San Mateo, CA – September 2, 2010 – eMeter, a leading provider of Smart Grid management software, today announced it has been named a “Leader” in GTM Research’s “The Emergence of Meter Data Management (MDM): A Smart Grid Information Strategy” report. According to the report, eMeter is recognized as the overall leader of the fast-emerging MDM market, ahead of both Oracle and Itron. Referring to eMeter earning the number one position, the report cited “the strength of its overall MDM platform” and that the company is “rapidly building out a line of related software products.”

“We’re pleased that Greentech Media has recognized eMeter as having the strongest product in the market. This is further validation by yet another internationally-recognized analyst firm that eMeter has the leading Smart Grid information platform,” said Gary Bloom, CEO of eMeter. “ We look forward to working even more closely with our customers to ensure they and their consumers receive the benefits that can be gained from the Smart Grid.”

eMeter ranked in the top two positions in eight of the nine categories reported by GTM Research, including vendor criteria, meter data repository, meter data management platform, AMI management functions, customer-facing applications, energy management and utility operations. The report noted that eMeter’s EnergyIP “has clear advantages in the open market where multiple entities need flexible access to centralized system-wide meter data.” EnergyIP is the centerpiece of eMeter’s Smart Grid Management Software Suite that has the most large-scale, mass-market deployments in the industry. EnergyIP not only enables utilities like Westar Energy (profiled in the report) to rapidly deploy meter-to-cash, but also serves as a flexible platform upon which utilities can add other applications such as deployment planning, automated provisioning and asset tracking. Other key eMeter customers mentioned in the report include CenterPoint Energy and Ontario Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).

Chet Geschickter, analyst-at-large at GTM Research and author of the report, said, “The MDM market continues to grow at a rapid pace, thanks to planned smart meter rollouts and enhanced product offerings from MDM vendors. eMeter stands out in the market with its best-of-breed technology approach and best practices for utilities to adopt as they deploy their unique Smart Grids to their customers.”

eMeter’s “Leadership” ranking in the GTM Research report follows the “Positive” rating the company earned in leading industry analyst firm Gartner’s “MarketScope for Meter Data Management Products” report earlier this year.

About GTM Research
GTM Research, a Greentech Media Company, provides economic and strategic analysis for the global renewable energy industry. Our goal is to deliver critical intelligence and advisory services that improve business operations and facilitate informed decision making for our clients. Our analyst team includes experts across the green technology value chain and contains diverse backgrounds in energy, economics, finance, policy analysis, and information technology. Visit www.gtmresearch.com for more information.

About eMeter
eMeter provides essential software that enables electric, gas and water utilities to realize the full benefits of Smart Grid. Leading utilities worldwide depend on eMeter Smart Grid Management software to reduce operational costs, improve customer service, and drive energy efficiency. With the most large-scale deployments in the industry and strategic partnerships with Accenture, IBM, Logica, and Siemens, eMeter has built a reputation for unparalleled expertise that ensures customer success. For more information visit: www.emeter.com.

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Media Contact:
Kyle Arteaga
(415) 218-5569
kyle.arteaga@emeter.com

[Update: I received a number of private responses to my posting  regarding the discrepancy in numbers.  Reliable sources have informed me that the 2 million figure is meters installed using Recovery Act funds, thus resolving the mystery.  I estimate that 1.1 million of these are at CenterPoint, FPL, and AEP, with the remainder scattered among the roughly 40 ARRA projects that included smart meters.]

Installed

• AEP OH: 0.2 million
• AEP TX: 0.1 m
• Alliant: 0.5 m
• CenterPoint: 0.5 m
• Delmarva: 0.2 m
• Exelon: 0.2 m
• FPL: 0.6 m
• Idaho Power: 0.1 m
• Oncor: 1.3 m
• PG&E: 6.5 m
• PGE: 0.8 m
• PPL: 1.4 m
• SCE: 1.4 m
• SDG&E: 1.2 m
• Southern Company: 1.0 m

• TOTAL: 16.5 million

Already Approved

• AEP TX: 0.9 million additional
• Alliant: 0.9 m
• BGE: 2.0 m
• Bluebonnet: 0.1 m
• Burbank Water & Power: 0.1
• CenterPoint: 1.9 m
• CPS Energy: 1.0 m
• Delmarva: 0.2 m
• Exelon: 2.0 m
• FPL: 3.9 m
• Idaho Power: 0.4 m
• PG&E: 3.6 m
• Oncor: 1.7 m
• Pepco: 0.8 m
• SCE: 3.6 m
• SCG: 6.0 m
• SDG&E: 1.1 m
• Silicon Valley Power: 0.1 m
• Southern Company: 3.6 m
• TNMP: 0.2
• Westar Energy: 0.1 m

• TOTAL: 34.2 million additional

The point?  When you combine the approved and the existing smart meter installations, you get 50.7 million, of which 38 million are electric.  The 38 million account for fully one-quarter of the 150 million electric meters in the U.S.

