Landis+Gyr EMEA Pathway Magazine Issue 3: Demand Side Management

issue 3: Demand Side Management

03

keeping the balance
from demand response to energy efficiency

P AGE 2 | | Ed i t o r i a l

from the editor

Dear readers,

The significant costs and the political challenges of
building new generation power plants can lead to
supply constraints: accordingly, many utilities are
taking a new look at Demand Side Management
(DSM) as a tool to manage consumption and demand
of smaller commercial and residential customers.
Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and other smart
grid technologies offer utilities the necessary real-time
visibility and intelligence to monitor and control millions
of devices over a wide network, allowing them to take
DSM to a new level. In Europe especially, the other
side of the coin seems to become more and more
important: Supply Response™, which incentivizes
customers to make use of clean and cheap energy
from renewable sources when it is available.

Demand Side Management in its many forms has the
potential to be part of the solution for a stable energy
supply in a smart and sustainable 21st century. In
this issue of «pathway», we want to move past the
industry jargon towards a clear and focused definition
of DSM. To accomplish this, we spoke to a well-known
independent consultant, Jessica Stromback, and
Fiona Hall, a member of the European Parliament in
Brussels who also serves on the Industry, Research and
Energy Committee (ITRE) and draw on the expertise of
the knowledgeable people within our company. With
the first issue of our customer magazine in 2013, we
would like to once again contribute to a constructive
and fruitful discussion about managing energy better.

Jon Stretch
Executive Vice President EMEA, Landis+Gyr

P AGE 3 | | Contents

contents

Strategy

keeping the balance 6

two sides of the coin 12

automation and customer empowerment 16

the fifth fuel 20

Reports

intuition and technology 14

“my energy” – personal energy
management on the web 18

throwing light on saving potential 22

Interviews

“a huge untapped potential” 10

“energy efficiency is a win-win” 24

Facts and Figures

energy today vs. energy tomorrow 4

world energy outlook 2012 26

P AGE 4 | | Fa c t s a n d F i g u r e s

energy today vs.
Floodlight +
ambient light CO2 emissions
Energy consumption for lighting Many visitors like using their cars to
a medium-sized soccer arena, travel to and from a football stadium. For
such as the Letzigrund stadium example, Germany’s Schalke Arena in
in Zurich with a capacity for Gelsenkirchen with 53,951 seats offers
26,000 spectators, is 5,800 kWh space for 14,000 parking vehicles. And
per match. they are used for any function in the
arena. In 2012, an average mid-range
vehicle emitted 150g CO2 per kilometer.
Surveillance
systems
Security is important and should Under-soil heating
be ensured at any soccer match. Sub-soil heating warrants optimal
CCTV and other protection match conditions. Manufacturers of
systems installed in soccer such heating systems put the energy
stadiums consume 3,500 kWh consumption of under-soil heating at
per match. 2,350 MWh per annum – that is 40%
of a stadium‘s entire heating costs.

energy tomorrow
Saving potential
for lighting Reducing CO2 emissions
More and more soccer stadiums are
So as to reduce these emissions, organisers
improving their lighting management.
cooperate with railroads and local transit
Changing to energy-efficient LED
companies. The aim is to get visitors to switch to
lighting and using motion detectors
more eco-friendly means of transportation.
helps save energy. In the meantime,
diverse stadium operators are
testing to which extent energy can
potentially be saved.

District heating
In order to reduce their heating-
system energy consumption,
many soccer stadiums are directly
Smart metering
connected to local teleheating grids. Smart meters assist in monitoring energy
Providing warmth in this way creates consumption. England’s Manchester United
less emissions than an oil-fired soccer club has installed some 24 smart
heating system. meters in its stadium to keep an eye on energy
consumption. The club belongs to the 20 most
energy-efficient enterprises in the UK.

Energy today vs. energy tomorrow
Kicking off to greater energy efficiency is not only the name of the game for private households and industrial
enterprises. In the future, organizers will be focusing more and more on the environment at major sports
events, such as soccer world championships. This will include saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions.
Soccer associations and stadium operators are increasingly striving to introduce and implement energy
and environmentally friendly concepts. Manchester United is exemplary in that they rely on the ecological
operation of their stadium. Another is the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich which focuses on sustainable
energy supply. The entire stadium is fuelled by solar electricity, part of which is generated by a 1,700 m²
photovoltaic installation on the stadium’s roof.

P AGE 6 | | S t r at e g y

demand side management

the
keeping
balance
The idea of Demand Side Management (DSM) has experienced a
stunning renaissance in recent times. Traditionally focusing on the
reduction of peak demand, it has become the master key to consistent
energy and network management, featuring energy efficiency, Load
Management and Demand Response as well as Supply Response™ –
a new concept introduced by Landis+Gyr (see page 12).

DSM can, in broad terms, be described as the instead,” says Jessica Stromback, Senior Director and
implementation of policies and measures aimed at Chairman at VasaaETT and a founding member of the
controlling and steering electricity demand. It is a process Smart Energy Demand Coalition (SEDC) (see interview on
rather than a tool and aims to manage consumption, i.e. demand page 10). The programs that are now being discussed aim to
of energy, in response to supply conditions. combine customer engagement, technological innovation, codes and
standards for appliances, buildings and machines as well as innovative
The first generation of DSM programs started in the U.S. as a reaction energy pricing with sophisticated financial incentives. These initiatives
to the oil-price shocks of the late 70s. They proved to be complicated on the demand side have been regarded as a major solution in the fight
and impractical. Reportedly the term DSM was created in 1983 during against climate change. Energy consumption and peak demand are
an emergency meeting of senior energy industry managers. It was reduced, installed capacity and distribution network extension can be
designed to encompass a variety of customer-side activities, including avoided or at least postponed and greenhouse gas emissions reduced.
energy efficiency and Load Management.
The SEDC takes a comprehensive view of the topic and aims to promote
Demand Side Management 2.0 demand side programs such as peak clipping and shifting, energy
“DSM is generally used as an umbrella term for anything using demand side usage feedback and information, smart home, in-home and in-building
resources; though today we rather use the term ‘Demand Side Programs’ automation as well as electric-vehicle charging management. On the

