Privacy campaign group Digital Rights Ireland has called for an investigation into the data collection on electricity use through smart meters by ESB Networks. The group claims that the semi-State company is collecting more data than it requires for billing purposes and customers are not aware of the data collection.
Installation of the smart meters started in 2020 and have been installed in more than 800,000 homes. The aim is to replace all meters with smart meters by 2024.
Last month, ESB Networks reconfigured the smart meters to collect detailed data every half-an-hour. The data is stored in a centralized database. DRI claims customers have not consented to the data collection. The group is also questioning the legal basis for the data collection, and is calling on privacy watchdog Data Protection Commission (DPC) to investigate.
A spokesperson for ESB Networks said it is confident that the smart meter program was “being delivered in compliance with applicable data privacy laws.” The company added it had “an obligation” under EU law to “make granular consumption and export data, already recorded on smart meters, readily available to customers.”
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