Friday April 17, 2026 | METCHOSIN, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
FortisBC advanced gas meter exchanges will be done in the rural District of Metchosin on June 8 to 19, 2026.
The Metchosin population is just over 5,000.
FortisBC’s Gas Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Project is upgrading gas meters to wireless advanced meters to modernize their metering technology and provide an enhanced customer experience.
Advanced gas meters will provide customers with additional benefits in the future, such as more information about their energy consumption and safety improvements.
Upgrading to wireless meters also means that FortisBC will no longer need to enter customers’ properties for manual readings, in most cases.
One million across BC:
Over the next several years through the FortisBC Gas AMI Project more than one million FortisBC gas customers will have their current gas meters upgraded to digital wireless meters or retrofitted.
The new meters are intended to enable wireless communication.
See: installation schedule map.
What to know before exchange:
Here’s what FortisBC gas customers need to know before the meter exchange:
- Most customers don’t need an appointment for the meter exchange in warmer months.
- A FortisBC employee or approved contractor may need to temporarily shut off gas service and may need to enter the premises to relight gas appliances once the meter exchange is complete.
- If someone 16 years of age or older is on-site at the time of the exchange and able to provide access, the FortisBC technician can relight gas appliances right away.
- If no one is present during the exchange, FortisBC will leave a door-hanger with instructions on how to have a technician return in a timely fashion to relight gas appliances, if required.
- To assist the technician with their work, customers should maintain a clear path to the meter and keep the area around it clear of items that may be blocking access.
- The meter exchange takes about one to two hours.
- During the fall and winter when people rely on gas for home heating, FortisBC will call and email customers to book appointments if they need to temporarily interrupt service to safely complete the exchange.
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