ESB reveals first Irish towns to receive smart meters in late 2019

3 Jul 2019

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ESB is to begin its roll-out of smart electricity meters in September, with households in Cork and the midlands the first to receive them.

Smart electricity meters that monitor and reduce the amount of electricity a household uses will begin appearing in Irish homes before the end of the year, ESB has confirmed. In a statement today (3 July), it announced the locations that will see the first installations of the meters, starting in September.

The roll-out will be spread across two geographic areas in the midlands and Co Cork. A total of 20,000 meters will be installed in 2019 by ESB technicians and contractors centred around Portlaoise and Bandon.

The midlands towns include: Portlaoise, Portarlington, Mountmellick, Abbeyleix, Mountrath, Durrow, Stradbally, Castledermot, Athy, Kilcullen and Baltinglass.

Meanwhile, the Cork locations include: Bandon, Macroom, Clonakilty, Kinsale, Blarney, Carrigaline and their hinterlands.

ESB Networks then plans to replace 250,000 meters between autumn 2019 and the end of 2020, with a further 500,000 meters each year from 2021 to 2024. The energy provider said it will make direct contact with customers in these areas prior to installation.

Commenting on the announcement, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton, TD, said: “These new meters will enable homeowners to make smarter choices to meet their needs, while saving money on their electricity bills and reducing their impact on the environment. The saving in carbon emissions associated with the homes’ electricity use could also be very significant.”

Aoife MacEvilly from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities added: “The upgrade programme, commencing in September, is an important step on the journey to empower customers and support the migration to a low-carbon electricity system.

“Trials conducted in Irish homes have shown that smart meters helped customers use less electricity and cheaper electricity. Smart meters will also eliminate estimated bills, provide customers with better information on their energy usage and enable them [to] reduce their carbon footprint.”

In January, it was revealed that 250,000 smart meters would be deployed on behalf of ESB Networks by a consortium consisting of engineering giant Siemens and smart metering firm Kamstrup.

Colm Gorey was a senior journalist with Silicon Republic

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