Landis+Gyr agreement in Helsinki is at the forefront of smart meter deployment in EU

The contract includes the delivery of Gridstream, the Landis+Gyr smart metering solution, including 200,000 smart meters, over the next two years as well as meter reading services for at least the following 10 years. With this project, the utility’s remaining 200,000 customers will switch to smart metering and have access to hourly-based information on their individual energy consumption. This is one of the largest and most advanced metering deployments in Europe to date.

Risto Harjanne, CEO of Helen Electricity Network, added, “We see smart metering as a central tool in improving energy efficiency. The development of the smart grids of the future is based on smart metering and the information it produces.” In addition to hourly-based consumption information, smart metering provides the utility with faster and more precise information of the network status and power quality.

Andreas Umbach, Landis+Gyr’s President and COO, said, “We are proud to be at the forefront of smart metering in Europe. The project’s benefits go beyond the 200,000 Finnish households who will switch to smart metering and will point a way forward to help the EU reach the 20-20-20 goals. Also, from a technological perspective, this will be our most advanced smart meter deployment in Europe.”

The Gridstream smart metering solution from Landis+Gyr for Helen Electricity Network includes meter reading services, smart electricity meters, communications, smart metering software and the integration to Helen Electricity Network’s IT systems. The communication solution for the utility was optimised by combining 2G/3G communications, Zigbee and Mesh Radio Frequency technology. Landis+Gyr will also be responsible for project management, installation of the equipment together with their partners and training for the utility’s personnel.

Finland is at the forefront of smart metering in the EU, and well ahead of the timetable laid down in the 3rd Energy package to have 80 percent of European households enjoying the benefits of smart metering by 2020. The introduction of smart metering systems by Finnish utilities is in full swing, after national legislation on billing and smart metering came into force in spring 2009. Utilities are now preparing to meet the requirement that 80 percent of households be equipped with smart metering by 2014. Landis+Gyr will rollout smart me- ters to all Helen Electricity Network’s customers by the end of 2012. Landis+Gyr is positioned to benefit from the market trend, having recently announced a deployment with Finnish utility Lappeenrannan Energiaverkot for 54,000 multi-energy smart meters complete with smart metering software and meter reading services.

Helen Electricity Network produces electrical network services, takes care of connecting customers to the network and the transmission and distribution of electricity. The turnover in network business was EUR 101 million in 2009. The number of customers is approximately 350,000. The amount of transmit- ted electricity in the Helen Electricity Network distribution area in 2009 was 4,657 GWh. The company is part of Helen-group, owned by the city of Helsinki. For further information: www.helen.fi/index_eng.html.

Landis+Gyr is the leading provider of integrated energy management solutions tailored to energy company needs. With a global presence and a reputation for quality and innovation, Landis+Gyr is unique in its ability to deliver true end-to-end advanced metering solutions. Today, the Company offers the broadest portfolio of products and services in the electricity metering industry, and is paving the way for the next generation of smart grid. With annualized sales of more than US$1.25 billion, Landis+Gyr operates in 30 countries across five continents, and employs over 5,000 people with the sole mission of helping the world manage energy better. For further information: www.landisgyr.com.

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Email: john.harris@landisgyr.com