Electricity, the 2.0 meter talks to the Internet and saves us money. that's how

Goodbye to electricity only ready to drain our wallet. After the general tests of the first generation electronic meter, the real breakthrough arrives, full of promises: the 2.0 meter will also save us money because it will allow our supplier to offer us a more efficient service, will open the door to new functions that will make our electrical system one of the elements of the nascent interconnected home, making our electrical system safer thanks to step-by-step monitoring of energy consumption. Welcome to Open Meter, which is precisely the second generation electronic meter. Conceived by E-Distribuzione, the Enel group company that brings electricity to over 7.400 municipalities, it is already reaching businesses but also the homes of many Italians.

Just installed Open Meter already shows a taste of its capabilities. In fact, it provides us with a continuously updated profile of our consumption at different times of the day, with measurements every 15 minutes which not only allow us to understand (and possibly rationalize) our consumption habits but also allow us to interact with the world of electricity operators operating on the free market, who will thus be able to propose offers based on the specific needs of each customer. But that's just the beginning: other welcome surprises will come with the birth of new applications, new functions and a multitude of operational alliances with the world of the web. Yes, because Open Meter is to all intents and purposes a small but powerful computer that joins forces with the Internet speaking a common language, under the banner of a open technology (in the transmission protocols, in the Apps to be used), integrable and scalable (its software will be continuously updated and enhanced), accessible from the outset to the world of external operators, not just electric ones. But how does it work, when does it arrive, how much does it cost and what could we really do with Open Meter?

How it's done

The appearance and dimensions are completely similar to the meter we already have at home. The display is similar, but under the hood there is a much more powerful, innovative and ready-to-use technology future evolutions. There is provision for sending data to additional external devices, for example through the electrical outlets of the room where the new meter is inserted. Nothing changes in the methods of connection to the distribution network and to our electrical panel making the operation of practically immediate replacement and without any need for adaptation operations, as was the case for the replacement of the old analog meters with first generation digital meters.

Who will have it

Basically everyone, even those who are not (or will not be in the future) customers of E-Distribuzione. For two reasons. The first: the meter installed and is the responsibility of the local energy distributor, regardless of the supplier which has a contractual relationship with us and which, thanks to the rules on the liberalization of the electricity sector, we can change as and when we want. The second: those who have an energy distributor other than E-Distribuzione because they live in a locality served by a different company that has its own meter (this is the case, for example, in Rome with Areti of the Acea group, which has its own electronic meter made by another supplier) will in any case see its meter replaced with an equivalent device, or perhaps the same E-Distribuzione Open Meter (depends on the choices and any agreements between distribution companies). L'Energy Authority, which establishes the rules of the sector, provides that all citizens enjoy the same benefits and the same opportunities.

When it arrives

Open Meter is already coming and we are well under way. Of the 32 million domestic customers of E-Distribuzione (85% of all Italian families) more than 10 million have already had the second generation meter. On the E-Distribution website it is possible to view the updated installation plan, with the list of municipalities and territorial areas involved. The entire replacement operation must be completed, again according to the rules set by the Authority, by the end of 2026.

How much

For end customers, nothing. The replacement is completely free. "Every charge attributable to the distribution and measurement of electricity is already included - clarifies E-Distribuzione - in the item relating to the cost of transporting energy and managing the meter of your bill" and "the replacement does not require any modification to the electricity supply contract already in place or the stipulation of a new contract".

Who installs it and how

The date and time frame of the replacement, which normally lasts a few minutes and therefore involves a very short interruption of the supply, will be communicated at least five days in advance with billboards at the entrance of homes, businesses and shops. The customer will be able to agree on any modification of the appointment and will be able in any case verify the identity of the operator which will be presented by communicating a pin that we will be able to find or by calling the toll-free number 803500 or on the e-distribution portal or with an App to be installed on our mobile phone: a highly advisable operation, given the scams and deceptions dangerously widespread in the world of liberalized services. A detailed report on the replacement (with the consumption data recorded up to that moment by the old meter) can in any case be downloaded via the Internet with the procedure indicated by the manager, or requested again from the toll-free number 803500.

The first advantages

Like any good "computer", the new 2.0 meter has a display that constantly informs us about many things and not just the progress of our total consumption. It transmits the consumption curves to the operator on a daily basis, forcing him, among other things, to one punctual billing compared to real consumption. And it also shows us the instantaneous consumption (how much our electrical system is absorbing at that moment) and the average daily consumption divided by time slots, as well as a series of data that have directly to do with the safety and efficiency of our electrical system: for example, any current absorption when everything in the house is off which could indicate anomalies and dispersions. In short, it will help us keep not only the electrical system healthy but everything we plug into our sockets. Also because Open Meter is designed to allow us to connect it via a open communication protocol (called "Chain 2") to devices capable of creating direct communication between the meter and the voice command and control systems that are already forcefully entering our homes (such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home) and through the Internet directly with our PC , tablet or mobile phone wherever we are, making the measurement data available to us even remotely and who knows what other functions in the future. Which naturally also include the monitoring of the exchange of energy, not only that taken from the network but also that conferred, for example, by our solar panels on the basis of the exchange mechanisms that will be the architrave of the emerging 2.0 electrical system that will characterize the so-called Smart grids and Smart Cities.

Promises for the future

The E-Distribuzione brochure that accompanies the new counter illustrates well the main promises, now being tested by the times and the ways to implement them. “Thanks to an increased memory capacity, increasingly punctual energy withdrawal data will be available, which in turn will offer the possibility of better understanding consumption habits and interacting more and more with other market operators ”. It is E-Distribuzione's commitment to really favor the competition between operators but also collaboration for the benefit of the end customer. Also because, for example, "the daily acquisition of the load curves will make it possible to make market offers with dynamic energy prices". With benefits for all, given that the end customer will be able to pay less thanks to the advantages that the supplier will acquire by increasing the efficiency of its plants, also by favoring integration with the new energy production methods increasingly leaning towards integration between small and large plants, and between traditional plants and those using renewable energy which, as we know, pose many problems of programmability and continuity of production. Let's think about the possibility for the manager to offer us one prepaid rate for consumption for the second home. Or the advantage of being able to enjoy a super discounted rate to recharge our electric car at night, perhaps intermittently when the public network is more discharged, or during the day, making us available to temporarily offer our electric car as a buffer to temporarily give the electricity to the public grid in times of need. All this will be allowed – they explain to E-Distribuzione – precisely by the open and public communication protocol Chain 2, which will allow all market operators to provide a practically infinite series not only of services but also of devices ready to "talk" with OpenMeter.