Smart(er) Transitions in Energy Demand: Energy Justice and the Roll Out of Smart Technologies

In the United Kingdom, the Smart Meter Implementation Program (SMIP) lays the legal framework so that a smart gas and electricity meter, along with an in-home display, can be installed in every household by the end of 2020. Intended to reduce household energy consumption, they are designed to allow the transmission of energy consumption data to distribution system operators in real time, yet a series of obstacles has characterised and potentially restricted implementation. Despite the promising benefits for a transition to more sustainable energy systems—the role of smart technologies in the precise monitoring of supply and demand, cost savings and energy efficiency, for example—, public debate illustrates societal concern. This embodies core values about smart grid development in society including notions of privacy, security, trust, and justice (Sovacool et al. 2017). As an illustration, concerns arise around data security and the potential for cyberattacks, alongside fears that energy suppliers will not be transparent about benefits and pass financial savings on to their customers (Buchanan et al. 2016). This paper uses the energy justice framework to explore the emergent challenges. This comprises: (1) an analysis of potential distributional benefits and ills, (2) illustrations of the intersection between smart meters and other social vulnerabilities such as poverty, ill health, social integration or the marginalization of rural areas, which lead to the need to recognise particular sections of society, and (3) explorations of the role of procedural engagement during the roll out. Finally, it questions when and how we should engage with these challenges, including the role of the Responsible Research and Innovation approach. Despite the UK focus, this paper contributes to debates beyond this one case study. Some €51 billion will be spent on smart meter initiatives in the near future across the European Union (Darby 2010). The European Commission (2017) reports that Member States have committed to rolling out close to 200 million smart meters for electricity and 45 million for gas by 2020 at a total potential investment of €45 billion. This study elucidates some of the technical and social elements befuddling attempts to rapidly diffuse smart meters across homes and cities—findings that have relevance for those wishing to better understand the temporality and complexity of both national and household energy transitions. Buchanan K, Banks N, Preston I and Russo R. 2016. “The British public’s perception of the UK smart metering initiative: Threats and opportunities.” Energy Policy 91 (2016) 87–97. Darby, Sarah (2010) Smart metering: what potential for householder engagement?, Building Research & Information, 38:5, 442-457 European Commission. 2017. Smart Metering deployment in the European Union (Joint Research Centre: available at http://ses.jrc.ec.europa.eu/smart-metering-deployment-european-union). Sovacool BK, Kivimaa P, Hielscher S and Jenkins K (2017) Vulnerability and resistance in the United Kingdom’s smart meter transition. Energy Policy, 109. pp. 767-781.