## 1 Introduction  
Smart metering technology has been used for the development of smart grids [1], in which power grid components are connected through communication networks (e.g., internet or sensor networks). Smart metering is one of the key elements of the smart grid, which can provide a solution for climate change and energy efficiency. Therefore, it was presented to the consumers as an alternative to the conventional electricity meters. Traditional electricity meters must be read by the metering worker from utility companies, while smart metering uses the Internet of things (IoT) technology which enables consumers to remotely monitor, track, control and automate the energy consumption more accurately [2; 3; 4; 5]. Apart from just recording and tracking energy consumption, smart metering systems also have enormous advantages, including easy processing of bills, automated reading and data processing, energy loss detection, early warning for blackouts, rapid detection of energy supply interruption, potential real-time pricing schemes, energy-saving demand/response, and efficient use of generated energy [6]. Therefore, the adoption of this technology is rapidly gaining momentum, and businesses are facing various technological, social, and competitive pressures to transform and adapt. As this technology progresses and the number of adoptions increases, the smart metering technology acceptance becomes subject of great interest. Due to the high cost and technological investments involved in smart metering technology, companies have to understand the challenges of its implementation to ensure that their resources are spent wisely. However, these companies may face negative responses due to the fact that while many innovations are beneficial to society, new risks may also be introduced [7]. As a result of these trends, public controversy and concerns are also influenced [8]. For instance, a consumer backlash against the acceptance of smart metering due to breach of privacy, health risks regarding frequency radiation and higher cost might be occurring [9]. One of the key problems that energy service providers may face and suffer from, is the low consumer acceptance, as the smart meter was reported to be one of the IoT applications that has received low acceptability from different industries in several countries in Europe and the United States [10; 11; 12]. Likewise, TNB, Malaysia's largest electric utility firm, announced a low smart meter application use rate in their smart billing project, with statistics from device logs indicating that only 10% of users actively and regularly use the service [13; 14]. The low usage rate of the application is indicative of the low acceptance level of using smart meter systems. A limited number of studies have determined that consumers have misperceptions about smart meters, which contributed to their low level of acceptance [9; 15]. Energy efficiency and savings are among the priorities of smart meters, and these objectives are unlikely to be reached unless the problem of customer acceptance is addressed. The success of smart meter systems' implementation is attributed to consumer acceptance that leads to actual utilisation of the system. All of the possible advantages of smart meters will only be realised if customers are able to embrace and use them. As a result, before smart meters are widely spread and installed in homes, it is critical to resolve customer concerns that may limit their adoption and usage of the technology. This could save utility providers money by avoiding the expensive effects of customer rejection and backlash after implementation, which could hinder the adoption of this new technology. In previous work, we have evaluated the direct impact of several factors on the behavioral intention to use the smart metering system. These factors include eco-effective feedback, privacy concerns, and technology awareness, which were assessed in [16]. Furthermore, environmental awareness and electricity saving knowledge factors were investigated in [17].