Every monitoring device requires power. Even low power consuming monitoring devices increase the power demand over the load presented by the device it monitors. Implementing a smart power grid and internet of things will drive up power usage before wide scale energy efficiency improvements occur.



Many wireless devices use the same frequency ranges to communicate with each other, central controllers and the internet. Wireless security cameras can already interfere with wireless controllers for gaming consoles. A network of appliances talking to each other to minimize energy usage can interfere with the communication needs of the home's occupant.

Each intelligent device is yet another place for malicious software to hide. And imagine the potential for trouble-making! If you don't like someone, you don't have to steal their financial information and take out a credit card in their name. Simply infect the smart grid in their home and turn off appliances when it would be the most annoying.



Social engineers gain yet another level of intrusion into our daily lives. You cook in the oven a lot instead of using a microwave. You like your house cooler than the politically correct level. Now the utility or the government knows this and can bug you about it. Would you want emails detailing recommendations of how you could save energy? It sounds nice. But the next step may be enforcement, whether it is someone turning off your lights because they sense candles in use, disabling alarms because you are home or turning off power to the whole house because you've exceeded your energy allotment for the month.



An internet of things generates massive amounts of information to be transmitted, stored and analyzed. Simply storing these terabytes of information and analyzing them uses power. It is estimated that a Google search generates between 0.2 and 7 grams of carbon dioxide. Collecting and analyzing this new tidal wave of information may wipe out any energy savings that result from modest improvements in energy efficiency by reducing human power consumption through data from the smart grid.



An internet of things could create a new form of harassment. There are already recommendations for smart meters to buzz or beep when energy usage is deemed too high. In initial trials in the UK, users reported stress when doing dishes, laundry and cooking all at the same time resulted in warning notices. Shall we see the government or local agencies harass people who run the dishwasher and washing machine when they get home from work instead of staying up to non-peak times to run their appliances?



Smart appliances and smart grids can track the location of individuals based on their activities. Imagine the value of this information to potential thieves, snoops and nannies. Someone got up at one in the morning to watch TV after the child's bedroom light came on. Shall parents be notified that their child is out of bed? Or will landlords and municipalities use the information of activity patterns to look for suspicious behavior or additional occupants, gaining information that would otherwise only be available through a search warrant? The commercial in which street lamps light up as people pass gives muggers and voyeurs alike information on where potential targets are located.