Germany has the lowest smart meter coverage in the European Union, with intelligent electricity meters installed at just 5.9% of metering points, according to an overview from energy supplier 1Komma5°. The EU average is 65.6%. Denmark and Sweden have reached 100% coverage, while several other countries are close to full deployment. The figures include no data for Romania, Greece or Bulgaria.

Smart meters can support flexible electricity tariffs and allow certain consumers to be regulated to ease pressure on the grid. They are particularly useful for households and businesses with large flexible loads, such as heat pumps or electric cars. In Germany, installation is required for households that use more than 6,000 kilowatt-hours a year or have controllable consumption.

Metering point operators were expected to equip 20% of this required segment by the end of 2025. But 434 of the 800 companies covered by the figures failed to meet that threshold, and more than 40 grid areas had not installed a single smart meter. Germany’s Federal Network Agency plans to impose fines on operators that have not met their obligations.

The rollout has been especially difficult for smaller operators. The 19 largest companies, each serving more than 500,000 metering points, had reached an average deployment rate of nearly 30%. By contrast, almost 600 operators with fewer than 30,000 metering points averaged just over 19%.

The article also points to Germany’s strict security requirements as a factor in the slow deployment. Smart meters had to be transported in sealed packaging to prevent tampering, and German devices must be capable of actively controlling consumption—a technical requirement that is not needed in many cases. Since the summer, households have also been able to choose a simpler “smart meter light” that only records consumption.

The low installation rate is also described as a sign of wider digitalisation challenges in Germany’s electricity system. Many distribution grid operators lack detailed information about when and where their lines and transformers are under strain, which can delay connections for wind and solar plants, battery storage and charging points.

Sources: t3n.