P AGE 8 | | S t r at e g y

whole, it takes an interest in all “programs related to when it comes to the potential benefits of Demand
making demand a smart, interactive part of the energy Response,” says Aitor Galdos, Senior Vice President
value.” The SEDC believes “Smart Demand” to be the Strategy and Portfolio Management at Landis+Gyr.
key unifying tool within the smart grid. “For example in North America, air conditioning and
pool pumps are very common and the focus of many
A major paradigm shift? American DR programs is on those appliances. The
Many experts regard Demand Response (DR) as one potential in Europe depends on the markets – for
of the most powerful applications in the overall DSM example in France, where heating is mostly powered
toolkit. DR is the term commonly used for programs by electricity, there is more room for successful DR
designed to encourage end-users to make short-term programs than in some other countries,” Galdos
reductions in energy demand in response to a price explains.
signal from the electricity hourly market or a trigger
initiated by the electricity grid operator. Energy Efficiency and Load Management
Increasing energy efficiency is another important
A “smart consumer” The authors of a recent study for Capgemini strongly aspect of Demand Side Management and it covers
believe in the potential of DR. They consider that this the efforts to use energy more efficiently at most
is essential to the management tool, if applied correctly, could be an stages of the energy chain – from the transformation
success of energy efficient and effective method for reducing overall of energy and its distribution to its final consumption.
energy use and cutting peak load “thus positively Energy efficiency is commonly perceived as a widely
transformation. impacting the EU commission objectives to increase untapped resource, not only for industrial customers
sustainability”. According to them, in a best case but also for utilities which benefit in the form of a
scenario: “Long term Demand Response can be at quick, clean and effective option beyond generation
the core of a major strategic paradigm shift for the itself (see interview on page 24).
electricity sectors’ business model, aiding utilities to
change their business model from a volume centered Intelligent Load Management is also a tool in the
model to a more tailored, customer centered approach DSM toolbox that holds quite a lot of promise: it gives
with increasing focus on value-added services provided utilities the possibility to actively shed loads when
to specific customer segments.” necessary. Advanced smart switching technology also
enables utilities to execute load control programs that
However, the potential of Demand Response varies. quickly and reliably allow command and control of load
“It’s important to differentiate between the regions shedding across a range of consumer appliances.

The momentum towards truly smart grids in Europe and ease of use: residential customers should not have
is growing with every smart metering rollout and the to spend a lot of time tracking their energy supply on
introduction of more sophisticated Load Management a daily basis – it needs to be automated, but it is the
technology is a logical next step. “Whereas the customer who should be in charge of this automation.
potential of Demand Response in Europe may be
limited compared to North America, I do believe in Spreading the message
the smart meter based Load Management solutions There are still some hurdles that need to be overcome,
will find broad application in the region,” says Aitor particularly, when it comes to the quality of relationships
Galdos (For more about Load Management, see the between energy providers and their residential
article on page 16). customers. “In today’s environment, most energy
providers lag behind other home service providers in
Empowering smart customers creating a “trusted relationship” to support emerging
For modern DSM programs to succeed, it is important consumer energy needs and preferences,” is how
to create offerings which, on the one hand, make it easy Accenture consultant Greg Guthridge puts it in a report
for the customer to become engaged and participate from 2012. According to the Accenture report, many
while on the other hand leaving him in control of his utilities typically still provide a “one-way, low-value
household. A “smart consumer” is essential to the customer experience” with 70% of the interactions
success of energy transformation; most experts agree currently being seen as “neutral or negative”.
about the importance of consumer engagement as well
as the need to address security concerns with the new Obviously, what is needed is an improved approach
smart technologies. The ESMIG “Empower Demand” to marketing and messaging. Exploring the benefits
report – a large study comparing smart metering pilot of the smart meter – the key appliance at the center of
projects across Europe – has shown that providing the smart home – will require a careful balance to build
consumption information is an essential first step and trust and prepare the ground for further conversations
encourages changes in consumer behavior. It shows about new services. Nevertheless, the potential for
that customers need to have immediate, simple access implementing DSM policies in the EMEA region and
to their consumption information. in Europe especially is real and largely untapped. In
the U.S., the country where DSM was “invented”, the
Creating awareness by providing information is crucial Institute of Electric Efficiency estimates that utility-
for gaining customer approval and engagement. run DSM programs saved 112 million kWh nationally,
Awareness should go hand in hand with automation sufficient to light 10 million homes in 2010.

P AGE 1 0 | | interview

“a huge untapped
potential”
Jessica Stromback
«pathway» spoke to Jessica Stromback, Chairman at VaasaETT.
VaasaETT is a Global Energy Think-Tank based in Finland, one of
the world’s top centers of expertise in Utility Customer Psychology,
Customer Behaviour and Demand Response in energy markets.
Jessica Stromback is a recognized expert in smart metering and
Demand Response as well as in market structure and requirements
for the demand side program development. As a founder and
Executive Director of the Smart Energy Demand Coalition (SEDC),
she works actively with European policy makers to enable demand
side participation throughout European energy markets.

pathway: The US leads the way when it comes to solar. Demand Response, one of the key applications
implementing Demand Side Management (DSM) under Demand Side Programs will probably only be
programs. What is the situation in Europe? significant in a few countries within Europe by 2020.
And even after the large scale rollouts of smart metering
Stromback: On the whole, Europe has quite a bit of technology that empowers Demand Side Programs,
catching up to do. Nevertheless, the picture across I don’t think that we will see a uniform picture within
Europe is quite diverse and it would be inaccurate any given country. You simply can’t get the whole
to say that leading economies like Germany, Italy, population engaged.
France or the UK are the most advanced when it
comes to DSM – or actually we nowadays rather talk pathway: What needs to be done to achieve significant
about “Demand Side Programs” instead. There are levels of customer engagement?
interesting pilots and projects under way in places
like Slovenia and Portugal, for example. Or, if we are Stromback: First of all, it’s important to provide easy
just talking about smart use of energy from renewable and quick access to energy consumption information.
sources in everyday life, the Greeks are actually doing The information that customers require to make
quite well: there are hardly any conventional water timely and educated decisions should reach them
heaters in Greece anymore, many people are using in appealing, aesthetic and highly motivating ways.

