This is going to be some major litigation. From
The Vancouver Sun:
�Unusual� number of fires, smart meters linked
Smart meter installations are the suspected cause of an �unusual� number of fires similar to a recent electrical fire at a home in Mission, according to a recent investigation by the Ontario fire marshal�s office.
BC Hydro is in the process of a $1-billion installation of the meters, which use wireless technology to transmit information about electricity consumption to power utilities, following the lead of provinces and states including Ontario and California.
There�s no evidence to suggest that the meters themselves are overheating and catching fire, but it appears from an Ontario fire marshal�s report, dated June 15, 2012, that the base plates, or four-pronged sockets that meters plug into, can become compromised and start to burn if they�re old or suffer rough handling during installation.
�It�s like everything else, once it�s installed and intact nothing usually happens,� said Surrey electrical contractor Bill Strain, a former president of the Canadian Home Builders Association.
�A lot of times, when you pull something apart, if it�s been there for 30 years it�s probably going to be rusted in or hard in. So they have to give it a little bit of a jerk or a twist. That jerk or twist may be what sets the whole thing in motion,� Strain said Friday. If there�s a problem, he added, it�s possible that a contractor without formal electrical training may miss it.
A resident of Mission, Trish Regan, recently lost her home in a fire that the district�s fire department said appeared to originate from a broken base plate that became overheated and caught fire a few hours after an employee of Corix, the company contracted by BC Hydro to install the meters, plugged one in at her home.
Not a big fan of smart metering -- this is invasive. I can see the need to get a better handle on ones electrical consumption but this should be performed within the house and by the owner. The utility should not be keeping the data. Begnin now but how would you like to see an extra $5 on your monthly bill because you ran the washing machine at Noon instead of at 3:00AM. Invasive.
A
commenter brought out some damning information:
Smart meter fire on Darwin Ave., Coquitlam this morning. BC Hydro is blaming the smart meter base again. Problem for them is that this is a brand new subdivision so they can't blame it on a cracked, old crumbling meter base.
Lots of other great comments and links -- this is not a small story. Like I said, the litigation will be interesting...
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