A normal electricity meter installed by your electric company measures your household's electricity usage so that the company knows how much to charge you. But in this day and age when electric companies are encouraging customers to practice conservation and reduce their usage during certain times of day, these old meters are inadequate. They can't tell whether the people living in that Bolton real estate obeyed the advice and kept their hair dryers off in the morning or not. Therefore Ontario has moved forward into a new paradigm for electricity billing by fitting households with smart meters.

Smart meters are different from regular meters in a number of ways. Firstly, they're much newer and have a digital display instead of an old fashioned analog one. Secondly, they record electricity usage hour by hour instead of billing period by billing period, which makes it possible for the electric company to charge different rates for different times of day. And thirdly they're connected wirelessly to the electric company's network instead of having to be read manually by an employee so an accountant in Toronto can get accurate usage data for your bill instead of giving you an estimate.

Once your Milton real estate is fitted with a smart meter, you'll notice a marked difference in your electricity bills because the company will be able to give you statistics about your usage that will help you know when and where you can cut back in order to help the environment. You'll also notice that you'll be charges different prices for using electricity at different times of day so people who run their electronics during off peak hours will be rewarded over the people who have not listened to the advice.

One of the main reasons for the switchover is to reduce peak energy usage. If the spikes in electricity usage can be evened out it can save wear and tear on the electricity generation equipment and help the environment by allowing Georgetown, Ontario to have one continuously operating generator instead of several that are constantly having to turn on and off according to the peaks and valleys of usage. It will also allow some older, less environmentally friendly generating stations to be retired for good.

To get a smart meter and participate in time of use pricing, you simply have to wait. All electricity meters will eventually be replaced and are being done community by community, so you just have to wait for them to get around to your North York condominiums complex. If you don't want a smart meter, there's no way to refuse. It is everyone's responsibility to conserve energy and preserve the environment, whether it is convenient for you or not.