Italian electricity company Enel has started installing smart meters in São Paulo as part of the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency’s (Aneel) R&D programme.

The plan is to install 300,000 smart meters, 150,000 of which will be in the districts of Pirituba and Perus during the first phase of the project.

The digital platform provided by the smart meters offers several benefits to customers, such as monitoring of interval energy consumption, accurate remote meter reading, customisable tariff structures and other functionalities that help improve the quality of service.

All the smart meters will be produced locally, contributing to the creation of a local supply chain and leveraging on Enel’s technology, as the company counts around 45 million smart meters operating on its networks globally.

Enel, through Enel Distribuição São Paulo, Brazil’s second largest electric energy distributor, has started the pilot project to install 300,000 smart meters in its concession area.

“The innovative smart electricity metering installed by Enel Distribuição São Paulo in Brazil is locally manufactured using proven technology by Enel and will significantly contribute to the technological modernisation of the local distribution network,” said Antonio Cammisecra, Enel’s head of global infrastructure and networks. “This ground-breaking digitalisation effort will empower customers, giving them active control of their energy consumption, as well as boosting network efficiency and resiliency, representing a fundamental step to address the challenges posed by the energy transition.”

In the first phase, 150,000 devices will be connected in residences as well as in small industry and business premises in the neighbourhoods of Pirituba and Perus, in the northwest region of the capital of São Paulo. The devices integrate a smart digital platform, developed by Enel, which will allow consumers to monitor and optimise their energy consumption in an easy and transparent way, besides allowing the distributor to perform some activities remotely and to offer new services.

The installation of the smart meters will be partly financed by Aneel’s R&D programme resources (121 million Brazilian reais) while the additional investments will be financed by Enel.

Enel expects to complete the first phase of the project by September 2021. The meter replacement will not be charged to customers, and will be supported by an information campaign. The change of meters, implemented by qualified personnel, will be compliant with all applicable Covid-19 local restrictions in place during the replacement period.

The smart meters implement built-in communication technology, allowing remote reading of consumption data. Users will have easier access to their energy consumption data, and no longer have to rely only on the electricity bill as is the case today with traditional meters, which are used widely across the country.

Once the smart metering system and the new function of the app are fully operational, users will be able to monitor their interval daily consumption through the Enel São Paulo mobile app, enabling a more efficient use of energy. In addition, the app will also include other functionalities such as the activation of consumption levels alerts, and notice of changes in tax rates. These features offer more choice in adjusting consumption habits and provide savings in the household budget. The app update, which includes these functions, will be available to those who are part of the project in 2021.

The smart metering also gives Enel the possibility of providing electricity bills without the need to charge by estimates, increasing customer engagement in the process, and opening opportunities to offer new energy services and products, such as customisable tariff structures.

With the consumption reading service and other activities carried out remotely, the company will also use data for faster detection of outages thus reducing the circulation of its vehicle fleet through the municipalities in its concession area, contributing to the reduction of traffic and air pollution.

The project is being carried out by Enel Distribuição São Paulo, in partnership with Aneel, helping to develop an industrial chain in Brazil. All the meters will be produced in São Paulo, in manufacturing plants in Sorocaba and Vargem Grande Paulista, generating employment and income in the country.

This is Enel’s first smart meter production in Latin America. The model to be produced in Brazil and installed in the city of São Paulo includes technology developed by Enel, which has been operating in the smart metering market for 20 years.

The operation implemented in Brazil will have its own design, signed by design agency Chelles & Hayashi, responsible, among other works, for the Olympic torch of the Rio 2016 Games. The smart meter, developed to meet local needs and respecting the characteristics of the electrical network and technical standards requirements, was approved by the National Institute of Metrology, Quality & Technology.

Enel has already installed around 45 million smart meters globally, in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Italy, Peru, Romania and Spain.

Enel Distribuição São Paulo is the second largest distributor in the country, accounting for 10.3% of all energy distributed in Brazil and serving 7.8 million consumer units in 24 municipalities in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, including the state’s capital city.