Düsseldorf (energate) - 51 per cent of the basic metering point operators have not yet started rolling out smart metering systems. This is the result of a survey of 79 companies by the consulting firm PWC. Nevertheless, 87 per cent plan to implement ten percent of the mandatory installations by the end of the year. All companies must meet this quota by 24 February 2023. The remaining 13 per cent of operators feared that they would not be able to meet this obligation. "By doing so, they are putting their basic competence at risk," warned PWC manager Matthias Gabriel.
46 per cent of the companies were currently preparing the rollout, only five per cent had not yet started. Six per cent of the companies have implemented the processes and interfaces for the Controllable Local System (CLS) channel. This capability is required, among other things, for the provision of value-added services and for the remote control of installations. 69 per cent of the companies that have started the rollout have implemented the tariff use cases TAF 1 (data sparse tariff) and TAF 7 (quarter-hourly resolution). The devices in the first certification wave must also enable TAF 2 (time-variable tariff) and TAF 6 (spontaneous readout). TAF 2 has been implemented by 23 per cent of the rollout companies, for TAF 6 it is 44 per cent.
Economic efficiency is usually difficult
The companies surveyed see the greatest challenge in the smart meter rollout in ensuring cost-effectiveness, which was mentioned by 84 per cent. Other hurdles include requirements for WAN communication and the connection and implementation of tariff use cases in the ERP system.
Basic metering point operators must equip consumers with an electricity consumption of more than 6,000 kWh per year, generators with more than 7 kW power and controllable consumption devices with smart metering systems within eight years of the market declaration by the BSI. The market declaration was made in February 2020, so the rollout to these customer groups must be completed by February 2028. The first ten per cent of smart meters must be rolled out by the metering point operators within the first three years.
There is an exception for 50 municipal utilities, which had successfully sued against this regulation before the
OVG Münster. It is true that the Bundestag has already amended the corresponding
Metering Point Operation Act and the BSI has also
recertified three meters. However, the corresponding market declaration for the 50 municipal utilities is still pending. /sd
