E.ON Uses IBM's Tech to Improve Smart Meter Deployment

E.ON (News - Alert) Metering recently chose IBM to improve its Smart Metering IT operations by hosting them on a private cloud platform. More specifically, this platform will improve how E.ON integrates renewable and decentralized generators of energy, all while E.ON puts customers at the helm of their own energy resources with more transparency.

E.ON, one of the largest providers of power and gas in the world, has decided to incorporate the Intelligent Energy Service Enablement Platform (IESEP), developed by IBM (News - Alert), to make the process of installing smart meters and integrating renewable sources of energy simpler. The platform will also help integrate any other innovations that E.ON develops in the future while simultaneously maintaining its top-notch customer service.

Robert Pflugl, managing director at E.ON Metering GmbH, said, “We now have the tools to make more comprehensive use of the technical possibilities that smart metering opens up both for the customers and for the business. The two companies are combining their competencies in energy management and data processing in order to offer the best solutions to the future challenges of the energy turnaround.”

The agreement that E.ON reached with IBM requires that it host its IT infrastructure with IBM SmartCloud, effectively creating a private cloud system under their control. The cloud will be hosted on an IBM data center in Germany. This new integration will upgrade E.ON's current platform into a smarter one that provides more data to its customers with the use of analytics tools meant for energy applications. Customers using the energy provider will now be able to monitor their rates as well as changes in how they use electricity and make choices based on historical data.

As companies like E.ON continue tackling the challenges of today's energy market, we will probably see more customer choice and competitive innovation, something urgently needed in this industry.