Privacy in the Smart Grid: End-user Concerns and Requirements

Mobile interfaces will be central in connecting end-users to the smart grid and enabling their active participation. Services and features supporting this participation do, however, rely on high-frequency collection and transmission of energy usage data by smart meters which is privacy-sensitive. The successful communication of privacy to end-users via consumer interfaces will therefore be crucial to ensure smart meter acceptance and consequently enable participation. Current understanding of user privacy concerns in this context is not very differentiated, and user privacy requirements have received little attention. A preliminary user questionnaire study was conducted to gain a more detailed understanding of the differing perceptions of various privacy risks and the relative importance of different privacy-ensuring measures. The results underline the significance of open communication, restraint in data collection and usage, user control, transparency, communication of security measures, and a good customer relationship.