Yukon moves towards electric meter monitoring

No more tying up the dog or shovelling the lane just for the meter reader. The Yukon Electrical Company plans to install new meters that send an automated reading from most Yukon homes.

Jay Massi is a manager with the company. He says new automated meter readers will give the company an accurate monthly reading from its headquarters in Whitehorse.

"So every 30,31 days, whether it's the weekend, whether snow, rain, shine...the meter read automatically happens," Massi says.

The company currently spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each year reading meters on people's homes. The $3.8 million project will target southern Yukon. Over time, Massi projects it will save ratepayers at least $2 million.

Installation of the new meters could start next year, if approved by the Utilities Board.

According to Massi, the new meters are not cost effective everywhere in the territory, but customers in Whitehorse and the Southern Lakes region could be fully automated by 2015.