Italy Smart Meter (Gas, Electricity & Water) Market Overview, 2027

Technically, the lifespan of any communication equipment is 10 to 15 years. That means the meters rolled out between 2001 and 2006 need to be replaced with second generation meters in Italy. The design and technology framework will become outdated as the technologies are ever evolving to new levels with continuous research and development activities. The digitalization of demand for advanced metering to increase functionality and performance. In Italy, the growing concern about carbon emissions and the efficient use of energy resources is driving the demand for smart meters.Furthermore, smart grid technology research and development is boosting growth with next generation AMI smart metres that enable real-time reading and two-way communication between the utility provider and the consumer.Rapid industrialization is another major factor driving the smart meter market ahead in coming years.

According to the report title “Italy Smart Meter (Gas, Electricity & Water) Market Overview, 2027”, published by Actual Market research (ActualMR), the smart meter market in Italy is expected to grow by over 5% during the forecast period ending in 2027. The smart meter market in Italy grew by 25% during the historic period 2016–2021. Smart gas meter have less than 10% market share as they are in their initial phase of deployment and still a lot of work needs to be undertaken. However, it is steady in growth as it demands careful layout plans or else it can be fatal to manpower working with them. As consumers demand second generation water meters, smart water metres are rapidly being installed across the country. This is due to consumers' desire to monitor their real-time use of water and avoid unnecessary wastage, which causes a decrease in the final meter readings and thus overall billing amounts. Smart electric meters have the first mover advantage as they were the first to be replaced with AMI meters. Consumers find real-time readings of their energy use quite useful and deviate to non-peak hours to reduce tariffs.

The AMI meters provide users with 15-minute readings to consumers as well as the ability to switch suppliers quickly and without wasting time. It also detects faults by acting as a sensor, thus enabling continuous supply without interruptions. It works on dual PLC and Rf 169 MHz communication paths to comply with new regulations. With these new generation meters the average number of interrupted minutes has gone down from 128 minutes to 49 minutes and the cost has gone from 80 Euros to 49 Euros per customer per year.

Smart water meters are IoT enabled devices that measure the water consumption of houses, buildings, or utilities, providing accurate data. Increased water sustainability and intelligent use of limited resources will propel the market to grow further. Government directives and mandates will further encourage more consumers to adapt to smart water meters rapidly. Smart gas meters will rise gradually with new plan formulations and policies planned by the government for infrastructural development of the country.

Residential users are the largest consumers of smart meters in Italy, with over 80% of the overall market. Of which, electric smart meters account for the maximum number of types. Consumers are taking advantage of the prompt switch of utility providers without interruptions and real-time readings every 15 minutes. The commercial sector is another user that is fast adapting to smart meters in offices, buildings, or other spaces to save on total billings. As the commercial spaces are widespread across many floors, it is important to monitor the effective use of electricity and avoid unnecessary uses. The smart electric meters also detect faults in supply lines and enable quick actions thereon. The industries are still in the initial phase of installations with very few numbers of meters installed. They have heavy load shedding and high voltages because they have large plant processes and machineries that require continuous power supply at high speed and voltage. 

Considered in this report
• Geography: Italy
• Base year: 2021
• Estimated year: 2022
• Forecast year: 2027

Aspects covered in this report
• Italy smart meter market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Five force models
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

By type 
• Electric
• Gas
• Water

By technology 
• AMI
• AMR

By end user 
• Industrial
• Commercial
• Residential

The approach of the report
This report consists of a combined approach of primary as well as secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and listing out the companies that are present in the market. The secondary research consists of third party sources such as press releases, annual report of companies, analyzing the government generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources primary research was conducted by making telephonic interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducted trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this we have started doing primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting consumers in regional aspects, tier aspects, age group, and gender. Once we have primary data with us we have started verifying the details obtained from secondary sources.

Intended audience
This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to smart meter industry, government bodies and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.

Keywords: smart meter, smart water meter, smart electric meter, smart gas meter, energy, consumption, Italy, Rome, Electric, water, gas, consumer, billing, bill, government, AMI, AMR, residential, industrial, commercial, hardware, software, three phase, single phase, enelx, enel, venice, Florence, naples, bologna, Milan, Verona, genoa, turin, pisa, siena, bari, parma, lecce, Trento, rimini, Trieste, salerno, veicenza, forli, Taranto.