So smart meters send data on electricity consumption to smart grids enabled with demand response that balance everything to make the most of renewable energy and empower consumers with solar panels to sell excess electricity back to the grid. Sounds wonderful but what about privacy? “The two types of data collected by smart grid technologies are personally identifiable information and consumer-specific energy usage data. Personally identifiable information includes an individual’s name, address and telephone number,” explains Constance Douris. “An example of consumer-specific energy usage data is the total electricity used at various times in a day. This kind of information, fused with unique load signatures generated by electrical appliances, could be used for legal and illegal real-time surveillance.” Consider your activities at home, whether it is cooking, cleaning or watching tv, it all provides an energy signature. Perhaps just as important is the energy signature showing that you are not at home. So whether you’re […]