It’s unrealistic to expect customers to put in lots of twenty or thirty years? People use a lot more appliances
effort to find out if they are behaving in an energy- now, many gadgets have found their way into the
efficient manner. homes, and how does this impact on DSM policies?

Residential customers shouldn’t be presented just Stromback: The interesting thing is that if one “It’s important to
with kWh values either, it’s better to provide them compares the total consumption figures in the 1980s
with meaningful measures about savings and the and now, they are surprisingly similar. Yes, people have provide easy and
environmental impact of their behavior. Customers more electronic equipment in their homes now, but this quick access to
need help to realize that simple actions will bring equipment on the whole is a lot more energy efficient
clear rewards for their environment, society and their than it was in the past. What has risen significantly energy consumption
pockets. Likewise, customers shouldn’t have to sit across the board are peak consumption levels. This information.”
around at home to wait until they get a signal to switch directly impacts the discussion about Demand Side
Jessica Stromback
on their washing machine; we need standardized, off- Programs because there are only three types of power
the-shelf automation technology that is self-learning, plants that can be used for providing peak capacity:
intuitive and affordable. At the same time, customers coal, gas and hydro. This is a huge problem for utilities
need to have the possibility to opt out of the automation, because we are talking about 500 million dollar power
the final decision-making power has to stay with them. plants that are only active about 150 hours a year
or even less. There is no way that energy providers
pathway: So, consumer engagement initiatives should can recuperate their investments in such a plant.
go beyond a mere provision of data? Therefore, we need to become a lot smarter about
this. It’s imperative that consumers get direct access
Stromback: Overall, it’s crucial to create the right to the market and the European Commission has been
psychological environment. The more an offering is working hard on making this a reality.
perceived to meet psychological need drivers, the
more likely customers are to go for it. There are a The other step which needs to be taken is recognizing
number of relevant need categories; we distinguish the value of flexibility. You must begin to allocate the
between lifestyle, fairness, predictability and social real value for being there at the crucial moments, such
conformity. To give a more concrete example: under as peak consumption times when no energy from
predictability we would find the need to feel empowered renewables are available, for example. As of now,
as a customer, to have the ability to simply reduce costs there is no mechanism in the market that rewards this
as and when it’s necessary or desired, to keep within kind of flexibility. The regular rates which are being
a budget and to mitigate endless uncontrollable price paid for electricity don’t reflect the price of providing
rises. The customer is provided with the information peak generation capacity.
and the tools to manage the cost environment. Here
the marketing message has to be something along the pathway: DSM is part of a larger drive towards energy
lines of: your costs are in your own hands. efficiency, towards reducing consumption and getting
more out of less wherever possible. Doesn’t that run
pathway: In many discussions about implementing contrary to the interest of the energy industry which in
DSM – or DSP measures, as you say – the focus is on the end profits from selling more?
residential customers. In most European countries,
however, the largest consumers of electricity are Stromback: That’s an oversimplification. It very much
industrial, like for example aluminium producers. They depends which player in the market we are looking at. A
have had some form of DSM and flexible tariffs for a retailer, for example, benefits from efficient energy use
long time though. So at the end of the day, is DSM in during peak times. When the wholesale price of energy
Europe old news? goes up but the retailer has agreed to sell electricity
at a certain, lower price, it’s of course in his interest
Stromback: No, absolutely not. The very largest to encourage his customers to be energy efficient in
industrial consumers already have some kind of their behavior. Also, in mature, fully developed markets,
contract which they negotiate directly with their DSO. energy efficiency is a strong competitive factor and
This is not the case for small and medium-sized marketing argument which can increase a consumer’s
businesses, however. For them, so far there have loyalty. The cost of winning a customer is about 80
been no offerings whatsoever, so we are looking at a euro, while profits are about seven to ten euros per
huge untapped potential there. household per year. Nevertheless, the energy industry
is certainly going through a time of enormous change
pathway: What have the main developments in and it will need to adapt or face the danger of being
electricity consumption patterns been over the last left behind.

P AGE 1 2 | | S t r at e g y

Demand Response is often seen as key application for the smart grid,
adjusting consumption to the currently available energy. With the Supply
ResponseTM concept, Landis+Gyr introduces a new perspective into the
discussion with a focus on the supply side of the grid.

The Demand Side Perspective

As par t of Demand Side Utilities will probably have to face either manually or by selecting a possible for a more comprehensive
Management, Demand Response an element of public opposition to program for automatic connection approach to Demand Response,
(DR) looks at the customer side of the price unpredictability and seasonal and disconnection of separate water inclusive of informed shedding
poise. It incentivizes energy users to bill variations. The challenge for and space-heating circuits. It has operated by commercial and
reduce consumption. “Overall, the players in the energy industry will been estimated that for the average household consumers.
objective of Demand Response is be to achieve sufficient volatility and 1 kW French house, the Tempo tariff
load shifting, that is shifting peak tariff contrast to control demand brought a significant reduction in The 2010 study “Demand Response:
demand to other hours or reducing while obtaining customer support consumption especially on ‘‘red’’ a decisive breakthrough for Europe”,
it,” says Aitor Galdos, Senior Vice and retaining revenue streams. days resulting in average savings of co-authored by the consultancies
President Strategy and Portfolio 10% on their electricity bill. C a p g e m i n i , Va a s a E T T a n d
Management at Landis+Gyr. Utilities There are some hopeful pilots Enerdata, has developed a number
put Demand Response Programs h oweve r, th a t m a ke u s e of For a longer period Demand of scenarios for the implementation
into place because it’s less costly dynamic pricing dependent on Response has been regarded as a of Demand Response in the EU.
and easier to curtail demand, weather conditions. One of them is market instrument that is effective For the most optimistic of those
especially at peak times, rather Electricité de France’s (EDF) Tempo in reducing the costs of load peaks scenarios, the “dynamic scenario”,
than adding generation capacity. tariff: Around 350,000 residential for the system. However, it was not the authors conclude that: “To invest
In effect, customers stabilize the grid customers and more than 100,000 seen as a key solution for addressing in Demand Response to curb peak
by agreeing to lower their demand small business customers use the the environmental objectives and load requirements and overall load
for electricity if needed. Tempo tariff. Days are distinguished climate change targets agreed consumption would present a more
according to price using a color among EU member states. The proactive and constructive solution.
There is no question that the system of “white” and “red” days, market designs and policies in In this scenario, our calculations
best possible implementation of combined with an indication of place in several countries have show that Demand Response alone
Demand Response requires a new whether the hour is currently one not promoted innovations or achieves 25-50% of the EU’s 2020
retail pricing mind-set. To reach of eight off-peak hours or not. opportunities for Demand Response targets concerning energy savings
its full potential, prices need to in electricity markets. The initiatives and CO2 emission reductions, as
reflect a fluctuation in resources Customers are notified of the current in place have thus far focused on well as pre-empting the need for
and encourage overall efficiency conditions via SMS or email alert. large industrial users and fail to the equivalent of 150 medium-sized
improvements by customers. They can adjust their consumption harness the beneﬁts that would be thermal plants in EU-15.”

