Establishment of automatic meter reading and load management, experiences and cost/benefit

Some types of information and communication technology may contribute to reduction of energy and peak power consumption as well as to a more efficient deregulated power market. Automatic meter reading, remote load control and information through Web are examples of such technology. The paper describes which actors may benefit from establishment of the technology. Two pilots are described in the paper. In the Norwegian pilot two-way communication is established to more than 10000 customers, mainly households. Load management is established to approximately 50% of those customers. In the Finnish pilot automatic meter reading is established to 31 real estates. Energy experts for the real estates are offered Web information about the energy consumption. The paper covers the experiences from each pilot, cost/benefit discussions for establishment of the technology and description of possibilities for further.