Consumer concerns about smart meters

Abstract

Modernisation of the grid is inevitable as aging and outdated traditional power infrastructure is subject to challenges of cost, climate change, distributed power generation, and unstable demand patterns. Engineers identified smart meters as a vital element for modernisation and hastily implemented and deployed them without fully considering their implications. There has been significant consumer concern, and rollouts in various countries have been delayed and even stopped entirely. The resistance from consumers makes it evident that their requirements were inadequately addressed. A major reason for this is that the requirements elicitation process was seriously deficient. This article first analyses the functionalities of a smart metering system from a consumer perspective and discusses the risks to consumer assets that are perceived to, and in some cases do, arise from the introduction of smart meters. It then proposes that proponents of smart meter schemes need to improve their risk assessment and requirements elicitation processes, in order to better understand user realities, needs and concerns and ensure that their designs address them effectively.