Rising energy bills mean new business for metering firms
Published Thursday, 15th December 2011
As Europe works to roll out smart gas and electricity meters and customers look for ways to control their rising energy bills, more and more technology companies are teaming up with each other to take advantage of new business opportunities.
The latest pair to eye the European metering market are Itron and Panasonic, which have partnered to develop a smarter, next-generation gas meter for the continent.
To meet its carbon reduction and climate goals, the European Union has set a goal of deploying smart energy meters to at least 80 percent of households by 2020. Advanced metering is also seen as a way to help consumers control their gas and electricity bills, which are rising dramatically in many parts of Europe.
To meet those needs, Itron aims to use Panasonic’s ultrasonic sensor technology to improve its existing residential meters. The two companies also plan to work together to integrate low-power radio electronics into Itron’s advanced gas data collection technologies.
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