EMA seeks proposals to develop NB-IoT electricity meters for Singapore households

THE Energy Market Authority (EMA) has issued a call for proposals to develop and test-bed advanced electricity meters which operate on the Narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT) wireless communications technology.

Interested parties such as meter manufacturers are required to partner telecommunications companies to submit joint proposals to deliver a secure and cost-effective solution for remote meter reading and transmission of meter data.

The call for proposals is a collaboration among EMA, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) and utilities provider SP Group, they said in a joint press statement on Tuesday.

It is part of a broader effort between SNDGG, which is under the Prime Minister's Office, and public agencies in Singapore to leverage wireless technologies such as NB-IoT to harness sensor data for the benefit of the public.

Advanced electricity meters will be progressively rolled out to Singapore households, as part of the national drive towards greater energy efficiency. When this is completed by 2024, more than 1.4 million consumer accounts - mainly households - will be able to use energy more efficiently.

"Advanced electricity meters can help consumers use energy in smarter ways to do their part for a greener future," said EMA chief executive Ngiam Shih Chun.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

For instance, households with advanced electricity meters today can already access their half-hourly electricity usage using the SP Utilities app. This helps them better understand their consumption patterns, take steps to manage their usage and be more energy efficient, Mr Ngiam said.

The Singapore government's push for a unified IoT network to meet the diverse needs of sensors, robotics and IoT systems - such as connected appliances and smart home security systems - is a key initiative under the Smart Nation Sensor Platform. This is a national project to adopt smart technologies to improve urban planning and bring about greater convenience to all Singaporeans.

The call for proposals closes at midnight on Sept 24, 2020. Details on the technical specifications and requirements can be found at http://www.ipi-singapore.org/technology-needs.