Features

Smart metering promises to give customers real-time, easy-to-understand information about their energy consumption – the most energy-hungry appliances, comparisons with similar properties and even their neighbours, as well as a host of other data. Studies show that knowledge of your energy consumption is the first step towards reducing it.

Energy companies and governments around the globe are waking up to the potential of smart metering and embarking on programmes to rollout the technology to homes and businesses.
Europe has been leading the way, with Italian energy company Enel rolling out smart meters to its entire 27 million customer base between 2000 and 2005. Scandinavia has also been pushing the adoption of smart meters, and the Netherlands set a target of installing smart meters in all seven million homes by 2013.

In North America, Canada has led the game with the Ontario Energy Board surpassing its 800,000 target of smart meters for homes and small businesses by the end of 2007. More recently, two California utilities have announced plans to rollout smart meters to customers. Pennsylvania and other states are following suit.

And now the UK is working hard to catch up as the features from first:utility and Sinergy reveal. The Government has itself unveiled plans to rollout smart meters to all residential households by 2020.
To quote Harald Schäffler of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Germany, “The days of ‘stupid’ meters are over.”

Related articles:

Smart metering - the way forward
Monitoring and targeting WITHOUT sub-meters
UK to roll out smart meters to all households by 2020
UK opposition launches smart plan for low carbon economy
California utility promises 3.3 million smart meters by 2011
Smart metering programme in California to get $1.63 billion
Hawaii unveils plans for smart meter roll out
Smart metering gains ground in France and UK
Pennsylvania to give every home and business a smart meter
‘Clever’ meters make energy saving child’s play

 Additional resources

Energy Saving Trust
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/corporate/Resources/Features/Features-archive/Smart-meters-your-questions-answered
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/corporate/content/download/28047/93412/file/GB4.pdf
Energy Retail Association
www.energy-retail.org.uk/smartmeters.html
UK Government
www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/energy/environment/smart-metering/index.html
Ontario Energy Board
www.oeb.gov.on.ca/OEB/For+Consumers/Your+Energy+Options/Time-of-Use+Pricing+for+Smart+Meters+FAQs
www.smartmetersontario.ca/