Four firms picked to develop smart utilities meters for Singapore

NEARLY a year after the Singapore government launched a call for proposal for smart meters for electricity, town gas and water, four companies have been selected to further develop and test-bed their solutions.

The proposals by Germany's Diehl Metering GbmH, local firms Mirai Electronics Pte Ltd and TCAM Technology, and China-backed ZH Technologies International Pte Ltd were chosen out of more than 20 received, according to the Energy Market Authority (EMA).

Over the next six months, the four firms will have to demonstrate that their proposed solutions will be able to accurately and reliably read utility meters in a laboratory environment, said Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Sim Ann, on the first day of the Singapore International EnergyWeek.

Solutions that prove feasible will then be test-bedded at a housing estate in the second half of next year, said the EMA, adding that more details of this test-bed will be provided at a later date.

The call for proposal also sought ideas on the design of a mobile application that will enable consumers to better manage their utility consumption. Some 30 participants submitted prototypes with design features such as usage notifications, gamification and direct billing.

SP Group will incorporate useful ideas gathered when developing the mobile application for the test-bed, said the EMA.