TOKYO: Electric power companies are seeking to accelerate the adoption of smart meters by households and other low-use customers in anticipation of the removal of all restrictions on the sale of electricity in 2016.

Due to expedited efforts by the power industry in this respect, the number of smart meters used in the nation will likely exceed 10 million by the end of the current fiscal year, according to analysts.

Smart meters are electronic devices that enable two-way communication between utilities and their customers for monitoring, billing and other purposes. The need for smart meters is rising partly because the retail sale of electricity will be completely liberalised in April 2016, allowing ordinary households to choose which electricity supply company to use.

Smart meters automatically measure electricity consumption every 30 minutes, and can transmit the records to electric power companies and other entities using in-built data-communication functionality.

Users can check the details of their electricity consumption at any time, which facilitates their efforts to reduce their use of power. New services are also likely to be created utilising smart meter data-communication functionality.

Some major utilities, including Tokyo Electric Power Co and Kansai Electric Power Co, have already started to install smart meters in households.

By arrangement with Washington Post-Bloomberg News Service

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2015

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