In this recent article , K.T. Weaver (Skyvision Solutions) looks beyond the public statements by utility companies, to the commercial realities of “leveraging” consumer energy data through the capabilities of Smart Meters.

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Smart Grid Awareness
September 22, 2015

Utilities dispute that smart meters are surveillance devices.  For example, one well-known utility company clearly states in its so-called Privacy ‘Fact Sheet’ that,

“Just like standard meters, smart meters will measure the amount of electricity you use – not how you use it.  They are not surveillance devices.”

Let’s look at a simple definition of surveillance from dictionary.com, where it says:

“a watch kept over a person, group, etc., …” and

“continuous observation of a place, person, group, or ongoing activity in order to gather information”

…Last week a company called ONZO issued statement to the media touting that it was expanding operations from Europe into the United States.  Quoting the statement:

…“ONZO is a global leader in consumer energy data and analytics. ONZO combines the science of energy analytics with load disaggregation, lifestyle behavior analysis and probabilistic forecasting to give utilities and their customers unprecedented insights into how, where and when energy is used.  Leveraging granular smart meter data, ONZO’s patented algorithms result in richer, highly accurate, customer-specific insights that help utilities improve customer engagement and energy efficiency, while reducing churn and creating new revenue opportunities.”

For the complete article:
http://smartgridawareness.org/2015/09/22/smart-meter-surveillance-versus-very-granular-insights/