Couple pressures BC Hydro to remove smart meter

A couple from Cache Creek, B.C., has successfully had their smart meter replaced with an analog meter after complaining to BC Hydro the meter was making them ill, but the utility company has said it won't be making other exceptions.

BC Hydro's plan to install 1.8 million smart meters across B.C.has met with oppositionbecause ofthe cost of the program, concerns about privacy and hacking of the systems, and possiblehealth effects of the wireless technology.

Debi Alexander said she started getting sick shortly after BC Hydro replaced the analog meter on her home with a wireless smart meter.

"Around the same time that the smart meter got put on our house I started throwing up, sick to my stomach. It kept going on and on and of course I couldn't eat because I was sick, and I was dry-heaving and stuff, and oh it was so bad," said Alexander.

"We both figured it had to be the smart meter."

She and her husband complained to their local BC Hydro office, and the company agreed to reinstall their analog meter.

But BC Hydro spokesperson Cindy Verschoor warns they will not make a habit of downgrading electricity meters.

"We did make an exception in this case. Unfortunately we won't be able to do that for other customers."

Verschoor said BC Hydro is running out of analog meters, andby the end of 2012, all customers will have their analog meters exchanged for smart meters.

The Alexanders say they'll do whatever they can to keep their analog metereven locking it to theirhouse.