ABSTRACT
The Smart Meter Implementation Program (SMIP) lays the legal foundation to place a smart meter for electricity and for natural gas in every home and small business by the end of 2020. In this chapter, I explore the SMIP from an unusual perspective: that of sociotechnical imaginaries. I ask: how are smart meters (and their rollout) being discussed and framed with the popular news media? And: How do these imaginaries change over time? To provide an answer, I conducted a systematic review and content analysis of popular newspaper and tabloid articles published in the UK media from 2006 to 2016. The result of this search revealed 283 total documents I then analyzed to assess the prevalence of utopian and dystopian narratives, which I divide into nine distinct imaginaries. Four of these—“empowered consumers,” “energy conscious world,” “low-carbon grid,” and “inclusive innovation”—depict smart meters as a harbinger of positive social change. Five of these—“hacked and vulnerable grid,” “big brother,” “costly disaster,” “astronomical bills,” and “families in turmoil”—frame smart meters as destructive, negative forces on society. I conclude with insights about what such competing imaginaries mean for energy and climate policy as well as expectations about sustainability transitions.
