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Tag: SmartMeter

  • Zurich utilities expand smart meter network

    Zurich utilities expand smart meter network

    According to a press release, the electricity utility of the city of Zurich(ewz), Energie 360° and the Zurich water utility (WWZ) are expanding the use of smart meters. They are replacing analog meters that are still read by hand. This allows consumption data to be recorded and transmitted more quickly. By reading electricity, water and gas digitally, customers would have more transparency about their consumption. For the water supply, there are additional advantages in terms of troubleshooting. Any leaks and pipe damage can be detected more quickly using digital water meters.

    Ewz has been working on the supply of digital meters since August 2024. Gas supplier Energie 360° has been involved in the expansion of smart metering systems since April. Ewz plans to replace as many conventional meters as possible with digital meters by 2029. Around 300,000 smart meters are to be available in the city of Zurich and a further 4,000 in the ewz supply area in Graubünden. WVZ has announced the installation of 33,000 smart water meters by 2036.

    “With the installation of smart meters, we are taking an important next step towards the digitalization of the supply networks,” said City Councillor Michael Baumer, Head of the Department of Industrial Operations.

    Like their predecessors, the smart meters will continue to be installed primarily in basements.

  • Energy suppliers rely on cooperation

    Energy suppliers rely on cooperation

    Increasing digitization and cross-sector cooperation are opening up new business areas for energy supply companies in Switzerland. According to the results of the 2020 municipal utility study by the consulting firm EY and the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management , 80 percent of energy providers see great synergy potential in telecommunications, 71 percent in the housing industry and 69 percent in the heating industry. According to a press release , the survey was carried out in Switzerland and Germany, among 49 EVUs across Switzerland.

    According to a media release from EY, the potential for cooperation has increased once again from the EVU's point of view: in 2019, only 50 percent saw great synergy potential in telecommunications and 67 percent in the housing industry. The heating industry was not queried at that time.

    When looking for promising business models, EVUs would look even more outside the box in the future, says Benjamin Teufel, Head of the Energy Sector in Switzerland. “The housing industry, in particular, lends itself to being a cooperation partner: decentralized and climate-friendly energy solutions are becoming increasingly important.” As EY explains in another article , platform transactions based on digital data are conceivable for the housing industry. "Stadtwerke are predestined to be the operator of these platforms," it says there.

    A total of 71 percent of the EVU expect to be able to act as platform operator in decentralized electricity generation, 67 percent in electromobility and 71 percent in the area of smart metering, i.e. the use of intelligent electricity meters. Accordingly, the 2020 municipal utility study also shows that 84 percent of energy suppliers consider smart metering to be the most important technology in digital transformation. "As a data hub, the smart meters will lead to numerous new applications, products and business models," Teufel is quoted as saying.

    In the article “How municipal utilities can benefit from smart metering in the future”, EY explains: “The more companies use smart meter data for their business and the more these services can be networked with one another, the stronger the platform business will grow. Typically, the platform operator, in this case the municipal utility, participates in the transaction proceeds. "