sides
of the
The Supply Side Perspective
coin
A i to r G a l d o s i s o n e of th e continues. He admits that energy of Smart Energy Boxes that allow
proponents of an alternative storage is a tricky problem and a direct control of water heaters
concept for balancing the supply work in progress. At the same time, and the scheduling of electric
and demand of energy, a concept there are a number of promising appliances. “Automation and ease
he calls “Supply Response”. In avenues that are already in use of use for the customer is key – he
effect, he is shifting the perspective and others that are being explored. needs to be given the choice to use,
from one end of the grid to the Pumping water into reservoirs or generate, store or consume. Those
other. Looking at the reality on the heating it when there is abundant functions have to be automated,
ground when it comes to Demand energy from wind and solar are and they must work without the
Response programs, Galdos points examples for methods of energy need for a customer to pay much
out that they are only of interest to storage that are already in use. attention to them. It’s like your
customers with high energy bills. “Then there is steam or compressed blood circulation or your digestive
“Just saving a few dollars is not air to power turbines and of course system – complex, interdependent
attractive for customers that have we are exploring a variety of battery systems that just work in the
low energy costs, anyway,” he technologies,” says Galdos. An background,” Galdos concludes.
says. “Furthermore, the customers important part of his argument is “In a nutshell, Supply Response
who do take part could possibly that the need for storage decreases means to encourage supply when
experience a reduction of comfort,” the more intelligent the smart grid energy from intermittent renewable
says Galdos. becomes – a topic which is at the sources is available rather than only
very core of Landis+Gyr’s agenda. curtailing peak demand.”
“We have a steady rise in the
availability of comparatively cheap Galdos agrees with Demand
energy from renewable sources, like Response proponents that more
wind for example. Supply Response advanced functionalities will
is about encouraging customers to unleash the full potential of Demand
use this energy when it’s available Response as well as Supply
or to store it if it’s generated at Response. Landis+Gyr and Toshiba
an inconvenient time,” Galdos are working on the development

P AGE 1 4 | | Report

personal energy management in great britain

intuition +
technology
Landis+Gyr supplies a number of British consumers with an
energy visualization solution: the ecoMeter, an advanced In
Home Display. This small and portable energy display provides
detailed information about energy use in pounds and pence,
and in real time. The ecoMeter has played a part in many smart
metering projects in the UK and is an integral component of the
smart metering rollout of British Gas.

In Home Displays, like the ecoMeter,
function as an interface between
domestic consumer and utility.

“We want people to understand their energy usage and well as motivating consumers to realize substantial
make informed choices about when to use it and how energy savings is the keystone of any DSM strategy.
to save it. The new smart meters and energy displays According to the study, In Home Display applications
are the foundations for doing this. That’s why we’re resulted in the highest energy savings, averaging
rolling out these user-friendly, sleek display units to 8.7% and becoming one of the most effective tools
British Gas homes,” says Dean Keeling, Managing of Demand Side Management.
Director of British Gas Smart Homes.
“For maximum enablement, it is important that the
With the Landis+Gyr device, customers are able to smart meter is capable of communicating a rich data
follow gas and electricity use by the hour, day, week set to the consumer locally in an open and standardized
and year. They can also set their own energy targets. way. Only then can the utility be confident that they
A simple traffic-light system acts as a warning when are really enabling consumer benefits in a sustainable
large amounts of electricity are being used – giving way and in such a way that their investment to the
customers the chance to change their consumption meter point is sound,” says Joe Andrews.
behavior and stay in control of their bills.
a successful first mover
empowering the consumer Between 2014 and 2019, the UK is planning to install With the Landis+Gyr
“Empowering customers – this is the core of the over 47 million smart meters and supply 27 million In
message that British Gas wants to get out there,” says Home Displays to domestic consumers. “British Gas device, customers
Joe Andrews, Product Manager for Landis+Gyr UK. has been following a first-mover strategy and we are are able to follow gas
“The feedback we’ve had so far has been extremely their partner of choice,” says Joe Andrews. Pioneering,
positive.” being “first-to-market” has a strong appeal in the and electricity use by
business community and beyond, and this position the hour, day, week
“Empower Demand”, an international pilot study, provides clear benefits also for British Gas: it has the
conducted by the Global Energy Think-Tank VaasaETT advantage of being a frontrunner and can gain all the
and year.
for the European Smart Metering Industry Group experience necessary to provide customers with the
(ESMIG), reviewed 100 smart metering pilot projects best possible service early on. British Gas has installed
globally, involving over 450,000 residential energy over 500,000 meters in homes and businesses already,
customers, to determine which factors were most more than any other supplier.
effective in creating energy saving. Various tools
and technologies were examined: In Home Displays, “Our very successful cooperation with British Gas
websites and informative billing, as well as pricing started several years ago,” says Joe Andrews. “Overall,
schemes including time of use, critical peak pricing I think our customer British Gas got the best of both
and critical peak rebates. The results show that worlds: with the In Home Display, we deliver a tailor-
residential feedback on energy consumption is crucial made solution built on the platform of robust, tested
for awareness and behavioral change. Enabling, as off-the-shelf product.”


load management

automation and customer
empowerment
Load Management is no longer synonymous with ripple control:
automated load management and load control at individual
household level are just two of the benefits utilities and customers
will be able to reap from the migration to the smart world.

