Smart Meter Rollout – Socioscientific Accompanying Research
IFZ accompanies the first smart meter rollout of the company "Energienetze Steiermark" (provider of the styrian electricity grid) in a socioscientific way with the help of interviews and focus groups, in order to determine the concerns of the customers and to make recommendations for a socially acceptable introduction of smart meters.
By the end of 2020, at least 80% and by the end of 2022, at least 95% of all Austrian electricity customers must be equipped with an intelligent meter ("Smart Meter"). At present, some end users are sceptical or even hostile to smart meter systems. There are concerns, e.g. in terms of data protection, privacy (spying on user behaviour) and security of the collected and stored data (hacker attacks) as well as negative effects on health (electromagnetic pollution).
Approach