U.S. Smart Meter installation increases to 81%
August 31, 2011
The number of smart meters installed from 2009 to March 2011among a major group of 51 US utilities grew by 81%, according to a new report from Zpryme.
This has been attributed to supporting business case findings such as ComEd customers saving potentially $2.8 billion on their electric bills over the 20-year life of the smart meters. Largely due to the aggressive U.S. effort to modernize its electric grid pros and cons (for example PG&E will now offer ‘opt out option’) for smart meters are still being debated. The number of smart meters installed in the U.S. has increased dramatically over the past several years – with just over fifty utilities deploying the bulk of the investment.
Driven by companies such as eMeter, Silver Spring Networks, Itron, and Landis+Gyr the U.S. has witnessed significant progress in terms of smart meter units shipped in the past year. For example in Oklahoma, OG&E has installed 350,000 smart meters since February 2010. They hope to install smart meters for nearly 800,000 customers by the close of 2012.
Data analysed from the U.S. Energy Information. Administration (EIA) found:
• From 2009 to March of 2011, the number of smart meters installed among the group of 51 utilities grew by 81%.
• From 2009 to March 2011, the group of 51 utilities grew their smart meter base from 4.0 million to 7.3 million.
• In 2009, 18% of customers served by the 51 utilities had a smart meter. As of March 2011, this figure has increased to 34%.
