AMSTERDAM – November 4, 2014 – GE’s Digital Energy business (NYSE: GE) today announced that it is prepared to help U.K. utilities meet new government requirements mandating smart meters in every home. The legislation requires all U.K. utilities to install smart meters in residential and commercial locations by the end of 2020.
GE’s SGM1300 IEC smart electricity meter will provide utilities with the advanced metering infrastructure to meet the legislated smart metering initiative in the U.K. and to better provide on-time, reliable and accurate billing information to their customers.
“The U.K.’s smart metering legislation has mandated that utility and energy retail companies replace their legacy electricity and gas meters with new advanced smart meters which can greatly improve the reliability and efficiency of their network and provide real-time information to consumers,” said Ed Myszka, general manager, meters, GE’s Digital Energy business. “The implementation of GE’s SGM1300 smart meters across a utility’s service network can provide a wide range of benefits for both the utility and its customers.”
GE’s meters will help to enable effective two-way communication between U.K. utilities and their customers. For example, smart meters will provide customers with half-hourly data on their energy usage.
By deploying advanced meters across their service territories, along with other components of their grid modernization initiatives, U.K. utilities can expect to transform the delivery of electricity to homes and businesses and give consumers greater control over their energy consumption and costs.
For electricity customers, the smart meters support home area network communications between local devices such as a GE gas meter and, using the in-home display, will give them a consolidated view of their electricity and gas usage, allowing them to better manage their energy consumption.
Available in single-phase and dual-element meter options, the SGM1300 features a unique LCD display with intuitive icons, which let installers easily know when the meter is connected to the network and up and running on the system. This removes any ambiguity and provides confidence that the installer can leave the installation fully operable.
In addition, the SGM1300 electricity smart meter provides utilities with additional security through a variety of anti-tampering features and secure communications solutions. Local security features notify the utility if tampering takes place, while enhanced encryption techniques maintain data integrity during communications.
GE’s Digital Energy business is a global leader in transmission and distribution solutions that manage and move power from the power plant to the consumer. Its products and services increase the reliability of electrical power networks and critical equipment for utility, industrial and large commercial customers. From protecting and optimizing assets such as generators, transmission lines and motors, to delivering analytic tools to help manage the power grid, and providing uninterruptible power, GE’s Digital Energy business delivers industry-leading technologies to solve the unique challenges of each customer. For more information, visit http://www.gedigitalenergy.
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