Electronic Utility Meters to Gain Majority Market Share in 2007

Static electronic meters are expected to take over the majority share of the worldwide electricity meter market in 2007, with more electronic meters being shipped than their mechanical counterparts, forecasts IMS Research (Wellingborough, United Kingdom), an industry market research firm. The meter market size is anticipated to be roughly 110 million units worldwide and IMS predicts that 57% of these new meter shipments will be static electronic meters.

Continued privatization of utilities on a worldwide level has created an environment where once state-owned utilities are now run as commercial enterprises, and are accountable for winning customers and growing profits. Static electricity meters offer better resource control for utilities such as fraud protection and prepayment, while also helping to reduce service costs by implementing automated meter reading.

“With improved manufacturing processes, developments in electricity meter design and increased competition, the pricing of static electricity meters has fallen to the levels of their electromechanical counterparts. Continued price erosion along with increasing functionality from static meters is anticipated to give static meters the majority of the electricity metering market in 2007,” explained Michael Markides, IMS Research analyst.