New Delhi: Indian acceptance of intelligent meters for electricity consumption was slow, which required challenges for clearer rules and better consumers’ involvement, shows the survey of the Indian industry confederation (CII).
As 15 July, only 2.41 Crore units were installed in the whole country by 20.33 Crore.
A recent CII survey shows an outdated infrastructure of usefulness, unreliable connectivity and low consumer awareness were the biggest obstacles to intelligent measurements. While 80% of respondents quoted consumers’ involvement as a key barrier, most of them also agreed to be essential for success, clear control directives, better billing transparency, complaint remedy and robust cyber security.
Intelligent meters provide real -time analysts about consumer behavior and allow the involvement of leaks and theft. They also eliminate inefficiency in manual data collection and help reduce revenue losses for distribution companies.
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The findings of the CII survey are based on the answers received from the survey conducted in the last two months among the participants of the 3. CII intelligent conference. The survey examines various aspects of projects of intelligent meters, infrastructure, challenges, consumer awareness, security and potential improvements.
In the commentary on the results of the Singhal survey, the CEO of the Group, Secure Meters, who also led the CII working group on intelligent FY25 measurements, he said: “The most important result of this survey was to improve consumer involvement.
Once consumers are adequately trained, they will remain engaged and at the local level level will be an acceptable revised distribution sector (RDSS), Singhal added.
Most people who participated in the survey said that the current state of intelligence measurement measuring was average, 41% of respondents had a positive opinion. The key challenges identified include outdated infrastructure infrastructure, which leads to problems with interoperability and data management, unreliable connectivity in distant areas, regulatory obstacles, slow and cumbersome public procurement and low awareness and privacy awareness.
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“What consumers are asking is a better experience that can be provided by ensuring that everyone will pay what they can when they can,” Singhal said.
The need for fully risk cyber vulnerability was identified as a key pillar for the provision of trust parties. All systems must be designed with regard to security and must have sufficient processes to ensure that security and privacy remain robust, he added.
Almost 57% of respondents have noted that the most common challenge they face in the execution of intelligent meters was the difficulty of reconciliation with outdated infrastructure, leading to interoperability and data management problems. The second biggest challenge was an unreliable connection, especially in distant areas that prevent data transfer in real time, which affects the overall efficiency of the system, 53% of respondents said.
About 48% of them recorded a significant barrier powered by low awareness, misconceptions of billing and concerns about personal data protection. Complex and fragmented regulatory frames that led to a delay in the approval of the project and the implementation and slow cumbersome processes of public procurement were considered to concern 20% of respondents.
The analysis revealed that primary challenges for intelligent measurements revolved around technical integration, data communication and consumer acceptance. The frequency of each challenge indicates its relative significance and prevalence, CII report.
The most urgent concerns are integration with old systems and data communication problems, indicating the need for better planning and infrastructure. Solving these challenges requires a versatile approach, including robust technical solutions for integration and communication, campaigns to raise public awareness to solve consumers’ resistance and effective regulatory processes to avoid delay, he said.
About 80% of respondents believe that consumer awareness is a significant obstacle to accepting an intelligent meter meter, while 63% considers either safe or very safe, indicating a generally positive perception of cyber security readiness. The report noted that this optimism suggests growing confidence in established technological warranties, such as encryption protocols, secure data processing procedures and access control.
Approximately 25% evaluated the ecosystem as “not safe” and pointed to continuing concerns about data violations, unauthorized access, or lack of complex cyber standards. These concerns can be rooted in inconsistent implementation across instruments or limited visibility into backend systems, the report said.
The previous Mint report said the government was ready to extend the RDSS system two years after March 2026 because the progress was delayed.
At the beginning of this year, the Parliament of Parliament for Energy raised concerns about the lack of RDSS system and the resulting increase in the losses of suffered energy distribution companies.
In his report on grant requirements at the Ministry of Energy, he stated a panel on the total number £30 065 crore assigned to RDS during the first four years of scheme (FY22 on FY25), probably £25 664 crore was used since 10 February.
(Tagstotranslate) Intelligent meters
