A new study by uSwitch found that less than half of British consumers know what a smart meter is, and less than a third know what they do. The data prompts uSwitch to note: “With households due to be footing the £11 billion cost of roll-out, keeping consumers in the dark could end up costing Continue reading →
smart meters
Sensus has agreed to integrate its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and distribution automation solutions with Harris Computer Systems’ utility software solutions. The partnership facilitates the delivery of smart grid solutions to new and existing utility customers. The increasing deployment of smart meters and distribution automation devices emphasizes the need for utilities to integrate and simplify Continue reading →
The smart grid market has been powered over the past few years by highly visible, consumer-facing deployments of smart meters. Many of these deployments will be completed in the middle part of the decade, and smart meter installation activity is projected to slow down as a result not only of the completion of large utility installations, Continue reading →
While people in the U.S. have been relatively slow in adopting smart grid technology, a new survey from Pike Research suggests that the country already boasts a strong market for many of its potential applications. The survey included 1,000 representative adults and asked participants about their opinions on the smart grid, smart meters and home Continue reading →
In a traveling mobile unit, AEP Texas officials are dispelling what they call smart meter myths and educating people in the community about smart meters. Over 450,000 smart meters have already been installed across Texas. AEP Texas explained smart meters communicates your energy use and replace a visit from the meter men, but the concern Continue reading →
South Korea says a decision to install smart meters in at least 50 percent of the country’s households by 2016 could reduce electricity consumption equivalent to the projected cost of one nuclear power plant, Bloomberg reports. via South Korea’s smart meters avert the need for nuclear plants? | SmartPlanet.
General Electric’s Nucleus is a home energy management system that collects information about household energy consumption and costs from smart meters. The Nucleus device collects energy use information either by plugging it into any electrical outlet or communicating wirelessly with smart meters via ZigBee and Wifi radios. Additionally, the Nucleus can collect estimated consumption data Continue reading →
Approximately 65 percent of UK homes will be fitted with smart meters by 2015 according to research conducted by IMS Research and commissioned by Cambridge-based supplier Sentec. In 2011 the percentage of British homes with meters installed was only 4.23 per cent, extremely low compared to Italy where the penetration rate was 94 per cent Continue reading →
In-Stat Research released a report saying that three out of every four homes in the United States will have a smart meter to monitor energy use by 2016. As it stands, Arizona is well ahead of that projection. Both SRP and APS said over 80 percent of their customers have smart meters and SRP hopes Continue reading →
According to data provided by Sentec, a majority of European countries have so far failed to make significant progress in deploying smart meters. Italy and the Nordic countries have the highest penetrations of smart meters, at 94 and 70 percent respectively. In Italy, Enel drove deployment with a multi-billion dollar investment and in Sweden, smart Continue reading →
Grid Net, the smart grid networking startup that once championed WiMAX as the communications platform of the future, has just landed its first big U.S. project to manage smart meters that connect like cellphones. The project involves Michigan utility Consumers Energy, which is deploying 1.8 million smart meters in what could become the country’s biggest Continue reading →
Utility regulators tend to put investments in newer technologies such as smart meters (or advanced metering infrastructure) under a microscope — even though they pay relatively little attention to ongoing investments such as substations and transformers. Fortunately, policymakers in over 30 states and countries have already found that the benefits of smart meters have exceeded Continue reading →
Japan stood on the sidelines during the early days of the smart grid revolution. Their grid, after all, was more reliable and more resilient than the North American counterpart. And they didn’t have great need for peak reduction, given their successful nuclear power program. via Smart Grid: Japan jumps on the smart grid bandwagon; Tepco Continue reading →
Smart meter product and service demand in the US is projected to increase more than eleven percent annually to $4.4 billion in 2016. Advances will be driven by the rising penetration of smart meters, particularly advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) products. In addition, the rising share of smart meters in use over the decade supports demand Continue reading →
An improved wireless enabled metering system is now being tested by Thames Water. SmartReach, a collaboration of Arqiva, BT, BAE Systems Detica and Sensus, has announced the extension of its smart meter and smart grid trial in the Reading area, to include London. The SmartReach system has been used in the Reading trial to demonstrate Continue reading →
In the interview on Vermont Public Radio, “In Smart Grid Debate, Co-ops Pick Hard-Wire Over Wireless To Cut Cost,” the remarks by the president of Washington Electric Co-op, Avram Patt, in favor of wired smart meters were quite persuasive. He gave specific information and advantages. By contrast, the spokesman for CVPS gave no reasons at Continue reading →
From all the talk about cellular smart meters we’ve seen lately, you’d think that sticking a cell phone in an electric meter was a new idea. But back in the day — say, the mid-’90s — it was all the rage. via The Return of the Cellular Smart Grid : Greentech Media.
For all the noise made by the very vocal opponents of smart meters, it appears the vast majority of consumers are choosing not to opt out of the devices. Since the beginning of February California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) authorized Pacific, Gas, and Electric (PG&E) to offer analog meters to residential customers instead of smart Continue reading →
Let’s do a daily-double, compliments of Itron Inc. Yesterday we mentioned its role in a smart grid test back in the Northeast and we published its year-end earnings report here. Today it’s about its Smart Meters and other efforts to make them a bit smarter. Itron announced it’s spending $100 million to acquire a Mississippi tech Continue reading →
It may seem obvious, but the more knowledgeable customers are about the smart grid, the more they accept it, according to a survey conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value. At the same time, too much information can result in negative consequences for utilities trying to deploy smart meters. Expectations have been running high Continue reading →
