecting the charge for city staff to go out and enter a residence to take the reading four times a year, as well as the cost to input the information from the city’s end.

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Households will be charged $123.09 to add or remove a radio.

City manager Randy Patrick said when a household opts not to have a Smart Meter radio, if they move out of their property in the future the city will need to have the appropriate radio transmitter put back in at that time. So there has to be a charge for that.

The city will also work with any landlords that have tenants with concerns related to sensitivity who also wish to opt out. There will be an additional eight self-reads per year required for rental properties.

Blanchard said in his report the policy attempts to maintain a balance between “reasonable utility rates and maintaining the integrity of meter reads.”

The majority of council voted in favour of the proposed accommodation policy, with only Coun. Bill Ironstand opposed. Coun. Kelli Hawtin was absent from the meeting.

Patrick noted administration will present a proposed bylaw in a couple of weeks to reflect the accommodation policy.

“We want to be able to let people know what to expect on this,” he said. “Basically, the bylaw will state that this is available, and here are the rates.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow