Smart meters transforming the customer experience in Brazil

Paraná state utility Copel has reported that the more than 820,000 smart meters installed are transforming the consumer experience.

This technological advancement now installed in 94 of the state’s 399 municipalities is revolutionising the way consumers are managing energy consumption by bringing a series of benefits directly within reach of their smartphones and mobile devices, the company said.

With an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, Copel’s app provides ‘smart electric network programme’ customers with detailed information on their daily consumption, enabling them to identify patterns and make adjustments to optimise their energy use and reduce costs.

Among other benefits, Copel cites realising automatic fault detection, reduction of the need for meter readers and the implementation of digital invoices.

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Copel Distribution’s director of Operation and Maintenance says that there is growth in migrations to digital invoicing in those municipalities with smart meters, for which more than two million customers have signed up so far.

“There are municipalities like Ipiranga, for example, where the project began, in which 95% of consumers have adopted the digital account, showing that it is a safe and consolidated system.”

The smart meters are being installed as part of Copel’s smart grid programme, which was launched in 2020, and the rollout is expected to reach 1 million units in early 2025.

The total rollout should number around 1.6 million units.

The programme is also seeing the installation of grid automation and digitalisation technologies, which Copel boasts is implementing the country’s most modern energy distribution network, with another key goal to reduce losses.

Copel reports that so far its smart grid programme has avoided 305t of CO2 emissions.

The company also anticipates establishing other variable tariff modalities in the future, for which the smart meters will be important.