E-REDES passes 5.5 million smart meter milestone

Portuguese network operator E-REDES has announced surpassing the 5.5 million smart meter mark with meters with active remote services.

This corresponds to a coverage of 80% of customers in mainland Portugal.

In total, there are almost 5.6 million smart meters installed and 90% of the equipment is already under remote management, allowing automatic data collection, exempting consumers from sending readings and enabling the issuance of invoices by suppliers, without resorting to estimates or adjustments.

“E-REDES is contributing to greater convenience and efficiency of service to the consumer, as well as the reduction of the environmental footprint,” says José Ferrari Careto, Chairman of the Board of Directors of E-REDES.

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“With the current installed fleet of smart meters, it is estimated that CO2 emissions will decrease by more than 2,190t in 2023.”

With the smart meters, consumers can monitor their energy profile and adjust electricity consumption, without E-REDES technicians having to travel to the site to execute work orders or collect readings.

The equipment also makes it possible for customers who want to do so to adhere to self-consumption.

Energy suppliers and service companies also benefit from smart meters in remote management, as they allow customers to access services and price plans adapted to their consumption profiles and needs.

E-REDES reports being on track to achieve the goal of having 100% of smart meters installed in Portuguese homes by the end of 2024.

The smart meter programme forms a key component of E-REDES’s strategy to invest in the development of new solutions to raise the quality of service and promote the active role of customers in the management of their consumption.

It also forms part of the broader smart grid programme to support the energy transition and the meeting of Portugal’s climate targets, including incorporating 47% of energy from renewable sources into gross final energy consumption and reducing greenhouse gas emissions between 45% and 55% compared to 2005 by 2030.

Primary energy consumption also must be reduced by 35% for better energy efficiency.