Partnership brings next-gen smart meters to Aust

Smart tech company Sense is collaborating with metering provider EDMI to deliver next-generation smart meters that aim to help accelerate the energy transition, engage customers and materially reduce the costs of running the energy system.

EDMI is a major meter supplier in Australia and a leading provider in the Asia–Pacific region, EMEA and the UK. The company has deployed over 30 million smart devices across more than 100 countries.

Sense’s real-time home intelligence software, running on EDMI meters, will bring intelligence to the grid edge. According to the companies, these will be the first smart meters in the APAC and EMEA regions capable of sampling data at one million times a second (1 MHz). With this unprecedented resolution, new and enhanced propositions are made possible: grid faults can be identified and localised with greater finesse, devices can be detected with superior precision and utilities can further expand margins.

The combination of higher resolution and real-time intelligence at the grid edge should unlock new opportunities for Sense and EDMI customers, with retailers able to offer new services and energy insights to their customers, and networks benefiting from real-time grid edge insight including power quality and the ability to identify and locate problems such as vegetation brush and corrosion.

“EDMI’s focus on partnerships in this region has been the cornerstone of our success,” said Brett Reid, Executive Director – EDMI ANZ. “It is through partnerships like these that EDMI will be best placed to provide significant support to those using our solutions to address the challenges and opportunities faced as the move towards carbon net zero gathers momentum.”

“Sense software is the most cost-effective investment that can be made in the energy transition,” said Michael Jary, Sense’s Managing Director across APAC & EMEA.

“For instance, using real-time device detection, Sense can detect the highest consuming appliances in the home, and help consumers turn down specific devices during peak demand.

“Eighteen per cent reductions in load are possible — almost three times greater than previous best in class. For Australia, implementing Sense on smart meters would be the equivalent of adding 2.4 GW to peak capacity — that’s as much as three coal-power stations. We’re delighted to be partnering with EDMI, one of the leading smart meter manufacturers in the world, to bring this technology to more homes,” Jary said.

According to market intelligence firm Guidehouse, the global penetration of smart meters will climb from approximately 44% at the end of 2020 to 56% by the end of 2028, resulting in over 1.2 billion devices globally.

Image credit: iStock.com/dusanpetkovic