No more estimated electricity bills? Every second Pole has a smart meter

49.8 percent end consumers of electricity already have remote reading meters – emphasized the Polish Economic Institute, citing data from distribution system operators. According to them, there are 9.6 million meters.

As PIE notes, the percentage of consumers equipped with remote reading meters (VOC) varies significantly between different operators. In the area of ​​Enea Operator it is 17 percent, and in the area of ​​Energa-Operator – 93 percent. The Institute reminds that the level of VOC implementation is also uneven among European Union countries. In Germany, the level is 15 percent, and in Sweden, already in 2009, almost all customers had remote reading meters.

In Poland, replacing meters with VOCs is required by Energy Law. Pursuant to the provisions of this Act, Polish distribution system operators are obliged to provide remote reading meters to all their final customers by July 4, 2031. According to the act, by the end of 2025, the percentage of recipients containing VOCs should exceed 35%. The next thresholds are 65%. by the end of 2027 and 80 percent until the end of 2028. According to the law, operators cover the cost of VOC and its installation, and the replacement of meters does not involve any direct costs for consumers.

PIE reminds that remote measurement of energy consumption allows consumers to monitor it in real time, which can be an incentive to save energy in generalas well as to reduce consumption when energy prices are higher, e.g. thanks to dynamic tariffs.

As indicated by the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), fixed tariffs for electricity still dominate in most EU countries, which prevents the promotion of demand flexibility. The ongoing electrification of the economy and the growing share of renewable energy sources in the system mean that the role and potential of demand flexibility will also grow. Both among households and industrial customers, it may be of key importance in reducing the total cost of energy transformation – estimates PIE.(PAP)

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