You fill your dishwasher and know that Home Energy Head of Product Management, Business Line Load
Management will receive information via the smart Management at Landis+Gyr EMEA. He adds, “In my
meter to switch on the dishwasher when energy is opinion, there is a good chance that it will happen
offered at the best price within a pre-defined timeframe. by combining attractive pricing with an increased
That same afternoon your parents drop in on an awareness of the environmental benefits of such
unannounced visit, you offer to cook them dinner and an integrated approach. We just need to make sure
need clean china urgently. You touch an icon on your that the customer keeps overall control on what is
In Home Display or your smart-phone and switch on going on.” The Landis+Gyr experts insists that the
the dishwasher, overwriting the automated setting overwrite capability needs to be a central part of the
you have with your energy provider. customer offering.

Your dishwasher is new and already came equipped Load control of this form has been possible for a
with the appropriate hard and software for automated while. Aepli recalls switching on his mother’s washing
load control, while your washing machine had to machine remotely many years ago, but it becomes a
be retrofitted with an appropriate module. You pay lot more feasible and attractive in the context of smart
the “standard” rate for exactly the time that your grids and broader Smart Communities. The momentum
dishwasher needs to run on that particular afternoon. towards truly smart grids in Europe is growing with
every smart metering rollout, and the introduction of
Overwriting powers more sophisticated Load Management technology
This is what the future of a comprehensive energy would be a logical next step.
management system to maximize use efficiency could
look like. Such forms of automated Load Management Landis+Gyr’s smart meters already include relays the
in combination with dynamic pricing are certainly utility can use to control the loads in a residence, which
realistic and entirely feasible with technology available can be done by customer service agents or automatically
today. While the focus is currently on increasing based on a set schedule. This functionality is used in
awareness and incentivizing changes in consumption many of the smart metering solutions Landis+Gyr has
behavior, moving to partial automation promises even delivered; water heaters or outdoor lighting can be
more significant increases in efficiency. switched on and off automatically, normally according
to pre-defined tariff settings. However, the number
“The jury is still out on customer acceptance of of relays in a standard smart meter is limited; only a
advanced Load Management,” says Daniel Aepli, few loads can be controlled remotely and additional

switches might need to be installed for more advanced The migration path towards dynamic, next-generation
Load Management. load control is, however, not quick and easy. It is a
price sensitive topic, and ripple control is a reliable,
Moving along the migration path cost-efficient technology with a proven track record.
Intelligent Load Management is set to play an “Customers ask us about their ROI as they, of course,
increasingly important role on the road towards want to know what they will get out of this technological
boosting energy efficiency and optimizing energy progress and how long it’s going to take,” Aepli
management. “From the Landis+Gyr point of view, acknowledges. Landis+Gyr’s Gridstream™
we call it a migration path,” says Aepli. “For the last solution offers a migration path from
decade, ripple control has been the main focus of the today’s ripple based Load
load management activities at Landis+Gyr. Now, we are Management to unicast
gradually moving towards bidirectional communication Load Management: a
as the new standard,” he explains. legacy ripple control
syste m c a n be u se d
Utilities have been using some form of ripple control side-by-side with the AMI
based load control technology to unilaterally shed control system, and the
customer loads and to provide critical peak-load functionality can gradually
reduction for many years. Landis+Gyr retains a keen be built up and phased over.
interest in ripple control technology and is one of the
key suppliers on a global level.

Upgrading communications and feedback
Despite its merits, one of the key problems with ripple
technology is that communication is only unidirectional.
Furthermore, ripple control communication is based
on broadcasting a signal. Though grouping is
also possible with today’s ripple receivers, Load
Management in a ripple control environment affects
less diversified customer groups. The ability to fine
tune Load Management at individual consumer level
is a crucial tool to keep the costs down for utilities
and DSOs.

In the smart world, utilities can broadcast specifically
to a pre-selected number of recipients and can perform
what is called “unicast” Load Management. This
smart load-balancing and management will happen
automatically, according to pre-defined business rules.
In a typical peak-load situation in which the operator
needs an additional five megawatts, he can, instead
of shutting down a whole area, broadcast information
to a clearly specified number of consumers that the
operator will, for instance, temporarily shut down
their heat pumps. Instead of inconveniencing a large
number of customers, the problem can be solved with
precision, affecting only customers who have agreed
to this kind of dynamic Load Management in their
contracts. The system will become a lot more dynamic
with granular-level, two-way communication in place.


new online tool for e.on customers in finland
“my energy” – turning
data into awareness
E.ON Kainuun Sähköverkko Oy was the first company in Finland to
introduce a web portal for end consumers to view their metering data
and to enable personal energy management. Meeting an excellent
response, the innovative tool increases customers´ satisfaction and
energy efficiency while decreasing the operational costs of the utility.

E.ON Kainuu web-tool

Finland is the third largest of the Nordic countries with an average annual electric-power consumption of 7,400 kWh per household.

Transparency is one of the main characteristics information about their current and proceeding
associated with the Finnish energy sector. E.ON Kainuu energy consumption profiles. It allows near real-time
is a pioneer in customer-oriented utilization of hourly monitoring and as a highlight offers “benchmarking” as
energy metering data from its 60,000 customers in one of the most popular features, where a comparison
one of the largest distribution areas in the country. of the individual’s consumption profile is made with
“The initial impetus came from our customers,” states those of peers. This “benchmarking” concretizes the
Jari Rusanen, Metering Manager at E.ON. As smart personal consumption level and heightens awareness
metering had been deployed and invoicing was based about one’s own consumption habits. “My Energy”
on actual consumption, the interest rose and the utility offers tools which assist customers in taking energy
received increasing requests for consumption reports saving actions: the “speculator” functionality, for
on a regular basis. “It’s all about the customer. We instance, enables new-device simulation effects or
have developed new functionalities for a web-tool that changes in consumption behavior. The web-tool also
has been available for E.ON Kainuu customers under works as an efficient feedback channel in terms of
E.ON’s “My Energy” brand for a couple of years,” reducing energy consumption. Customers can view
enlightens Jari Rusanen. their consumption history over the last five years and
see the effects of changed behavior. As elaborate
“My Energy” has become an essential part of as it is, “My Energy” has additional potentials that
E.ON’s customer service, providing customers with E.ON wants to exploit so as to strengthen its market
position. “Speaking of transparency, we can hardly
leave out the electricity price,” says Rusanen. In the
near future, E.ON’s “My Energy” will also show the
E.ON and Landis+Gyr: hourly electricity market price. Other complementary
services such as a smartphone mobile-consumption
More than 20 Years monitor will round off the range of services.

