Smart meter consortium announces 18 month trial

A major smart meter trial has been announced by a consortium of technology companies including BT, BAE Systems and Arqiva. The trial will test the effectiveness of radio-enabled energy meters in 1,000 homes in Suffolk, UK over an 18 month period.

Known as the SmartReach consortium, involving a number of multinational companies, the group has teamed up with ScottishPower and Siemens to develop the trial. They hope a successful trial will ensure a government contract to run a UK wide network. The project will be using Arqiva’s existing tower network infrastructure, and Sensus’ FlexNet smart meter technology.

In a statement, the consortium said, "Reaching meters with a single communications technology means that the installation process can be simpler and less expensive, with minimal repeat visits required”. The system has already become established in the US, with a system of 10 million smart meters.

It is hoped that implementing the system elsewhere will mean higher reliability and eventually an integration with water meters, which could also benefit from smart technology.

"Ensuring that utility companies can connect smart meters to the network first time, and that communication can be established with all meters, will be critical factors in successfully achieving the government's 2019 deadline for the deployment of smart energy meters to all homes and small company premises," they said.

Smart meters have not received unanimous support however. There have been those who question their effectiveness in reducing energy and water use. The technology will allow a better understanding of energy use for the customer however, and those who wish to save energy will have a better tool to enable them to do so.