6 - EVB Energy Solutions - electrical Smart Meter roll out in the municipality Nümbrecht.

The Nümbrecht (GWN) community is convinced Smart Metering works. They are so convinced that the municipal utility, coming from the Bergische Land in Germany, now will start a rollout of smart E-meters in the entire service area. Since 2008, the GWN is successfully stress testing EVB’s smart metering solutions in two pilot projects - basis for the present decision. The GWN is now implementing smart metering in three phases, by 2014 all households will be equipped with digital E-meters.

 In April 2008 the smart meter rollout started with the first starter-box set of EVB: "We were curious about this new technology. The starter-box contained 4 Echelon NES-meters and a data concentrator. We discussed intensively to understand how this smart meter technology would work, "remembered Marion Wallerus, managing director of GWN. In the summer of 2008 and 2009 we started two pilot projects using the EVB-Meterus communications solution. "Not only the smart meters, but the entire smart metering infrastructure has been tested to the limit," she said. It was a success: Both pilots operated without problems, in November 2010, EVB handed over to the municipal utilities the operation of the Meterus servers. Now the North Rhine-Westphalia power company has decided to launch a large-scale smart metering rollout. From early 2012 onwards Around 6,000 EVB NES electricity meters will be installed in Nümbrecht covering the whole distribution grid. In 2014 all households will be equipped with smart meter technology. PowerLine technology (PLC) is used for the transmission of the consumption data and control commands.