“The Victorian Smart Meter rollout is the largest program of work undertaken by any of the energy distributors since deregulation in Australia… It’s critical to ensure we meet the functionality and timelines imposed by the Victorian Government.”
Victoria, Australia-based SP AusNet operates a distribution network delivering electricity to more than 600,000 customers in an area of more than 80,000 square kilometers of eastern Victoria. SP AusNet also operates a distribution network delivering gas to approximately 537,000 customers in an area of more than 60,000 square kilometers in central and western Victoria.
The challenge for distribution companies like SP AusNet in deregulated environments such as Victoria is to deliver meter data to multiple retailers separately and securely through a single platform. SP AusNet chose eMeter – a company with customers in New Zealand, Canada and the United States meeting the requirements of distribution companies – to support the largest Smart Meter rollout since deregulation went into effect in Australia.
SP AusNet has initially deployed eMeter’s EnergyIP MDM solution to support 680,000 residential and 20,000 commercial and industrial meter points in SP AusNet’s territory. However, SP AusNet has bigger plans for its single platform. EnergyIP will allow SP AusNet to not only support retailers in their current service territory, but retailers outside of their service territory, opening up new business opportunities for SP AusNet.
In the meantime, EnergyIP will enable SP AusNet to capture the full benefits of its Smart Grid and Smart Metering initiatives including its demand response programs that will empower consumers to conserve electricity use based on real-time price indicators.