Landis+Gyr unveils Fair Meters in the Netherlands

Smarter Design Enables Significant Savings in Material Usage

Gouda, Netherlands, April 16, 2018 – Landis+Gyr, the leading global energy management solutions provider, is rolling out a uniquely designed smart electricity meter in the Netherlands in support of the Fair Meter Initiative. The Fair Meter Initiative was originally launched by a consortium of Dutch utilities including Liander (Alliander group), Stedin, Juva and Enduris in 2013, following the Green Deal these utilities signed with the Dutch Government. The consortium manages approximately 65% of the country’s electricity and gas supply, making this a significant step towards more sustainable metering devices for public tenders. Landis+Gyr has produced a White Paper outlining numerous benefits of the new fair meter design.

The pilot involved close collaboration with the utility customers to improve circularity in the production, operation and use, and recyclability of the new E360 smart electricity meter. The work was carried out with a focus on reducing the use of materials with high levels of embodied carbon, risk of conflict minerals, and critical and scare materials. The new meters also require fewer types of materials, and fewer components, which leads to more streamlined recycling processes. As explained in more detail in the White Paper, by the end of the Fair Meter rollout, significant savings will be made compared to a directly equivalent previous meter type.

“By putting the fair approach center-stage in our procurement policy and by continuing to talk about it and ask questions, suppliers slowly started to realize that we are serious about this. What ultimately boosted the whole initiative, was Landis+Gyr agreeing to start a Fair Meter pilot. This really shifted things into place and allowed us to start exploring the many inspiring options to create a smart meter with a truly positive and fair story,” said Dirk Bijl de Vroe, Sustainability Expert at Stedin.

Dominique Hermans, Circular Economy Advisor at Alliander, commented: “The group of concerned citizens is growing, fuelled by the visibility of climate and sustainable development goals. The ‘big audacious goal’ is a truly sustainable electronics supply chain – throughout the industry of electronic assets, from laptops, phones to household appliances. And that is what we believe in: creating a better world together, one Fair Meter at a time.”

“At Landis+Gyr, we are proud to partner with our customers in the Netherlands to challenge the industry to make more sustainable smart meters,” says Coco Geluk, Managing Director of Landis+Gyr, Netherlands. “Our joint pilot has led to a new meter design that takes the social and ecological impacts of the meter lifecycle into consideration – from the raw material extraction through to materials recycling.”

Infographic showing the details of the project scope and the various materials savings in tons.

For more information:

• Download a copy of the Fair Meter Initiative White Paper here.
• Click here to watch a recent webinar with experts from Landis+Gyr and Stedin discussing the Fair Meter Initiative.