Landis+Gyr unveils advanced metering contract with PG&E

Landis+Gyr, the global leader in energy management offering utilities next generation "smart grid" solutions, announced a four-year contract to supply a major portion of the planned deployment of more than 5 million advanced electric meters to California utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).

Under the agreement, the San Francisco-based utility plans to deploy next generation Landis+Gyr FOCUS advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) meters to empower residential and small business customers in Northern and Central California to make smarter energy choices, better manage their use of electricity, cut their electricity bills, and help protect the environment.

"PG&E's decision to choose Landis+Gyr as one of its primary AMI suppliers is proof that we have the leading product," said Landis+Gyr CEO Cameron O'Reilly. "Utilities understand how crucial it is to pick the right meter, which can account for a significant portion of the total cost of a typical AMI rollout. Thanks to PG&E's efforts, Californians will now be able to manage energy better."

Landis+Gyr's electric meter contract is part of PG&E's SmartMeter program. Through its SmartMeter program, PG&E is rolling out advanced metering technology to its entire customer base, including over four million natural gas and five million electric customer accounts. This $1.7 billion deployment ranks as one of the largest ever undertaken in the U.S. Some of the services and products under the agreement are contingent on regulatory approval as part of PG&E's SmartMeter Program Upgrade.

PG&E recently began billing a portion of its customers on data collected through its SmartMeter automated metering infrastructure. This data has been consolidated and validated using the meter data management solution provided by Bloomington, MN-based Ecologic Analytics, which is part owned by Landis+Gyr.

Smart metering is expected to revolutionize energy management and grid reliability across the globe. Smart metering solutions provide a two-way flow of data between customer meters and utility back-end systems. With this two-way data flow, utilities will be able to offer customers a broad array of new pricing, demand response, and energy automation options that enhance the efficiency and reliability of the electric grid.

Customers will benefit from more information, expanded choices, and simpler, smarter management of their energy use. With smart metering, customers will be able to gain more value from their energy expenditures and reduce the environmental impact of their energy use.

"National demand for electricity is growing three times faster than power resources are being added," said Richard Mora, Landis+Gyr President & CEO, North America. "So energy conservation is critical. Through its broad deployment of smart metering technology, PG&E is empowering its customers to make smart energy choices and save money."

Landis+Gyr, whose operational headquarters is in Zug, Switzerland, recently opened an office in New York to underscore its commitment to the North American market, which accounts for more than a third of its global business.

Landis+Gyr offers the broadest portfolio of products and services in the electricity metering industry including integrated AMI solutions, communication systems and software, meters, meter data management, services and financing.

In recent weeks, Landis+Gyr has unveiled a number of major AMI deals with utilities across the globe, including the biggest yet announced in Texas — a four-year advanced metering contract with utility Oncor.

Under the agreement, Oncor will deploy a next generation Landis+Gyr AMI system to empower over seven million Texas consumers, through more than 3 million homes and small businesses, to independently manage their energy consumption.