BC Hydro smart meter has received much controversy over the issue.  There have been many concerns by the public over the smart meter, but perhaps the biggest one would be privacy concerns.  Consumer’s behaviors are valuable information that is desired by many companies; therefore, the smart meter measuring residents’ power consumption by the hour is a huge privacy concern to the public.

-BC Hydro is replacing 1.8 million digital and analog power consumption meters with wireless-enabled “smart meters” by the end of 2012. (CBC)

According to this article, “BC Hydro has failed to notify customers who received new smart meters about how their personal information was being collected and used.”  In order for BC Hydro to regain some of their lost reputation, the company has to be more transparent and communicate with the public so that its customers do not think they are being ignored.  BC Hydro quickly needs to address in their marketing plan letting consumers know that privacy is a great concern of the company, and also educating the public that the smart meters do not provide any security risks.  A man in Vancouver has mentioned that he does not want a smart meter installed in his home because the devices can tell other people as to whether or not anyone is home.  I believe that as soon as BC Hydro can fix these two main issues of privacy and security, the smart meter can then be trusted by the public.

Sources: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/12/19/bc-hydro-smart-meters-privacy.html,

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/10/21/bc-smart-meter-privacy.html