Finnish utilities focus on deploying AMM solutions

Landis+Gyr has signed Advanced Metering Management (AMM) contracts with five Finnish utilities for installation of smart meter solutions, enabling 145,000 new consumers to manage energy better. The contracts were signed last year.

Building on early success in 2008 with Finnish utilities Jyväskylän Energia, Tampereen Sähkölaitos and Vaasan Sähköverkko Oy, Landis+Gyr has also signed contracts with two additional utilities Satapirkan Sähkö and Kemin Sähkö.

There are three million households in Finland and one in five is currently equipped with smart meters.

The Finnish government regulation that is planned to become effective at the beginning of February calls on utilities to deploy smart meters in 80 percent of homes by end 2013. The mandate is similar to laws being enacted in other Nordic countries.

"Finland is in the execution phase of smart meter deployment, as utilities move quickly to meet government mandates," said Ad van der Meys, Landis+Gyr's Executive VP EMEA region.

Satapirkan Sähkö, a consortium of nine different utility companies, will invest in smart meter solutions for eight of their members. Landis+Gyr is working with other manufacturers to tailor a solution to meet the specific demands of Satapirkan Sähkö.

The firm highlighted a report from VaasaETT (in October last year), as per which energy savings via use of smart meters and in-house displays show average savings of 10.3 percent. Another 2008 paper, from the European Commission, estimates seven percent energy savings for households and 10 percent for businesses.