2015 could be a turning point for the electricity meter industry. On one hand, the State Grid's smart meters and concentrated terminal bidding remain high, with 60.6 million smart meters set to be installed in 2015, covering 316 million electricity consumption records, reaching over 80% coverage. On the other hand, as smart meters become widely used and the electricity information collection system enters its later stages, the State Grid's focus shifts to lean management of metering and deeper application of collection systems. The direction of the electricity meter market in 2016 is still unclear, especially with the new electricity reforms affecting the management of electricity billing meters, which will also change the market landscape.
In the past five years, traditional electricity meter companies have mainly targeted the centralised smart meter tender markets of the State Grid and Southern Grid, focusing on ensuring the quality of their metering products. These companies have benefited and grown due to a stable market and weak demand for new products. Facing these new developments this year, traditional meter companies are feeling uneasy and are thinking about how to develop new products to tap into new markets.
Apart from the electricity meter and terminal markets, there are also some relatively bigger electricity meter markets with promising prospects in the future:
Plug-in/traditional low-voltage metering boxes and low-voltage cabinet series products.
Digital meters and metering cabinet series products
Many large electricity meter companies have shifted to developing and marketing power distribution and electricity network equipment products, and several have entered the new energy field with good results. In addition, research on broadband power line carrier communication technology is gaining popularity, focusing on distribution network communication, smart homes, smart cities, local communication for electricity information collection systems, and communication support platforms for the energy internet.
