A new research report from Berg Insight says the number of smart electricity meters in Europe will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 19.4% for the next five years to reach 130.5 million in 2016. That means 52% of European houses will have smart meters.
Smart meters help consumers to manage their energy usage, often connecting to the internet via WiFi or a mobile network in order to send or receive information. By 2016, over €3 billion per year is expected to be spent on smart metering technology.
Tobias Ryberg, senior analyst at Berg Insight, said “Endesa has commenced with a rollout to 12.9 million customers in Spain and the second largest electricity network operator Iberdrola will follow. ERDF is awaiting formal approval from the government for a nationwide rollout to 33 million customers in France and in the UK the leading energy suppliers British Gas and E.ON have committed to the deployment of several million smart meters prior to the start of a mass rollout in 2014. By that time there will also be massive installations in additional countries such as the Netherlands, Ireland and Norway”.
In addition, Energa in Poland plans to install smart meters for its 3 million electricity customers by 2017.