Elenia to install next-generation smart meters for 400,000 customers
The electricity network service company Elenia will replace the smart electricity meters of nearly 400,000 of its customers with next-generation smart electricity meters. An entirely new electricity metering system will offer to Elenia and its customers more possibilities to participate the climate actions that require utilising technological innovations.
The meter changes will go on until early 2025. The replaced meters are approaching the end of their service life. Approximately 40,000 Elenia customers have newer meters, which will be replaced later. Changing the meter is free of charge for customers.
Elenia will start installing next-generation smart electricity meters in the Pirkanmaa and South Ostrobothnia regions in September. Installations in North Ostrobothnia will start in spring 2022, in Central Finland in autumn 2022 and in Kanta-Häme and Päijät-Häme in early 2023.
The meters, together with technologies related to the new electricity metering system, were developed in an innovation procurement procedure in 2019–2020, in cooperation with the Finnish company Aidon Oy. Aidon has partnered with the teleoperator Elisa, who are responsible for IoT communications between the metering equipment and the system. Another Finnish company, Voimatel Oy is Elenia's installation partner in meter installations.
Careful preparation for the new technology
”We have prepared this reform carefully. Among other things, we carried out a test project where about 80 of our customers received new smart meters that allowed their electrical equipment to be managed flexibly at different times. We received positive feedback from the customers who participated in the pilot and the flexibility of consumption did not affect their everyday life and living comfort,” tells Tapani Liuhala, CEO of Elenia.
”In Elenia's innovation project, we created a technology platform that will enable new services in the future. Long-term cooperation between the customer, our partners and our knowledgeable staff has been central to the project. With an advanced electricity metering system, we can flexibly develop new applications. The project is an important step for our software and service business based on new technologies,” says Tommi Blomberg, CEO of Aidon.
“The IoT interfaces Elisa provided to Aidon and Elenia are the largest single subscription agreement package in Finland. More accurate electricity metering will lead to energy savings, with the ability to monitor electricity consumption every 15 minutes or even more often. Elenia's solution utilises the latest IoT solutions by Elisa, such as a new access management platform and the nationwide IoT network,” says Eetu Prieur, Director of Mobile Solutions for Elisa.
”This is a large project for Voimatel, involving not only our installers, but also project management, design, supervisory work, customer service, ICT systems and reporting professionals. This will employ our staff for years to come. We are proud to be among the first to create next-generation smart electricity metering and participate in installing a smart tomorrow. This way, we have a solid involvement in building a more carbon-neutral society,” says Timo Rask, Managing Director of Voimatel.
Elenia to get more involved in climate actions
In order to mitigate climate change, an increasing share of electricity is produced from the sun and wind, which means that changes in weather will affect the volume of electricity production and pricing. As electricity replaces fossil fuels, the consumption of electricity will increase as well as the need to balance production and consumption.
Electric cars and solar power plants in homes and properties are becoming increasingly common. New kind of energy communities are emerging. All of this requires state-of-the-art technology solutions for the electricity network and a next-generation electricity metering system.
”The energy system is undergoing a major transformation both in Finland and globally. This requires electricity network services to be developed further. We are contributing to this change by modernising the electricity network and related technologies. We are increasingly involved in climate solutions of the energy sector,” says Liuhala.
For customers, the development of electricity metering will be visible in the coming years as more real-time information about their own electricity consumption and new opportunities in the electricity market, among other things.
”We are carefully testing solutions as we move forward in order to ensure a smooth digital daily life. First, we install new electricity meters for our customers and, as the installation progresses, we will start to tackle the next challenges in service development together with our partners,” says Liuhala.
Facts
- New electricity metering technology increases Elenia’s involvement in climate solutions of the energy sector.
- Wind and solar power need more flexible consumption solutions as regulating power.
- A smart grid makes it possible to increase the use of efficient renewable energy.
- The next-generation metering system promotes balance between renewable energy and consumption flexibility in the energy system.
- More accurate electricity metering is possible with the latest IoT technology provided by Elisa. Meters can be accessed even if their location is challenging, such as behind several walls or underground.
- Customers and building managers receive advance notice of the meter changes by mail and households are informed about the installation time, which can be changed, if necessary.
- Customers do not have to take any action before confirming the installation time.
- Changing the meter is free of charge for customers.
Elenia serves 432,000 household, corporate and community customers in more than one hundred municipalities in Häme, Pirkanmaa, Central Finland, South Ostrobothnia and North Ostrobothnia. We see to the functionality and renewal of the electricity network and build electricity networks and connections together with our partner companies. We meter our customers’ electricity consumption and deliver the data to electricity suppliers. We are developing the electricity network of the future by utilising state-of-the-art technology. We care for the environment and promote the development of the Finnish electricity market. Sustainability is at the core of our operations and services.
Aidon is the leading provider of smart grid and smart metering solutions, applications and services in the Nordics. Our systems enable reliable metering and distribution of energy as well as efficient maintenance processes of distribution networks for our customers. The technology supplied by Aidon is in use in more than 3 million energy metering points in the Nordic countries. Our head office is in Jyväskylä, Finland and we have offices in Solna, Sweden and Asker, Norway. Our logistics center is located in Vantaa, Finland. Find out more: www.aidon.com
Elisa’s mission is a sustainable future through digitalisation. We are a pioneer in telecommunications and digital services, and technologies. We provide sustainable solutions for over 2.8 million consumer, corporate and public administration customers in our core markets of Finland and Estonia as well as in over 100 countries internationally. In Finland, Elisa is a market leader in telecommunications, our international cooperation partners include e.g. Vodafone and Tele2. Elisa is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki; in 2020 our revenue was EUR 1.89 billion euros and we employed over 5,000 people. Elisa is a carbon-neutral company. Follow our journey: elisa.com, Facebook @elisasuomi, Twitter @ElisaOyj
Voimatel is a service provider of professional lifecycle services and solutions for telecommunication and electrical power networks and systems. Voimatel helps its customers succeed by delivering mission critical networks and systems through highly dependable expertise, continuously improving solutions and flexible collaboration. Being one of the largest service providers in the field, Voimatel’s customers include telecommunication service providers in the Baltic region and Central Europe, major power grid operators and energy suppliers in Finland, global telecommunication equipment manufacturers as well as major private sector businesses and local authorities. Its 900 employees are based in Finland and Estonia. Voimatel is wholly owned by the Finnish KPY Cooperative.