IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 51
have succeeded in many countries,
including in Victoria, Australia,
in subscribing the government to
mandate smart electricity meters,
at end-user cost, with industry still
owning the power distributors or
generators. Victoria was a global
early first mover in the privatization of public energy generation
and distribution assets. Such cases
are a tour de force of political acumen on the part of the power industry, but certainly myopic on the part
of governments, and the result enduser electorates are underserved.
This top-down socio-technical
climate is apparent in many western societies. For example, the U.S.
National Action Plan [7] considers "demand response" to be the
imposition of variable power rates
and disconnections from the power
generator standpoint, with no coverage of end-user empowerment or
participation.
Differences in treatment by governments are underlined by comparisons between Asia, U.K., the
EU and Victoria, Australia. All
these regions have major similarities and major differences, which
highlight many of the international
commonalities and differences that
have emerged. The APEC policy
[8] is indicative of broader Asia
inclusive polices. The huge scale of
Chinese smart meter deployments
and other Asian implementation
and development will have wider
implications, whether successful
or not, and should form part of the
ongoing observation of regulators
and smart meter implementation
strategies in other countries.
The countries favoring directive
political structures will see more
rapid deployments, but given some
of the early findings in the U.S.,
U.K. et al., the savings in power
usage might not be fully realized
due to the emergent need to engage
end users and consumers more
effectively [9], [10]. These developments will be of mutual interest
to countries embracing both types
of political systems. The APEC
framework is addressing the issues
in the first instance from the perspective of Smart Grids.
The industry/government axis
has dominated the discussions of
smart meters in most domains, and
end-user concerns have been subordinate to general grid operations
and investment issues. End-user
concerns have been dominated as
well by cost benefit analyses on
and to the ability to understand and
respond to targeted terminations of
supply to specific in-home devices.
These steps are all too possible
under smart meter management
programs, and this situation has not
been assessed or addressed at even
a broad level [12].
Little has yet emerged on such
issues as internal behaviors and
responses within households relating
The civil society aspects of smart
electricity (and indeed water and
gas) meters have been inadequately
handled by many governments
around the world.
the savings to energy supplies by
engaging time-of-use tariffs and
minimizing energy supplier and
installation costs [11].
Significantly, no attention at all
has paid to the key area of most
rapid growth in business. This
key area is the microdata of user
behavior - processing of which
bidirectional communication smart
meters are perfectly suited.
We wish to highlight the importance of this aspect of the sociotechnical system mediated by fresh
information-monitoring capacities
that has been largely treated solely
as a technical issue.
It is not solely a technical issue.
It is past time that the end-user
orientation was given adequate
attention, as its neglect has caused
extensive - and understandable -
negative user responses.
It is interesting to note that
demand management (industry side
oriented) reports certainly acknowledge the potential for social injustice,
due in part to an inability to respond
to price signals, but to a lesser degree
due to the ability to understand the
implications of having a smart meter.
From a paternalistic (social justice) standpoint, there are possible
abuses of power due to unmoderated shifts to time-of-day metering,
IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE
|
SPRING 2014
to tariffs, device control, information
integration, Home Area Network
(HAN) utilization, alternative expenditure, and device purchase and
competition analysis. Nor has any
attention yet been paid to any consequential negotiations for energy
supplies within the household in any
coherent manner. The supply side and
household responses to time-of-day
tariffs in terms of energy usage information feedback have been done at a
broad level. But the consumer behavior aspects below the household unit
level have not been addressed. This is
about to occur, with little or no preparation for the public on the implications of the looming capabilities and
capacities as the Internet of Things
connects their own devices.
Agent based models of smart
meter diffusion at the industry level
have been built [13], but as previously proposed [4], agent based
models of household activities,
linked to choice models of prospective and actual outcome behaviors,
are well matched to the need to balance the current supply side domination of the debate and address this
missing aspect of energy sustainability impacts and opportunities.
Such proposals have still not
been realized as necessary. This lack
of understanding is largely due to
|
51
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - Cover1
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - Cover2
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 1
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 2
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 3
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 4
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 5
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 6
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 7
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 8
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 9
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 10
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 11
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 12
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 13
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 14
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 15
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 16
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 17
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 18
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 19
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 20
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 21
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 22
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 23
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 24
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 25
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 26
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 27
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 28
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 29
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 30
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 31
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 32
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 33
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 34
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 35
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 36
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 37
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 38
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 39
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 40
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 41
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 42
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 43
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 44
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 45
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 46
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 47
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 48
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 49
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 50
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 51
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 52
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 53
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 54
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 55
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 56
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 57
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 58
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 59
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 60
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 61
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 62
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 63
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 64
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 65
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 66
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 67
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 68
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 69
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 70
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 71
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 72
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 73
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 74
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 75
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 76
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 77
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 78
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 79
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - 80
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - Cover3
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Spring 2014 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2013
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com