Smart meter backlash
Most health concerns about the meters arise from the
pulsed radiofrequency (RF) radiation emitted by wireless smart meters.
[16] Members of the California State Assembly asked the
California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) to study the issue of potential health impacts from smart meters. CCST issued a report in April 2011 finding no health impacts, based both on lack of scientific evidence of harmful effects from radio frequency (RF) waves and also on the observation that the RF exposure of people in their homes to smart meters is likely to be minuscule compared to RF exposure to such items as cell phones and microwave ovens.
[17]
Privacy concerns focus upon the collection of detailed energy data from customers, the accessibility of that data through the utility and possibly, at the site of the meter as well as the potential for sharing of this energy data without the knowledge or desire of customers.
[citation needed] These concerns have been rather less for small North American utilities run by towns (
public power districts) or
rural electric co-operatives which have achieved about three times more penetration of these technologies with less resistance
[
Most security concerns center on the inherent
hack-ability of wireless technology, combined with the remotely controllable "kill switch" incorporated into smart meters. Others have accused agencies of hiding smart meter plans under the term "smart grid" to avoid public input and obtain approval.
Reviews of smart meter programs, moratoriums, delays, and "opt-out" programs are some of the responses arising in response to the concerns of customers and government officials. In response to concerns and a lawsuit, in June 2012 a utility in Hawaii changed their smart meter program to "opt in"
[18]
After receiving numerous complaints about health, hacking, and privacy concerns with the wireless digital devices, the Public Utility Commission of the
US state of
Maine voted to allow customers to opt out of the meter change at a cost of $12 a month.
[19] In
Connecticut, another US state to consider smart metering recently, regulators declined a request by the state's largest utility,
Connecticut Light & Power, to install 1.2 million of the devices, arguing that the potential savings in electric bills do not justify the cost. CL&P already offers its customers time-based rates. The state's Attorney General
George Jepsen was quoted as saying the proposal would cause customers to spend upwards of $500 million on meters and get few benefits in return, a claim that Connecticut Light & Power disputed.
[20]
problems of wireless-only networks
Despite its simplicity, a uniform wireless smart meter network is actually more expensive to run and offers few or no revenue opportunities to a utility to offset the cost of installation
[citation needed]. Such networks are the usual cause of "smart meter backlash" because they implement peak prices without giving the consumer any new control or monitoring options
[citation needed]. The typical low-end wireless "solution" involves reading a meter every 15 minutes - not often enough to help the customer manage their power use
[citation needed], because they cannot turn a switch and wait over 30 minutes through two sampling periods to see if it has actually made a difference
[citation needed]. The same criticism applies to low-end
powerline networking solutions deployed prior to
IEEE 1901 standardization
[citation needed].
Fibre and other wired builds are effective not only because of their potential telecom and advanced service revenues, but because the rate of sampling of overall power use is under a second, meaning you can tell instantly at the control panel exactly how much or how little any given device is using
[citation needed]. Thus, customers can spot wasteful or leaky devices or habits and adjust/replace devices. Software or third party services can watch usage patterns in detail, and even micro-variations in current, that reveal electrical problems (even fires) early and which allow programmed responses to human activity
[citation needed] (the lights dim when you leave, brighten when you arrive & radio comes on) because the services see exactly what users really do when entering or leaving a room. There's plenty of bandwidth to sell or allocate to security or medical devices
[citation needed]. Home monitoring and control systems can be installed compatible with the metering simultaneously, increasing perception of benefits with the costs.
Smaller North American utilities such as
Bristol Virginia Utilities and
Chattanooga, TN's
EPBfi have deployed advanced metering as part of town wide fibre builds with no smart meter backlash whatsoever
[citation needed]. They rejected wireless technologies specifically for the lack of economic development value and customer resistance
Lack of savings in results
There are questions whether electricity is or should be primarily a "when you need it" service where the inconvenience/cost-benefit ratio of time shifting of loads is poor. In the Chicago area Commonwealth Edison ran a test installing smart meters on 8,000 randomly selected households together with variable rates and rebates to encourage cutting back during peak usage.
