Utilities and the smart grid industry tout only the hypothetical benefits of smart meters, never seriously discussing the tremendous risks and costs to our society. On the subject of cyber security, they hardly discuss it at all. For example, the industry group, so-called “Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative,” addresses the cyber security issue with basic uninformative “happy talk” as follows:
“The performance of security measures are tested and reviewed regularly to guard against unauthorized access to systems. Moreover, utility companies are working with federal agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to strengthen privacy and security standards to provide even more safeguards for consumer protection.” [1]
The above propaganda type language reveals nothing of the catastrophic risks involved with the deployment of smart meters and smart grid systems. Although you won’t receive meaningful cyber threat risk-related information from the smart grid industry, it is not hard to find elsewhere. Continue reading
The Maryland Smart Meter Awareness (MSMA) group has published an eye-catching poster intended to highlight the Orwellian nature of how smart meters have been deployed and declared “safe.”
Smart meters have been advertised as a means to “empower” consumers with information that will somehow save customers money despite the fact that the deployment of the meters themselves cost billions and billions of dollars.
Having reached the end of 2014, there is no doubt it has been a devastating year for utility smart meters and smart grid advocates. Whether all utility executives yet realize it or not, smart meters have failed. They have failed miserably to the deliver the promised benefits. We are left with nothing but the increased costs and risks associated with boondoggle projects reminiscent of pork barrel spending bills approved in the middle of the night by a Congress wanting to get home for the Christmas holidays.
CPS Energy has options for homeowners in San Antonio, Texas who wish to opt out of the new “smart” meter program, but those options don’t apply to businesses or multifamily complexes. This appears to be a clear case of discrimination.
According to the Warrenville Environmental Advisory Commission (WEAC):
Smart Grid Awareness 