Smart meter

A "smart" meter, also known as smart meters, is a counter for energy, such as electricity or gas, which according to the definition of § 21d of the Energy Act ( Act on the electricity and gas supply) that port users based on actual energy consumption and shows actual usage time and is involved in a communication network. Such smart meters have already been since the 1990s, especially for large customers in operation, but also for private households have been offered since around 2010. Depending on the model can transmit the collected data automatically to the power company, what should this allow an intelligent network and resource control smart meters. The consumer should be offered in the future days time-dependent, possibly lower energy tariffs. The transfer operations and the associated processes, system solutions and services are grouped under smart metering. In addition to smart meters, there are also smart meters for gas, water and heat consumption.

• 2.1 Advantages
• 2.2 disadvantages 2.2.1 Increased energy consumption
• 2.2.2 Data Protection ( naked customer ) and possible remote shutdown
• 2.2.3 Higher costs for electricity customers

Introduction of smart meters

Internationally

In Italy, Sweden, Canada, the USA, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, smart meters have already been installed on a large scale or decided their introduction. This does not mean that the counter markets in all these countries opened up to competition - in countries such as Sweden about electronic meters have been made ​​mandatory by the network operator.

European Union

The European Union 2006/32/EC on energy efficiency and energy services of 5 April 2006 decided in the EU directive that in all Member States, as far as technically possible, financially reasonable and proportionate in comparison to the potential energy savings, final customers for the electricity, natural gas, district heating and / or cooling and domestic hot water are provided with individual meters shall receive competitively priced, that indicate the actual energy consumption of the end customer and the actual time of use.

Germany

In Germany the installation of smart energy meters according to the Energy Act is now mandatory: (PDF, 455 kB)

Meter operator has, according to the requirements of § 21c of the Energy Act

• In buildings that are newly connected to the power grid or undergo a major renovation [ ... ]
• For final consumers with an annual consumption greater than 6000 kilowatt-hours,
• Installed at plant operators under the Renewable Energy Act or the power co-generation law for new plants with an installed capacity of more than 7 kilowatts each measurement systems that meet the requirements of § 21d and § 21e of the Energy Act, insofar as this is technically possible,
• Installed measuring systems in all other buildings that meet the requirements of § 21d and § 21e of the Energy Act, insofar as this is technically possible and economically feasible.

Since 2005, the Zählwesen in Germany is liberalized, the measurement was opened in September 2008 for the competition.

Austria

Each network operator has until the end of 2015 10% until the end of 2017 at least 70 %, and by the end of 2019 at least 95 % of all metering points connected to its network as per § 7 of the Electricity Act 2010 and the Intelligent Encoder AnforderungsVO 2011 - IMA VO 2011 corresponding smart meters equip.

Pilot projects

Currently, smart meters across Germany tested in pilot projects for utilities, eg acteno EnBW, Vattenfall and RWE. Yello Stromund Discovergy offer is still the only provider that counter Germany far to.

In 2008, the Stadtwerke GmbH Haßfurt have begun in Haßfurt with the nationwide launch of the first digital counters EVB Energy Solutions GmbH. The introduction of 10,000 smart meters was completed in late 2010.

Remote data transmission

For remote data transmission are, among others, the following options are available:

• PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network / fixed telephony)
• GSM ( Global System for Mobile Communications / Mobile )
• GPRS ( General Packet Radio Service / mobile)
• LAN (Local Area Network / Local Area Network)
• PLC ( Power Line Communication / data transmission over the power grid ).

Gas or water meters can be read remotely customize with different methods. District heating meters work i.d.R. already electronically. Conventional Ferraris meters can be retrofitted to a digital readout device, which determines with an optical character recognition the count.

Remote readout meters make the annual reading spot superfluous, since the meter data can be read electronically from the provider.

Benefits

A smart meter consumption data reported to the supplier, it eliminates the annual reading, continue to be the provider can make a short-term (eg, monthly ) billing according to actual consumption and consider rate changes faster. The customer can receive financial benefits through load shifting during off hours with cheaper rates.

Disadvantages

Increased energy consumption

Due to the additional communication there is, compared to a usual Ferraris meters to a higher own consumption.

Privacy Policy ( naked customer ) and possible remote shutdown

The protection of privacy is questionable - there is the risk that the customer "transparent customer " is, if consumption profiles are transferred to the electricity supplier. Collection and evaluation of abusive consumption data allow far-reaching conclusions about the habits of customers. From the load curves (right panel ) as evidenced by: residents is at 6:00 clock, takes a shower and breakfast. He leaves the house and returns around 18:00 clock back and cook. He washes and has a clothes dryer. Shortly before midnight, he turns off the light. The number of persons in the household follows from the shower and washing frequency. More precise statements are indicated by the correlation with the water consumption. In extreme cases, can be identified from the data on the power consumption even consumed television. The power consumption of modern television varies with the image brightness. Is the temporal sequence of light and dark phases of a movie known, can this signature correlated with the consumption curve.

2010, there was little security from hacker attacks A reading of the data collected by the consumer is not always provided.

The European Data Protection Supervisor pointed out these problems in June 2012. The European Commission should consider how an adequate level of data protection to ensure the introduction of smart metering systems. The responsible authority is the European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (since February 10, 2010 Viviane Reding ).

With smart meters, remote switching functions are possible in principle, with which individual (eg electricity-intensive ) devices of the consumer can be switched from the supplier. Also, disruption of the supply by remote shutdown is possible in some devices ( as in a defaulters ). Receivables management of energy utilities discussed these possibilities since 2009.

Higher costs for electricity customers

The current customers with higher fixed and / or variable costs ( cost of the meter and supply costs for the required infrastructure). According to German Energy Agency in 2010 once 35 to 100 euros per year and between 60 euros and 240 euros were charged depending on the provider. This compares with an average of optimistic projected savings 9-42 Euro. The higher system complexity implies a higher probability of failure of the system.

To what extent private clients actually can move significant portions of its electricity consumption to lower cost off-peak times is unclear.

Smart meters allow electricity providers targeted tariffs. Currently, an electricity provider with annual consumption recording not recognize whether a small consumers all year round evenly consumed little power (about: Refrigerator in weekend house ) or if its power consumption mainly from peak is present (ie water heater, sauna).

Fears about actual or perceived disadvantages " smart meters " - especially suspected health risks from electromagnetic pollution - have triggered in California in September 2010, a petition campaign to reach this technology on a moratorium to total abandonment. Also in other U.S. states has been growing since 2011, the resistance against planned meter installations.

Security

Currently, little risk analyzes are, what are the possible risks to the critical and strategic infrastructures and ultimately for the supply security of citizens exist. Critically, the Austrian association is " Cybersecurity Austria - Association for the promotion of Austria's security strategic infrastructure " addressed this issue. Among other things, an analysis of "Smart Metering - the impact on national security" provided.