In this post, we look at why a utility bidder no longer needs you to provide a monthly reading from your manual energy meter when you get a smart meter installed. Smart meters are the latest technology to monitor consumer’s electricity and gas consumption. Smart meters electronically monitor a consumer’s energy supply and send this information to the energy provider. But is it mandatory to accept a smart meter, if so what are the benefits?

Consumer’s Concerns With Smart Meters

Consumers have numerous concerns about smart meters and their deployment. Energy suppliers are required to take “all the necessary steps” to ensure that all energy consumers have a smart meter installed in their residence. Even so, consumers still have the option to decline to have a smart installed at their premises because of any concerns. Here we look at some of the major sources of apprehension for consumers shifting towards smart metering. 

Cost Of The Smart Meters:

Although there is no initial cost for consumers shifting towards a smart metering system, all the consumers are collectively paying for the setup and installation of the smart meters through their energy bills. The total cost of installing smart meters in the UK is approximately £11bn. The ultimate goal for the energy suppliers is to relegate the cost by incurring savings to the consumers. Nevertheless, users are excited to make savings in their utility bills by letting energy suppliers pass on these savings to their clients. 

Privacy & Security:

Since all smart meters will indefinitely be connected to the internet in one way or another, consumers are seriously concerned about who can see their consumption data. With corporate access to this information, consumers are concerned if they will be inundated by advertisers who are trying to target them to be their next client. UK consumers have a hesitation to accept smart meters because they are already being targeted by international organizations because of living in the UK and being outstanding possible clients. 

Health Concerns:

Consumers are concerned about the electromagnetic radiation and the radio frequencies which these devices use to communicate with the energy provider. This is especially a concern for families with young children and pregnant mothers. These frequencies and electromagnetic radiation do not pose a serious health risk to anybody, according to the information provided by Public Health England. They maintain that these are the same signals, like Wi-fi signals or mobile signals, that consumers are already being exposed to in one form or the other so there is no imminent danger to consumers from these kinds of signals. 

Personal Information Collected By A Smart Meter

Energy suppliers maintain that a consumer’s personal details will only be on their account information. According to energy suppliers, a smart meter regularly records and transmits energy consumption data but no personally identifiable details such as the account holder’s name, address, or banking information are broadcast through the smart meters. All of a consumer’s personal demographic information is firmly protected. According to the Energy UK Data Guide For Smart Meters, all of your personally identifiable information will be strictly controlled and consumers will have full control over their data, who has access to it, and who consumers decide to share it with.