ADOPTING SMART METERS TECHNOLOGY AMONG DOMESTIC CONSUMERS IN CEYLON ELECTRICITY BOARD

Abstract

The immense increase in the electricity demand has created a crisis in Sri Lanka, particularly during the night-time peak. Demand-side management is a strategy used by electricity utilities that aims to persuade consumers to alter their energy consumption behaviour during peak times, and energy monitoring is therefore crucial to the success of this effort. Due to poor monitoring capacity and lagging behind the regional technological norms, the Sri Lankan context made it necessary to introduce smart meter technology among domestic consumers. The study focuses on identifying the prospective barriers and bottlenecks for the implementation of identifying barriers and bottlenecks for implementing smart meters in the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). The exploratory qualitative case study method was used as the study design, and primary data was collected by conducting semi-structured in-depth interviews. The study sample comprises 12 industry experts from CEB and the regulatory body. Thematic analysis is used as the primary data analysis tool. Inconsistency of national policy, poor IT Infrastructure, lack of top management contribution, regulatory barriers, financial restraints and organizational culture were revealed as significant barriers to the results and further categorized into three dimensions: technological, organizational and government involvement and policy support. The study highlights the importance of presenting reliable and accurate data and statistics to establish government policies, increase individual job engagement, develop a performance-oriented culture and collaborate with information industry institutions.