Structure Report: Smart meter conflict of interest and cover up of skyrocketing bills.PG&E Smart Meters Violate FCC RF Safety Conditions.Consumers should be informed about the functionalities, what data will be collected, and what these data will be used for.Shop EMF Meters and Shielding at Pages “An intensive communication effort is required to help consumers understand their rights, the benefits of installing smart meters and participating in demand response programmes. “A high level of personal data protection must remain a central concern in the development of smart standards.” The EU’s efficiency law protects such consumer data, the Commission report said. Some consumer groups are concerned at the amount of detailed household data which smart meters give to utilities, including how many people are in the house in real time. Smart meters could also help consumers to monitor their energy use and even control appliances remotely by smart phone.īut the European Commission report found that smart meters in seven of the 16 countries proceeding with a large scale rollout did not have the functionality to report consumption data back to consumers. Such so-called “peak load shifting” could save billions of euros by allowing countries to avoid investing in new power generation, much of which is presently kept idle.īut not all smart meters have such demand response functionality yet. Instead of investing in new power generation, they could pay consumers not to use electricity during demand surges. Such “demand response” could revolutionise grid management, giving operators an alternative tool for managing surges in electricity demand, as well as variable wind and solar power supply. Where the meters can communicate with individual plugs or appliances in the home, they would also allow utilities to shut down power supply for households in return for cheaper tariffs. Utilities benefit by reading meters remotely, rather than manually at present.Īnd they would allow grid operators to balance power demand and supply better, by having real-time data on electricity consumption at the household instead of electricity sub-station level. Smart meters allow two-way communication between a house and utility, whether by cable or wireless, replacing present meters which simply measure household electricity consumption. ![]() Other measures under the package include linking cross-border markets, so that electricity flows from cheaper to more expensive countries. The smart meter rollout is part of the EU’s 2009 “third energy package” meant to achieve an internal energy market targeting secure and affordable energy. ![]() Some of the differences in cost were down to technical accounting issues, such as the assumed lifetime of the meter, rather than actual differences such as in installation or labour costs. The Commission report found a huge range of values for costs and benefits per smart meter across the different member states.Ĭosts ranged from 77 to 766 euros per meter, and benefits from 18 to 654 euros. For four Member States, the cost benefit analysis or rollout plans were not available at the time of writing.” In Germany, Latvia and Slovakia smart metering was found to be economically justified for particular groups of customers. “In seven Member States, the cost-benefit analysis for large-scale roll-out by 2020 were negative or inconclusive. “Sixteen Member States will proceed with large-scale roll-out of smart meters by 2020 or earlier, or have already done so.” “The business case for rolling out smart metering is not yet overwhelming throughout Europe,” the Commission said, in its report, “ Benchmarking smart metering deployment in the EU-27”. The European Commission painted an upbeat view of the rollout proceeding in those countries, but acknowledged the set back. Only 16 out of 28 countries in the bloc found a conclusive net benefit, however, according to a new report from the European Commission. Nearly half of European United countries have decided against a large scale rollout of smart meters, calculating that the new technology can be poor value for money.ĭigital smart meters are a big innovation over present analogue versions, allowing grid operators and utilities to view power consumption at the household level, but they also involve a significant upfront cost.ĮU member states were supposed to replace at least 80% of all electricity meter with “smart” versions by 2020, provided that they found smart meters saved money in the long run, under the Energy Efficiency Directive. Nearly half EU countries will miss 2020 target to install digital electricity meters
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