Landis+Gyr’s latest win enables Finnish smart metering pioneer to complete rollout
August 20, 2010 – Under the terms of the agreement, Landis+Gyr will supply Turku Energia Sa_hko_verkot with its Gridstream solution. This includes the delivery and installation of almost 40,000 new meters and communications devices, which will begin in late 2010, as well as integration of the meters to Turku Energia’s information systems and project management services.
From the beginning of 2012, all of Turku Energia’s 68,000 customers in the city of Turku will be billed on actual rather than estimated energy consumption. In a further step, Landis+Gyr will also integrate Turku Energia Sa_hko_verkot’s 28,000 customers who are already part of the existing Landis+Gyr smart metering system, which was installed between 2003 and 2008.
Matti O_stman, Managing Director of Turku Energia Sa_hko_verkot, says, “This investment goes beyond merely fulfilling legislative requirements. With Landis+Gyr’s smart metering solution, Grid- stream, we can significantly improve the efficiency of our operations and enhance customer ser- vice. Real-time energy consumption information is a prerequisite for the future development of the smart grid and increased energy efficiency.”
Ari Tolonen, Managing Director of Landis+Gyr in Finland, emphasises the value of smart metering to achieve energy efficiency goals, “Smart metering technology offers new tools for energy man- agement. It paves the way for new types of energy products in the future, and their realisation re- quires pioneers such as Turku Energia Sa_hko_verkot. We see this cooperation as a shared opportu- nity to fully utilise and further develop new technology.”
Within the last year, Landis+Gyr has signed contracts with five Finnish utilities, for the rollout of over 400,000 smart meters, including a landmark agreement in June with one of the largest Finnish utilities, Helen Electricity Network, for the delivery of Landis+Gyr’s Gridstream solution along with 200,000 smart meters. Finland has three million metering points, of which over one million have Landis+Gyr technology.
This latest announcement sees Landis+Gyr’s Gridstream solution continue to expand its footprint as deployment of smart metering in Europe, which forms the foundation of the smart grid, begins to take shape. Finland is at the forefront of smart metering in the EU, and well ahead of the timetable laid down in the 3rd Energy package to have 80 percent of European households enjoying the benefits of smart metering by 2020. The introduction of smart metering systems by Finnish utilities is in full swing, after national legislation on billing and smart metering came into force in spring 2009. Utilities are now preparing to meet the requirement that 80 percent of households be equipped with smart metering by 2014.
Landis+Gyr’s smart metering solution Gridstream offers a complete portfolio of meters, standardised communication technologies and software for multi energy smart metering. The complete end-to-end solution ensures seamless flow of information and provides tools for personal energy management and network management support, forming the foundation of the smart grid.
About Landis+Gyr
About Turku Energia Sahkoverkot
The utility is Turku Energia’s wholly-owned subsidiary responsible for the reliable and efficient transmission and distribution of electricity in Turku, and the group’s electricity network property management and electricity network services. In 2009, electricity distribution downtime per customer was on average just 16 minutes 19 seconds, and the transmission pricing was among the most affordable in Finland. The company employs 43 people.
Turku Energia is the leading energy group in southern Finland, whose operation is based on operational reliability, customer satisfaction, and providing competitively priced energy through environmentally sustainable production. Our core business is the acquisition, transmission and sale of electricity and heating, and the development, building, and maintenance of production facilities and energy networks. In 2009, the group’s turnover was EUR 197 million and its average employee count 293.
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