of Collaboration The positive effects of “My Energy” on customer loyalty
and E.ON’s competitive position in the Finnish market
E.ON and Landis+Gyr jointly pioneered smart are accompanied by a clear reduction of operational
metering in Finland. Starting with monitoring and costs in customer services. The web portal as a self-
remote reading of ICG meters in the 80s, E.ON explanatory, intuitive customer interface has led to
selected Landis+Gyr as a preferred supplier and a considerable reduction of contact with customer
partner in its smart-metering projects. In addition service and in many cases supersedes the hotline.
to 60,000 smart meters, Landis+Gyr has provided With the help of the portal, “the consumption data is
the utility with a comprehensive smart-metering easily accessible and in a clear format,” Rusanen
solution including communications, software observes. The increased level of information also
and system integrations. The software in use for heightens the awareness of individual consumption
online reporting is provided in cooperation with habits − a key factor in helping consumers change
Landis+Gyr’s partner Ecore Oy. their consumption behavior and take responsibility for
energy efficiency.


energy efficiency as a resource

the fifth fuel
The cleanest, cheapest and most reliable energy is the energy you
do not need to use. For the same quality of service – for example
with lighting, heating or cooling – energy efficiency reduces
the input energy required. Energy efficiency is a very popular
topic amongst energy users, politicians and regulators since it
probably is the most cost-effective way to tackle energy-related
environmental, economic and social challenges. By increasing
energy efficiency, governments and regulatory bodies across the
globe hope to simultaneously tackle climate change,
ensure security of supply and provide affordable
access to energy.

Energy efficiency can take many forms: efficient Change Process
appliances, transportation and use of energy in industrial Nevertheless, it is true that increased energy efficiency,
production are obviously an important part of the while being beneficial for society in general, at first
equation. Another very important factor is energy-efficient glance seems unprofitable for energy providers. It is a
buildings; according the World Business Council for situation where this much overused expression, “the
Sustainable Development (WBCSD), buildings account paradigm shift”, is actually appropriate (see interview with
for 40 percent of the world’s energy use. The resulting Fiona Hall on page 24). Without an adequate business
carbon emissions are substantially more than those and policy response to the paradigm shift implied by
of the transportation sector. Local micro-generation, energy efficiency, utilities might suffer from the decline
producing electricity where it is needed rather than in energy consumption in certain areas. Provided the
centralized generation and transmission will probably appropriate market and regulatory incentives are in
also make an important contribution to energy efficiency, place, however, electric and gas utilities can become
since the centralized methods result in only 25% to 30% more than just commodity providers and make energy
of the original fuel energy reaching the point of use. efficiency a profit center.

An important aspect of energy efficiency is securing Many utilities are in the process of changing their business
global energy supply: in its report “World Energy Outlook towards a model of selling less energy but more energy
2012”, the International Energy Agency estimated the services. It is in the utilities’ best interest to do more than
required energy capacity additions by 2035 to be just generate and transfer units of energy at declining
more than the currently installed capacity. One third growth rates: they can benefit from offering energy
of investments will flow towards replace retiring plants services to their residential and industrial customers.
with the rest earmarked for meeting increasing demand.
Utilities will be confronted with a huge challenge of
managing infrastructure and securing the supply,
while energy efficiency measures have the potential
to become an important tool to meet the challenge. Case Study:
Rising demand for power Paradigm shift in the UK
On the upside, energy efficiency will create jobs that,
most of the time, cannot be outsourced to emerging A number of British companies are starting improvements, with customers repaying
countries. For example, it is estimated that efficiency to offer energy-service packages that over 20 to 25 years, starting when the
measures could create up to 3.5 million jobs in the include home energy audits, insulation efficiency savings begin to be realized.
building sector in the EU and U.S. alone. Smart grid and the installation of condensing boilers, Utilities can also acquire new customers
investments are expected to deliver up to 280,000 heat pumps, solar panels and smart by adding value, via energy services,
direct jobs as a result of technology deployment. meters. Energy efficiency services are an to the supply of commodities such as
opportunity for cross-selling; British Gas electricity or gas. Centrica estimates its
Intelligent micro-generation, secure jobs, smart, parent company Centrica, for example, customer fluctuation rate to be 22% lower
energy-efficient fridges and ovens, well insulated, sees this resulting from energy efficiency among customer groups who have dual-
modern buildings; it is hard to see how anybody efforts. In response to questions posed as fuel accounts and energy services, as
could be opposed to it. What about the utility industry, part of the Carbon Disclosure project, the customer loyalty is higher in those cases.
however? At first glance, it has a very good reason company stated that: “recent corporate
to oppose the idea of encouraging their customers strategy work highlighted that low-carbon The UK illustrates that in liberalized
to buy less electricity. After all, nobody expects the energy services, and in particular low- energy-supply residential markets,
butcher to promote a vegetarian lifestyle. carbon and renewable micro-generation, energy-efficiency services provide
have the potential to create a material revenue-offsetting and cross-selling
While this argument makes superficial sense, it is profit pool that can offset the reductions opportunities for utilities. Such services
far from certain that increased energy efficiency will associated with reduced consumption.” can also serve as a means of attracting
actually translate into decreasing revenue for energy new customers and securing their loyalty.
providers. First of all, gains in some domains could Many end users need innovative solutions Increasing the proportion of customers
be offset by new sources of energy demand in others. to help them address the need for who buy both energy supply and energy
While individual appliances are becoming more capital expenditure; it is expected that services tends to increase profit and
efficient, their multiplication could more an investment of £6,500 per household value per customer. Energy services for
than compensate the individual savings. could improve the energy efficiency of residential customers generate higher
Overall, the demand for electricity most British homes. Utilities could help growth rates and higher margins than
will probably rise as it has been customers to finance those efficiency mere energy supply.
doing for decades.


modernizing the public
lighting infrastructure

throwing light on
saving potential
Saving potential abounds in street lighting: the EU could save
4.3 billion euro in running costs through energy-efficient lighting
every year. Street lighting is responsible for a big part of the peak
demand in the evening when fossil generation is most heavily
relied upon. Industry vendors such as Toshiba and Landis+Gyr
are ready to step up and offer intelligent answers to provide
energy-efficient street lighting.

