VANCOUVER -- BC Hydro says homeowners must share responsibility for electrical safety after two recent fires that followed the installation of smart meters, but the company is offering a free fix for problems that its workers may discover during the installation.
Fires have occurred in homes in Mission and Coquitlam this summer after installation of the meters, and a cracked meter base plate, or socket, may be the cause of at least one of the fires.
Hydro says the socket is the responsibility of the owner, but if installers find any problems with the equipment the utility will contact the homeowner and offer to bring in a qualified electrician to make the fix at Hydro's expense.
The company says its smart meter crews have found about 1,000 sockets that were damaged by eroded wiring, improper socket installations and pre-existing electrical bypasses.
It says the risk of a smart meter installation causing an electrical problem is extremely low.
The company says people should use a qualified electrician when they make any wiring changes to their homes and they should have their electrical system checked if they notice their lights are flickering.
