The Consumer Advocate is dismayed that the two electrical utilities in the province are showing little interest in the concept of “smart meters.”
 
Dennis Browne says other provinces are using them, yet the company which supplies electricity to most people in Newfoundland and Labrador does not have them on its radar. He says Newfoundland Power is planning to spend over a million dollars on new and replacement meters, but he says it’s for ones which are generally no longer used in the industry.
 
He says neither has Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro allocated any money toward the advanced technology.
 
He says the benefits of such metering would be significant in that it would give customers the ability to monitor electrical consumption in real time and reduce restoration time following an outage.
 
He says smart meters could be introduced to customers of both utilities over about three years and at no cost to ratepayers.