Repealing the general ruling on the smart meter rollout: Why do today what you can delay until the day after tomorrow!

Humans are inherently comfortable when it comes to making decisions (or to put it more kindly: an efficient energy-saving model) and are extremely resilient - everyone can see this very clearly in the current global challenges, such as the coronavirus pandemic. This applies equally to the way humans are dealing with climate change. As the people of Cologne say so beautifully: ‘Et hätt noch immer jot jegange’.

And when these basic human characteristics are combined with the proverbial German authority profundity, the result is often something like ‘the law on the digitalisation of the energy transition’. Climate change is definitely an epochal event for all of us, so you can also set epochal timeframes for taking measures, because ‘good things take time’. Does anyone remember the European requirements for smart metering (Directive 2009/72/EC (3rd EU internal market package))? One of the central requirements states that member countries must ensure that smart metering systems are introduced to support the active participation of consumers in the electricity supply market. According to Brussels, at least 80% of consumers should be equipped with smart metering systems by 2020 (based on a cost-benefit analysis). That was in 2009, but the year is 2022!

‘Active consumer participation?’ Not at all. We Germans think big, much bigger than the rest of Europe. We are much better at digitalisation. We do it right. Unidirectional is a thing of the past. Bi-directional, control, regulate, act in a grid-friendly manner - that is the order of the day. Or whenever the BSI intends to deal with the certification of control boxes (CLS) at some point: ‘What you can do today, you'd better do the day after tomorrow.’ And the BMWK at the front and centre. What did the ‘K’ stand for again? ‘K’ can also be tackled tomorrow? Climate protection? What a noble goal. We'll be happy to devote ourselves to it the day after tomorrow...

Energy efficiency requires energy transparency

And with less than 200,000 SMWGs currently installed in Germany and around 430,000 digitally read RLM meters, the energy transition wonderland of Germany has a digitisation rate of less than 1% of its 52 million electricity meters. The UK has now equipped 50% of consumers with smart meters, and in the USA the figure is already more than 75%. What does Mr Habeck think about this ‘fun fact in passing’?

| As Europe's largest economy, can we really afford to delay the digitalisation of metering in Germany until tomorrow?

Let’s imagine the reality in Germany ten years from now — say, May 2035 — with record-breaking temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius. Will we STILL be discussing the urgent need to accelerate the rollout of smart meters in Germany?

Here’s what the BSI had to say in its press release: “The digitalisation of the energy transition can thus be further accelerated and, in addition to the legal requirements, is also geared towards the needs of the market players in order to ensure reliability and planning security for those involved in the rollout.”

In May 2022, the situation in Germany reflected the exact opposite of everything promised in this sentence.

Who feels responsible?

Does anyone feel responsible for achieving the actual goal? I have considerable doubts here. Only if the BMWK feels responsible will significant changes be made to the framework structures in Germany. At the same time, however, all those responsible in the energy supply sector, particularly in grid operation and metering, must ask themselves whether they are really living up to their responsibility towards citizens in terms of digitalisation, climate protection and energy efficiency. Words alone are not enough.