Are advanced meters and installations safe?
The meters have undergone rigorous testing to ensure safety, accuracy and integrity. They are approved for use by Measurement Canada and meet Canadian Standards Association certification, as well as the radio frequency safety standards set out by Health Canada.
Gas meters are safely exchanged every year as they reach the end of their operating life. FortisBC has already upgraded its electricity customers to advanced meters.
Are you installing automatic seismic shut-off valves on the new meters as part of this project?
While advanced gas meters will not have seismic shut-off valves, they will offer additional safety features compared to our current meters. These include the ability to remotely shut off gas, if necessary, in the event we are made aware of an emergency, such as a gas leak, flood, wildfire or earthquake.
Do advanced meters emit radiation?
Advanced meters use a wireless transmitter that emits a low level of electromagnetic field. The low levels of radiofrequency emitted by the advanced meters are within Health Canada’s Safety Code 6 standards.
- The Radiofrequency Fields in the Environment and from Advanced Metering Infrastructure report compares radiofrequency (RF) exposure levels from different sources. It concludes that the indoor RF exposure from our gas meters is about 24 million times lower than the Health Canada exposure limit and significantly lower than RF emitted from other common sources, including the human body.
- There is no evidence to conclude that exposure to these low-level electromagnetic fields is harmful to human health according to the World Health Organization, Health Canada, C. Provincial Health Officer and Public Health England.
- Our advanced meters will only transmit a few times a day, at intervals of approximately every four hours, totaling two to three seconds per transmission.
How will my private information be protected?
We take privacy seriously. Customers’ personal information is protected under the British Columbia Personal Information Protection Act. The only information sent wirelessly over our new private network will be customer meter readings and service alarms. This data is protected by several mechanisms including encryption, proprietary wireless protocols and licensed radio frequencies. Third-party security audits will also be conducted regularly. All data will be stored in Canada in accordance with regulatory requirements. Customer information, such as account balance, names and addresses, will not be transmitted over the new wireless network.
We’re here to help
Want to know more about the Gas AMI Project? Call 1-888-224-2710 or email [email protected].