“Just by exchanging conventional lighting for LEDs concentrator. The concentrator manages and transmits
you can make significant efficiency gains. The best relevant data through communication technologies to
results are achieved through a combination of LEDs the utility’s smart-metering system. What makes the
and smart technology,” says Jens Hauggaard, Head street light smart is its bidirectional communication
of Business Line Load Management, Landis+Gyr capability. A smart street-lighting system allows facility
EMEA. “We work very closely with Toshiba on this. managers to remotely control street lights while keeping
They have the fixture, that is the lamp itself, and we track of power consumption in the lamps and the
have the communication technology.” circuits.

This combination brings new value to the lighting
sector and enables Toshiba and Landis+Gyr to
The data provided by the AMI infrastructure facilitates
the planning of maintenance routes and makes roving
“Some customers
provide comprehensive end-to-end solutions to their inspections a thing of the past by pin-pointing the are already well
customers. One of the outcomes of the partnership is status of every individual device. Beyond dimming the advanced in their
the recently announced outdoor lighting solution using light at pre-defined levels at certain times, immediate
Toshiba’s LED lamps in combination with Landis+Gyr’s automated responses to information provided by approach to street
ripple control technology, which aims at lowering sensor that detect motion for example are being light while others are
maintenance costs and reduce the energy consumption tested. Temperature detection is another topic. Ice
of each individual lamp. on the roads has an impact on lighting intensity for more cautious.”
example. “Two-way communication down to the device Jens Hauggaard
The picture across the EMEA region in terms of level creates a platform for innovation and efficiency
managing street lights is very diverse. “Some customers gains.”
are already far advanced in their approach to street
light while others are more cautious”, says Hauggaard
“The advantages of LED lights are undeniable, but
some customers remain hesitant because there is
little long-term experience with this technology,”
Lighting Europe
comments Hauggaard. The directive “2006/32/EC” in particular sets
an energy-saving target that member states are
A number of pilots, however, have shown promising required to fulfill to measure the progress obtained
initial results: “I’m confident that we will see the in energy efficiency. It also provides an energy-
predicted long lifetimes of about 10 to 15 years realized saving target for the public sector and supports
in the field”, says Alexander Romanschtschak, Product leveraging the large energy efficiency potential
Manager Lighting, Toshiba. in important sectors like buildings and lighting.

With that kind of longevity, the LED solutions offer Street-lighting systems are normally owned and
three times the life of current technologies. The operated by public bodies. There is a development
much less frequent need to service or replace LEDs towards cost reductions and outsourcing of these
directly translates into lower maintenance costs. In services: Public Private Partnership (PPP) models
Germany, as in many other countries, maintenance are gaining ground and can be successful tools
costs represent more than 30% of the overall allocated to save energy costs while guaranteeing quality
asset-management costs. standards and maintenance of the street-lighting
systems.
Asset Management
Clearly, asset management is an important topic when On a general level, the public owners of street-
talking about street lights. Smart street light, that is lighting systems have a duty to keep the systems
integrating street light into an AMI infrastructure and in good working order to ensure road safety and
turning the fixture park into a part of the smart grid, meet their other obligations. The difficult fiscal
has great potential to make life easier for utilities and situation on many municipalities has led to a
other service providers. “Once there is a citywide AMI stagnation of investment in the energy efficiency of
network, we can leverage it and create room for many public street lighting in several European countries.
innovative features”, Hauggaard explains. In many places, the situation has now become
critical due to the high operating costs and large
A smart street-lighting system is made up of clusters refurbishment necessities.
of street light lamps with the ability to communicate
with each other and provide lighting data to a data

P AGE 2 4 | | Interview

“energy efficiency
is a win-win”
«pathway» talked to Fiona Hall, Member of the European
Parliament for North-East England and one of the most prominent
advocates of a European concept for Energy Efficiency.
pathway: You were the rapporteur on the Action Plan Hall: A robust and coherent regulatory framework is
for Energy Efficiency in 2007 and one of the shadow key. One of the most successful ways to stimulate
rapporteurs on the recently passed Energy Efficiency uptake of energy-efficiency measures is setting binding
Directive. Why do you think that energy efficiency is targets for countries to meet. It is telling that out of
such an important issue? the three EU 20-20-20 climate and energy targets for
2020, the 20% energy efficiency is the only one that
Hall: It is very simple: the cheapest energy is energy not is voluntary; it is also the only one not on track by
used. It follows from this that the cheapest and most more than a half. Having an overall energy-efficiency
cost-effective way to cut CO2 emissions and cut our target is also a more flexible approach than setting
energy spending is to reduce our energy consumption individual mandatory measures for different economy
through energy efficiency and saving measures. Energy sectors such as housing, energy intensive industry,
efficiency is a win-win for everyone: consumers save power sector, etc. Countries are free to introduce
money on their energy bills, industry becomes more various policies tailored to their national circumstances
competitive, and our economy grows more efficient as provided they meet their energy-efficiency target
we save money on avoided oil and gas imports. And by a set deadline. Tailored and sufficient funding
all this is accompanied by decreasing the amount of mechanisms are equally important since most energy-
carbon we pump into the atmosphere. efficiency measures require upfront investment. This
is why the European Parliament has fought very hard
pathway: The merits, and the need, of energy efficiency to ensure that the new EU Energy Efficiency Directive
are undisputable – why is it so difficult to push it requires member states to establish national energy-
through? efficiency funds.

