Radius creates a data-driven future with turnkey smart meter solution

Receiving consumption data automatically every day means Radius can better spot errors and service customers. But that’s just the beginning. The turnkey solution also includes a circuit breaker that allows Radius to remotely disconnect and reconnect customers. Today they do between 200 and 250 remote disconnections and reconnections a month, bringing significant savings.

“We have been able to reduce our number of technician visits by more than 25,000. That corresponds to approximately 11,500 technician hours saved yearly,” says Stephan Alexander Fly, Operations Manager at Radius.

“By giving us a better understanding of the load in our low-voltage grid, the smart meter data also enable us to identify theft better, handle faults and guide our customers in case of outages,” says Stephan.

For example, voltage data is collected from the meters daily. If the neutral is disconnected, destructive voltage fluctuations can occur. This can be time consuming and expensive to repair and can result in customer claims and poor customer experience.

“Using data from Kamstrup’s meters, we can identify bad neutral connections, find the meter or the junction box at fault, and fix the issue before it causes in an outage. This results in an estimated savings of EUR 228,579 per year,” says Stephan.

The new solution will also play a central role in helping Radius support the green transition. Today, 56 per cent of Danish electricity consumption is covered by wind and solar energy and by 2030, the country’s electricity system will be completely independent of fossil fuels.

On an EU level, the ambition is to reduce CO2 emission by 40%, which will require 32% of the EU’s total energy consumption to be supplied by renewable energy. This shift towards increasing amounts of renewable energy will change the way Radius work with their grid.

By 2030, the goal is a reduction of 70% CO2 emissions. By 2050, the ambition is to be fossil-free.

“The billions of data values help us find opportunities to trim our networks and balance loads. In our view, smart meters and the data they provide are the key to the green transition,” says Stephan.

By 2030, European roads will host 30 million electric cars. Although, critical to the green transition’s success, the rising popularity of sustainable choices like heat pumps and electric cars is expected to create unprecedented electricity usage peaks. Radius can prepare for this by expanding their grid or by trying to balance the load more evenly.

“The electricity grid is robust, but in future, we will see much higher peaks which will challenge our current maximum capacity, “Stephan predicts. “As everything from heating and cooling to cars and trains becomes electric, we need all the data we can get to protect the grid and manage distribution in the smartest, most economically viable way.”

Radius relies on flexible tariffs to help move consumption outside of peak hours. The tariffs let consumers pay less to, for example, run their dishwashers at midnight compared to running them at 20.00. To bill accurately with flexible tariffs requires reliable consumption data. That’s where smart meters play a key role.

With an overview of the grid status, Radius is now better positioned to plan its investments. For example, if an error has occurred many times before, it could mean it’s time to invest in a new cable or a new transformer station.

“Renewing the entire grid to handle peaks in energy production would require lots of digging, laying down cables, building transformers, etc. – a very cost-intensive and disruptive process,” says Stephan. “We want to invest wisely in balancing energy loads to relieve the grid of pressure and avoid energy wastage. Then we can stage our investments in expanding the grid. This is better for the economy and better for society at large.”