December 14, 2007—”Smart” metering—the remote management of utility meters by means of two-way communication with the utility—is on the cusp of some fairly significant growth, according to a new study from ABI Research.
Although world markets for electric, water and gas meters are increasing at a compound annual growth rate of only 2%, the smart metering subset—also called AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) or AMM (Advanced Meter Management)—is expected to show a much healthier 24% CAGR through 2013. By that year, 28% of electric meters are expected to be “smart,” according to the study.
In North America and Europe a handful of meter vendors command the lion’s share of the market. Many smaller firms, however, develop the communications technologies needed to enable smart metering. ABI Research noted a recent trend for the few large meter vendors to buy up these smaller supporting technology firms, aiming to offer their customers the utility companies end-to-end solutions.
ABI Research’s new study, Advanced Metering Infrastructure can be accessed online.
ABI Research is a leading market research firm focused on the impact of emerging technologies on global consumer and business markets. For more on the firm, see the Web site.
