Brussels, 3 September 2009 – The European Smart Metering Industry Group (ESMIG) welcomes the EU Energy Package becoming effective today and foresees an increasing momentum for Smart Metering in Europe as a result of EU support. The industry group particularly welcomes the inclusion of a mandatory Smart Metering roll out across Europe and believes that the legislation is a major step in strengthening the power of European consumers.

“The European Institutions are to be commended for putting consumers at the centre of this important piece of legislation,” says Andreas Umbach, President of ESMIG. “The 3rd EU Energy Package is a good start. But it is only a start. If we are going to get anywhere close to realising the Smart Grid in the foreseeable future, let alone to achieve the EU’s 20-20-20 goals [20% increase in energy efficiency, 20% reduction of CO2 emissions, and 20% increase in renewables by 2020], we must start building the foundation right now. The Smart Metering industry is doing its part, but now it is up to the Member States to anticipate the timeline laid out in the Energy Package and ensure that their citizens can enjoy the benefits of Smart Metering as soon as possible.”

The two Directives and three regulations in the Energy Package are intended to complete the liberalisation and integration of the EU energy market, as well as strengthen consumer rights and protection. The package includes Electricity and Gas Directives which require the EU Member States to ‘ensure the implementation of intelligent metering systems.’ The Electricity Directive foresees full deployment by 2022 at the latest, with 80% of consumers equipped with Smart Metering systems by 2020.

The European Commission’s “Citizens’ Energy Forum”, in which ESMIG will participate, will take place in London on 30th September 2009 and open with a discussion on Smart Metering. At this forum, the Commission will present a “Guidance Note” on the implementation of the Smart Metering provisions in the Electricity Directive. ESMIG believes Smart Metering provides a state of the art yet democratic means to achieve a high and environmentally conscious standard of living for society at large. It sees the increased attention on Smart Metering as a major step forward in securing the energy supply system for Europe, and believes its deployment will benefit all market actors.

With significant technological progress and encouragement from lawmakers and regulators, Smart Metering is expected to revolutionise energy management and grid reliability across the globe. Smart Metering solutions provide utilities with a two-way flow of data required to manage energy use, efficiency and demand response and network protection. Consumers benefit from lower energy costs, and, crucially, a reduced carbon footprint.

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About ESMIG

The European Smart Metering Industry Group (ESMIG) provides knowledge and expertise on Smart Metering and related communications at a European level. ESMIG’s members are the leading companies in the European Smart Metering market: meter manufacturers, IT companies and system integrators.

ESMIG covers all aspects of Smart Metering, including electricity, gas, water, and heat measurement. Member companies cover the entire value chain from meter manufacturing, software, installation, consulting, to communications and system integration. By giving support to European Union Institutions and Member State governments, the industry group aims to assist in the development of national and European-wide introduction, rollout and management of Smart Metering solutions.

For further information contact:
Dr. Howard Porter, Managing Director, ESMIG
Klaus-Dieter Axt, Operations Director, ESMIG
Phone: +32 2 7068257, Fax: +32 2 7068253
Email: secretariat@esmig.eu

ESMIG - European Smart Metering Industry Group
Boulevard A. Reyers 80, 1030 Brussels, Belgium
www.esmig.eu