Smart metering for energy management

Europe's households account for approximately 40 per cent of the energy used on the continent, yet much of it is wasted. Giving consumers the ability to monitor their energy use will reduce consumption and change behaviour, says John Parsons of the ESMA project .

 An increasing body of evidence suggests that the Earth is heating up, making energy, and our use of it, a real research priority. Work to improve the energy efficiency of everyday appliances has attracted great publicity; however, efforts to manage and reduce consumption are also crucial to ensuring future generations enjoy access to a reliable, sustainable supply. Smart metering – advanced meters that allow users to identify and monitor consumption in more detail than conventional meter – are a key element in terms of this latter goal, according to John Parsons, the overall coordinator of the ESMA (European Smart Metering Alliance) project.

“The ESMA project was set up to ensure that when smart metering is eventually introduced it will be done in a way that maximises the environmental benefits,” he says. “Smart metering has a number of applications that are relevant to this wider agenda. By giving customers more information about how they are using their energy we can help them use their energy more effectively and stop wasting energy.” With Europe’s households accounting for approximately 40 per cent of the continent’s energy total consumption, this is work with wide implications, and helps counteract the commonly held view that individual action is irrelevant in the face of wider global trends. Smart meters also bring more immediate benefits, as they are central to ensuring customers pay only for what they consume, something that isn’t always the case nowadays.”

“These are benefits which a number of European countries are keen to harness in the search for an integrated, effective energy policy, each in line with their own circumstances. This system runs in Spain, where hot summers, an affluent customer base and cheap air conditioners combine to put a lot of pressure on energy systems there. Scandinavian countries are also keen to improve the management of their electric heating.”

“What we’re interested in is how people can use smart meters to inform our energy use, and through that we can change customer behaviour.”

Contact John Parsons, Coordinator, at www.esma-home.eu

Published: Monday, 9th November 2009

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