In regions undergoing major metering rollouts under large modernisation programmes, a massive scale of installation has already been achieved with tens of millions of advanced meters either awarded or deployed. The rate of deployment has risen sharply: from modest daily installation levels early in the programme to multiples of that today. The contracts governing these rollouts are structured to cover the full lifecycle of the metering infrastructure, from design and installation through operations, maintenance, and eventual transfer.
Operational gain is already evident. Losses from technical and non-technical sources (such as billing, theft, errors) are falling in many states, thanks to improved visibility into how electricity flows through feeders and distribution transformers. The ability to reconcile energy generated, transmitted and billed has increased, because data from these meters lets utilities see discrepancies at very local levels, making pinpointed interventions possible. Prepaid metering is helping with cash flow in systems burdened by legacy late or unpaid bills.
Smart metering also supports flexibility in the energy system, which has become increasingly critical in light of rising distributed generation (solar, small-scale) and electrification (e.g. electric vehicles, heat pumps). By capturing usage in near-real-time, these meters enable shifting demand, integrating storage, enabling automatic adjustments via smart devices, and encouraging customers to adjust consumption behaviour.
CyanConnode Holdings plc (LON:CYAN) is a world leader in the design and development of Narrowband RF mesh networks that enable Omni Internet of Things (IoT) communications.