[21] In the
Crain's Chicago Business article
Smart grid test underwhelms. In pilot, few power down to save money. it was reported that fewer that 9% exhibited any amount of peak usage reduction. and that the overall amount of reduction was "statistically insignificant".
[21] This was from a report by the Electric Power Research Institute, a utility industry think tank who conducted the study and prepared the report. Susan Satter, senior assistant Illinois attorney general for public utilities said "It's devastating to their plan......The report shows zero statistically different result compared to business as usual."
[21]
Purpose
Since the inception of electricity deregulation and market-driven pricing throughout the world, utilities have been looking for a means to match consumption with generation. Traditional electrical and gas meters only measure total consumption, and so provide no information of when the energy was consumed at each metered site (market use rates are readily available to utilities however). Smart meters provide a way of measuring this site-specific information, allowing price setting agencies to introduce different prices for consumption based on the time of day and the season.
Utility companies propose that from a consumer perspective, smart metering offers a number of potential benefits to householders. These include, a) an end to estimated bills, which are a major source of complaints for many customers b) a tool to help consumers better manage their energy use - stating that smart meters with a display outside their homes could provide up-to-date information on gas and electricity consumption in the currency of that country and in doing so help people to manage their energy use and reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions. Proponents assert that in some countries[which?] there are potential social benefits of smart metering — for example, the potential for telehealth and social care services that can facilitate health services and enable consumers to live independently for longer.[citation needed] Such monitoring would require extensive data collection and analysis, which is not now performed. There is also the opportunity to target assistance at vulnerable and low income consumers more effectively and end disconnection for electricity customers.[citation needed] These potential benefits have not been provided.
Electricity pricing usually peaks at certain predictable times of the day and the season. In particular, if generation is constrained, prices can rise if power from other jurisdictions or more costly generation is brought online. Proponents assert that billing customers by time-of-day will encourage consumers to adjust their consumption habits to be more responsive to market prices and assert further, that regulatory and market design agencies hope these "price signals" could delay the construction of additional generation or at least the purchase of energy from higher priced sources, thereby controlling the steady and rapid increase of electricity prices.[citation needed] There are some concerns, however, that low income and vulnerable consumers may not benefit from intraday time-of-use tariffs.
A utility representative in Florida denied such intentions when he stated, “There are no plans to implement any price tiering” [22] and he added that, since they are regulated by the state government, any such change would be subject to regulatory approval after required public hearings.
Smart metering offers potential benefits to utility companies in that they will be able to eliminate many jobs, but there are concerns that many of the "benefits" proponents cite for consumers, not only will fail to be realized, but to the contrary, could increase costs to the consumers.
Implementation examples
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy reviewed more than 36 different residential smart metering and feedback programmes internationally. This is the most extensive study of its kind (as of January 2011). Their conclusion was: “To realise potential feedback-induced savings, advanced meters [smart meters] must be used in conjunction with in-home (or on-line) displays and well-designed programmes that successfully inform, engage, empower and motivate people."[23] There are near universal calls from both the energy industry and consumer groups for a national social marketing campaign to help raise awareness of smart metering and give customers the information and support they need to become more energy efficient, and what changes they must make to realize the potential of proposed smart meters.
CanadaThe Ontario Energy Board in Ontario, Canada has worked to define the technology [34] and develop the regulatory framework for its implementation. The Government of Ontario set a target of deploying smart meters to 800,000 homes and small businesses (i.e. small "general service" customers under 50 kW demand) by the end of 2007, which was surpassed, and throughout the province by the end of 2010.[35] BC Hydro in British Columbia, Canada is implementing Itron smart meters to all customers by the end of 2012.[36]
Smart meter installations have been associated with several fires in British Columbia.[13] BC Hydro maintains that "the risk of a smart meter installation causing an electrical problem is extremely low" and will assist homeowners if repairs are necessary for a safe installation.
In November 2011, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities voted in favor of a moratorium to temporarily suspend smart meter installations.[37] The provincial government insists that installations will proceed, based on global standards.[37] As of May 2012, 39 municipalities in British Columbia have passed motions opposing the installation of smart meters. The utility company, BC Hydro, is not legally obliged to abide by these city decisions.[38]
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