Siemens urges energy distributors to take more active role in smart meter roll-out

While the benefits of smart meters to energy suppliers and consumers have been much heralded, distribution companies also stand to gain from the revolution in the way consumers will use the energy distribution network. For example, by re-exporting home-produced energy back to the grid or plugging in electric cars.

Centrally coordinating the communications between smart meters and the utility companies via a proposed central communications model will provide the distribution companies with a platform for the development of smarter grids and enhanced information about how the network is performing. Details about which parts of the system are heavily used and which are less busy allows them to maximise equipment performance and make more informed decisions based on the stresses a particular component has suffered, cutting overall costs.

Martin Pollock, Head of Regulatory Affairs at Siemens Metering Services says: “Distribution Network Operators need to know what’s going on in the network so they can operate more efficiently, avoid power failures and plan future investment. They need to do more to ensure that they are ready to use smart metering to help them transform the performance of their services today to meet the new requirements of tomorrow.”

Smart metering will empower consumers to be able to understand and take control of their energy consumption in ways that they never could before. It will also pave the way to realising the potential of radical new solutions for energy supply, such as combined heat and power and local micro-generation. But most of all, by providing consumers with helpful information on their actual energy consumption, it will help us to understand how to use energy more wisely.

Martin Pollock adds: “With smart metering, every household can do something to help the environment and reduce our country’s dependency on energy imports, while keeping their bills down at the same time.”

Siemens is actively supporting the roll-out of smart meters by using its unique experience in transmission, distribution, communications and metering to prepare comprehensive solutions to utilities, both large and small. Siemens is currently working with a leading energy supplier to install thousands of smart meters into UK households.

Siemens Metering Services in Nottingham has been designated as Siemens’ global Centre of Competence for smart metering and smart grid services. Dedicated and designed to facilitate the transition from old-world infrastructure to an advanced new smart grid, it provides new and existing customers with both global and local expertise to understand, deploy and extract maximum value from their smart metering and grid investment.