As on date about 13 million Smart Meters have been installed in India. Some states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Punjab have a few lakh installations while few others are starting with pilot scale projects. Consumers have several questions about these meters specifically in terms of meter operations, mobile app and overall benefits of such a system. Some states have Regulations specific to Smart Meter operations, that address consumer concerns in terms of meter operations, prepayment features and automatic disconnection. However, in order to ensure the success of the large-scale smart meter deployments a cautious and informed roll out is necessary.

Our article written in an op-ed in Loksatta, a Marathi daily highlights the need for objective evaluation of Smart Meters. We discuss the role of smart meters, especially in a high renewable energy system, need for transparency in roll outs to increase consumer confidence and most importantly the contours of regulations which can address consumer concerns and ensure effective implementation of Smart Metering.