Hall: Energy efficiency is a complex issue – it is difficult pathway: What role does energy efficiency have to
to measure, it is less visible than installing renewables play in making the transition to a more sustainable
for example and it also requires significant up-front European energy supply?
investment. While the medium to long term benefits
of energy efficiency are indisputable, it does require Hall: Energy efficiency has a crucial role to play in
political and financial support in the short-term to the move to a truly sustainable energy system, as it
stimulate investments, increase uptake and raise eases the amount of effort needed to decarbonize
awareness among all energy users. our energy supply. Using less energy means we need

pathway: How can regulatory bodies and governments
assist in creating incentives for energy-efficient
behavior?

fewer gigawatts of power, so we need to build and achieve this, consumers need better knowledge and
modernize fewer power installations and grids. Simply understanding of their energy consumption patterns.
put, energy efficiency will make our transition cheaper New smart technology such as smart meters is
and quicker. key, but consumer advice and awareness-raising
campaigns are equally important. Once consumers
pathway: Does increased energy efficiency and have information on their energy consumption, they can
distributed generation threaten the traditional business take action in changing and reducing it, for example by
model of utility companies? In other words, isn’t asking turning their thermostat one degree down or using their
energy companies to reduce the annual energy usage washing machine at a lower temperature. Again, in the
of their final customers, as the Energy Efficiency Energy Efficiency Directive we ask energy utilities to
Directive does, a little like asking a butcher to convert provide their customers with accurate information on
his clientele to vegetarianism? their actual energy consumption, so that consumers
can actively participate in making our society more
Hall: Energy efficiency and distributed power generation energy-efficient.
will only undermine businesses that do not want to
embrace this new opportunity to change their business pathway: In the original proposal and the European
model. At the moment, energy utilities make most of Parliament’s version of the Energy Efficiency Directive,
their profit from selling energy. In the future they will there were some very specific requirements on smart “Energy utilities, like
be making profit from selling energy services such as
energy performance contracting, energy-efficiency
metering systems, such as an interface to the home
and regular feedback to the end user on energy usage.
any other sector of
advice and installation of energy saving technology and Why were these left out of the final text? our economy, should
appliances. Choosing this business path is therefore a take an active part
smart solution for energy utilities. Hall: The negotiations on the Energy Efficiency
Directive were very difficult and lengthy, not least in the transformation
pathway: What should be the contribution of the because they were overshadowed by grim economic to a highly energy-
utilities to encourage energy efficiency? forecasts and painful budget cuts. Member states
were reluctant to agree to anything that would require efficient society.”
Hall: Energy utilities, like any other sector of our significant public investment. This is why in the end, Fiona Hall
economy, should take an active part in the transformation the text dealing with smart meters is not as ambitious
to a highly energy efficient society. The most obvious as I and indeed a majority of MEPs wanted. However,
way of contributing would be to offer energy-efficiency the directive is flexible enough to allow member states
and saving services to their customers. Another would to go beyond the requirements set, so it is now up
be to adapt their energy tariffs to incentivize energy to energy-efficiency stakeholders to push for more
saving, not reckless usage of energy. This is why in ambitious measures to be adopted nationally.
the recently adopted Energy Efficiency Directive we
introduced the so called energy-efficiency obligation pathway: What can vendors like Landis+Gyr do to
schemes that require energy utilities in each member help realize the EU’s 20-20-20 goals? What are they
state to save 1.5% of energy sold to final customers doing already?
each year. This measure has already been successfully
introduced in a number of member states such as the Hall: Companies like Landis+Gyr have been of great
UK, Denmark, Italy, and France and its main result is help during the negotiations on the Energy Efficiency
the increased uptake of insulation and energy-efficient Directive by providing their expertise and sharing
technology in households. their experience in steering energy efficiency. All
stakeholders can contribute by spreading the positive
pathway: What could the role of the consumer be in message about increasing energy efficiency – that it
achieving higher energy efficiency? People do not helps in both curbing climate change and increasing
want to give up on comfort. our economic competitiveness. I think it is the second
part of this message that needs a particular stress in
Hall: Energy efficiency is not about giving up comfort, the current economic times. Energy efficiency should
it is about achieving the same or even an improved be seen as a contributor, not an obstacle, to economic
level of comfort with less energy consumption. To growth and jobs.

P AGE 2 6 | | Fa c t s a n d F i g u r e s

nutshell – facts & figures

trends for 2035
...world energy outlook 2012

1/3 more 47%
The global energy demand In the OECD, wind energy accounts
increases by over one-third in the for a major share in the growth of
period to 2035. With 60% China renewables with 47% in 2035. Solar
has the largest growth. OECD PV covers 15% with hydro being the
countries only rise about 3%. lowest at 11%.

over 70% $16.9 trillion
The global demand for electricity Over the period 2015-35, the total
increases more than 70% by 2035. This worldwide power sector requires an
represents almost 32,000 TWh. investment of $16.9 trillion. An estimated
two-fifths of this investment is needed for
improvements of electricity networks.

31% 5,890 GW
The share of renewable electricity in Over the Outlook period a total of
the global generation mix moves up to 5,890 GW of capacity additions is
31% by 2035. required. This is more than the total
installed capacity of the whole world
in 2011.
Source: World Energy Outlook 2012 Factsheet, © OCDE/IEA, 2012

pathway is published by
Landis+Gyr AG
Theilerstrasse 1, 6301 Zug, Switzerland
pathway.emea@landisgyr.com
www.landisgyr.eu

Photography:
Stadium Letzigrund, Badenerstrasse 500, 8048 Zurich;
Photographer; Christian Dietrich and Beat Bühler (page 4-5)
iStock.com; mustafa deliormanli (page 8)
iStock.com; Tony Tremblay, Alexandru Magurean (page 9)
iStock.com; Jacob Wackerhausen (page 14)
iStock.com; TommL (page 17)
Additional photos by Landis+Gyr/Seidl PR & Marketing GmbH

Editorial and layout:
Landis+Gyr AG
Seidl PR & Marketing GmbH, 45131 Essen, Germany

Landis+Gyr AG
Theilerstrasse 1, 6301 Zug, Switzerland
pathway.emea@landisgyr.com
www.landisgyr.eu

Landis+Gyr EMEA Pathway Magazine Issue 3: Demand Side Management

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