ESSEN/AUGSBURG (dpa-AFX) - Germany's largest electricity provider and distribution network operator, Eon, intends to continue installing smart meters at a rapid pace. "In the coming years, we are planning for a volume of around 500,000 devices per year. That is our delivery promise," said Thomas König, Board Member for Networks. The announcement coincided with the commissioning of Eon's one-millionth smart meter by its subsidiary LEW Verteilnetz at a customer's home near Augsburg.

Smart meters provide precise measurements

Smart meters measure a household's electricity consumption every 15 minutes and transmit the data to network operators and energy suppliers. With these intelligent measuring systems, households can see exactly how much electricity they have used at what time of day. If consumers have signed up for a specific electricity tariff, they can, for example, schedule the operation of a washing machine or the charging of an electric car for times when there is plenty of solar and wind energy and electricity is cheaper. At the same time, network operators can use the data to better manage their grids.

According to Eon, a total of just over two million intelligent measuring systems have been installed in Germany. "Almost 50 percent of these come from Eon," König emphasized. In 2025 alone, more than 440,000 devices were installed. Eon's German subsidiaries have, in some cases, significantly exceeded the statutory rollout quota of 20 percent by the end of 2025. On average, the rollout rate stood at around 30 percent at the end of the year. König stressed that Eon delivered despite sometimes difficult regulatory, technical, and economic conditions.

Eon operates around one-third of the German electricity distribution network

Eon is Germany's largest energy supplier, with twelve million electricity and two million gas supply contracts in the country. Through numerous subsidiaries, the company is also the largest electricity distribution network operator in Germany, accounting for approximately one-third of the total network length./tob/DP/men