Smart Meters Gathering Momentum After All?

A new study from Parks Associates claims that smart meters and home energy management have reached a critical stage and are poised to continue growing. The research, titled “Residential Energy Management: Company, Alliance & Technology Profiles,” reports that 8 million smart meters have been installed in the U.S., or 6% of all U.S. meters. Given those numbers, the fact that utilities are announcing new deployments and pilot programs daily, and the support from the federal government, the home energy management market (which it calls REM for Residential Energy Management) is almost guaranteed to sustain significant growth.

   Quick Take:  Is the glass half empty or half full? Just last week we reported a study from ARC Advisory Group predicting slow growth for AMI throughout 2010. Although the standards gap is likely to have an impact on AMI growth, we think a recent Newton-Evans study showing utilities continuing to spend on Smart Grid components suggests the Parks Associate research is closer to the mark.

   TMCNet report on Parks Associates study

   Purchase page for the study

   SGN reports on ARC AMI report and Newton-Evans utility spending study