Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
smart meter installation. Quebec has also experienced strong opposition to smart meters, in
part due to mistrust of the state-owned Hydro-Quebec and the loss of meter-reading jobs
Another tension fueling smart meter power struggles relates to the perspectives on
whether or not these devices provide more or less autonomy to individual electricity
consumers. While the smart meter can offer tools to help customers change their electricity
use, it can also be viewed as a tool that takes control away from consumers and shifts the
balance of power further to utilities, which may remotely monitor energy use and directly
control some appliances. This tension reflects the delicate balance between privacy and
system function.
Although the smart meter has become, for some, synonymous with smart grid, the meter
is only one small (but critical) part of the electricity system. The disproportionate attention
being paid to smart meters was described well by one of the energy system experts we
talked to, who said: “[A] smart meter without the rest of the smart grid is like having an
iPad without internet.”
Key considerations for understanding the future of smart meters include the degree to
which smart meter deployment is aligned with individual and collective goals. Another
consideration is the balance between perceived short-term benefits and long-term benefits,
and perceived benefits for utilities versus perceived benefits for electricity users.
References
ACLU. (2014) Time to Rein in the Surveillance State.
www.aclu.org/
American Cancer Society. (2012) Smart Meters.
http://www.berginsight.com/ReportPDF/
BioInitiative Working Group. (2012) BioInitiative 2012: A Rationale for
Biologically-based Exposure Standards for Low-Intensity Electromagnetic Radiation.
Berg Insight. (2013) Smart Metering in Europe. M2M Research Series.
Berst, J. (2013) Nein! German ministry rejects smart meters.
Smart Grid News.com
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