Thus, smart meters have jumped the “Adoption Gap” in the well-known Rogers Technology Adoption Curve (see figure).  That means we’re into the “Early majority.”

Now that’s good news – on both ARRA-funded meters and overall!

Yes.

We’ll see what California says, but the conclusions in the Texas report were clear.   These are the questions that Navigant Consulting, the report’s author, was tasked with:

1. Is electricity usage accurately measured and recorded by the advanced meters?
2. Is the recorded electricity usage accurately communicated from the advanced meters through the respective utility’s advanced metering systems for use in customer billing?
3. Is recorded electricity usage higher on average for customers with advanced meters in comparison to customers with older electromechanical meters?
4. Are there other potential factors or causes contributing to the observed higher incidence of meter and billing related customer complaints?

Navigant tested 5,627 meters in their investigation.  Of these, 2 were inaccurate according to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard; i.e. 99.96% of the meters were accurate to within 2.0% of actual.  5,622 meters (99.91%) were accurate to within 0.5% of actual.

Which means?  For a typical monthly bill of $150, all but 5 meters were within $0.75 of the actual amount.

By way of comparison, as I reported earlier this year, only 98.4% of existing, non-smart meters are within the ANSI standard.  So while 2 meters in the Texas smart meter test were found outside the limits, the same test on existing, non-smart meters would have turned up 90 inaccurate meters – exactly 45 times as many bad meters.

The official conclusion: It is Navigant Consulting’s opinion… that the vast majority of advanced meters currently installed by Oncor, CenterPoint and AEP Texas are accurately measuring and recording electric usage, as well as communicating that information through the respective advanced metering systems for use in customer billing.

It’ll be interesting to see this Friday’s headlines on the California tests.

Maine lighthouse

The California Measurement Advisory Council just released its summary report on the energy efficiency programs of Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric for 2006-2008.

During that period, California’s $2.1 billion ratepayer investment in efficiency saved a total of six billion kWh per year. That’s more electricity than is used by the entire state of Maine, lighthouses and all!

More about these savings…

The annual energy savings included over 1100 MW of electricity (the equivalent of two power plants) plus 80 million therms of natural gas. Over the life of these measures, savings of over 66 billion kWh and a billion therms are estimated. By the end of 2008, energy savings represented about 3.2% of electricity and 1% of natural gas sold in California that year.

Saving energy means saving money. The retail value of the electricity savings totaled $8.3 billion — nearly four times the $2.1 billion cost. And that’s not even considering the value of the natural gas savings.

Environmental benefit. These energy savings represent more than four million tons of avoided carbon dioxide emissions — the equivalent of taking 760,000 cars off California’s roads.

Nicely done, California!

This program, which is partly funded by a US Department of Energy Smart Grid Investment Grant, includes its own Smart Grid Customer Bill of Rights.

Here’s what their bill of rights covers…

Naperville lists four basic rights for utility customers who receive smart meters and participate in smart grid projects:

1. Right To Be Informed about pricing options, outage information, peak demand, and energy consumption habits via a “convenient user interface.”
2. Right To Options for fixed and time-based pricing programs, for receiving information, for purchasing and using devices (such as Home Area Network devices), and for understanding and controlling electricity usage.
3. Right To Privacy of personal and energy consumption information — including that customers get to retain control of their in-home appliances and devices. Customers also have the right to consent to disclosure of their energy information to third parties.
4. Right To Data Security. Utilities serving Naperville customers must have a data security plan. Also, customers have the right to a “functioning electric meter and customer web portal that will provide secure, confidential, and accurate electricity consumption data.”

This list is a terrific starting point — but it could be expanded.

For example, a smart grid bill of rights also could declare that utility customers have the right to improved electric system reliability, greater grid efficiency, and expanded support for renewables via smart grid deployment.

What would you like to see in a smart grid bill of rights? Send your suggestions to me at SmartGridBillofRights@gmail.com.

…For now I’d be quite happy if my own utility (Pacific Gas & Electric) provided me with the four elements of Naperville’s vision. That might not make my home town, Berkeley CA, one of the top five US cities — but it would bring us closer.

http://www.utilimetrics.org/Events/Autovation.aspx

September 12, 2010
Austin, Texas
Subpage Copy:
See Larsh Johnson at the MDM Utility Panel (includes eMeter, Aclara, & Ecologic), Room 17B, 8:15am – 9:15am

http://www.sap-for-utilities.com/press_upcoming_events.htm

September 19-22, 2010
Huntington Beach, CA
Booth #35
Larsh Johnson speaking at the session titled,  AMI/ Smart Grid Panel: Where Will The Journey Take Us? Track 1, 3:15pm – 4:05pm

http://www.metering-europe.com/default.aspx?gclid=CKf0yLXlwKMCFRNSgwodVjAYcA

September 22-24, 2010
Vienna, Austria
Booth #J22

http://www.smartgridtour.com/registers

September 28, 2010
Weehawken, NJ

http://www.smartgridtour.com/registers

October 21, 2010
Washington D.C.