Eskom to deploy Landis+Gyr smart meters

Johannesburg, South Africa September 20, 2011 -Eskom, a public electricity utility, awarded Landis+Gyr South Africa with the first smart metering project in its domestic market that will deploy 5,000 meters throughout 2011. With this project, the aim of Landis+Gyr’s South African management team is to maintain and strengthen the company’s position as one of the leading suppliers of smart solutions in Africa.

An important first step
The demand for smart metering solutions in South Africa is driven by legislation requiring the installation of smart meters for residential consumers with a monthly usage of 1,000 kWh or more by January 2012. Eskom and Landis+Gyr have successfully worked together on a variety of prior projects, so the company was Eskom’s partner of choice for the first phase of the smart metering rollout.

“This smart metering project is the first and most important step for Landis+Gyr in South Africa towards achieving its goal to be the leading provider of integrated smart metering solutions in Africa that help our customers manage energy better,” says Harold Hayes, Landis+Gyr South Africa’s Chief Technical Officer.

A unique solution
The smart metering solution supplied by Landis+Gyr consists of a data concentrator, a smart meter, an in-home display and a remote load switch set. The data concentrator (DC450), the smart meter (E450), and the in home display (P350) have been successfully deployed in numerous smart metering rollouts all over the world.

The L550 remote load switch, however, was specifically engineered by Landis+Gyr’s South African research and development team to meet the demand side management needs of South African metros and municipalities. Unlike in Europe where the electricity meter is usually installed in the basement of the customer’s house, in South Africa the meter is typically installed outside in a street side meter kiosk. This type of installation environment requires the use of a two-way solution with the technological intelligence the L550 offers.

Meeting high expectations
The challenge for Landis+Gyr’s South African engineers was to develop a switch that allowed for the remote control of household loads, to enable the utility and the customer the ability to harness the full benefit of a smart metering solution. With the L550, they found a solution that equals the high standard set by the other Landis+Gyr products. “We are extremely proud of this innovative and high quality development, and we are confident that it will help to position us as the leading supplier of smart solutions in Africa,” says Connel Ngcukana, Landis+Gyr’s CEO in South Africa.