THE GLOBAL SMART METER REVOLUTION
in every home ( over 26 million ) by 2020 . According to the government , some energy companies are starting to install smart meters now . The smart meters are free , although the cost of the roll out will already be covered in the consumer ’ s bill . Why the huge rollout ? The European Union asked its member states to consider smart meters as part of their efforts to reduce climate change . The British government conducted a study and adopted the aforementioned plan . by up to nine percent . Largely , EU governments and European energy providers are enthusiastic about the rollouts . For example , Germany will see the installation of 44 million smart meters by 2026 and a total investment of £ 18.73 billion in smart grids .
Around the world While Europe has been planning rollouts , the rest of the world has been kick-starting its own smart meter revolution . Take Pakistan ,
‘ Consumers can budget better and energy suppliers deal with fewer billing complaints . It ’ s a win-win situation ’
The EU has also encouraged other member states to rollout smart meters . A report from the European Commission states that along with the UK , Austria , Denmark , Estonia , Finland , France , Greece , Ireland , Italy , Luxemburg , Malta , Netherlands , Poland , Romania , Spain , Sweden “ will proceed with large-scale roll-out of smart meters by 2020 or earlier , or have already done so . An EU sanctioned study found that the EU ’ s efforts could cut emissions for instance . Pakistani utility firms and the Asian Development Bank ( ADB ) have announced that they are currently selecting a partner for the deployment of a smart meter project . The project ’ s first phase is set to begin by June 2017 . In neighbouring India , utility firm Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana has kick-started a prepaid meters pilot project . The outcome will help the Indian government decide whether or not to deploy prepaid electric meters .
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