Measuring to reduce: how smart metering supports EU climate goals

EU climate targets: from strategy to operational reality

The European Union has set ambitious targets: a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050 (Fit for 55 package). To achieve these targets, large renewable energy plants and large-scale infrastructure projects are not enough. A widespread transformation is needed, involving networks, buildings, industries and consumer behaviour.

In this scenario, utilities play a crucial role. They are the point of contact between climate policies and everyday reality: they distribute energy, gas and water, manage complex networks and interact with millions of customers. Smart metering therefore becomes the tool through which European strategies take concrete shape, transforming themselves into data, indicators and measurable actions.

However, the transition from traditional to smart meters is not only technological, but also conceptual. Metering is no longer a sporadic event, useful mainly for billing, but a continuous flow of information. This change allows utilities to observe consumption in near real time, identifying patterns, anomalies and areas for improvement that were previously invisible.

From a climate perspective, the value is enormous. Smart metering data allows for the identification of structural inefficiencies, energy waste and network losses that indirectly contribute to emissions. In the electricity sector, they enable more flexible demand management, which is essential for integrating growing shares of non-programmable renewable production. In gas and water, they reduce losses that have a significant environmental impact, particularly in terms of methane emissions and energy consumption for pumping.

Support for European policies: Fit for 55, efficiency and flexibility

The Fit for 55 package calls for increasingly flexible and efficiency-oriented energy systems. Smart metering is a key element in enabling dynamic tariffs, demand response programmes and collective self-consumption models such as energy communities. The Fit for 55 package does not introduce a single standard on smart metering, but creates the context in which the measure becomes indispensable. Increased emission reduction targets, the revision of the ETS and the focus on energy demand make it necessary to:

• accurately monitor final consumption;
• assess the real impact of decarbonisation measures;
• supporting pricing mechanisms and incentives based on measurable data.

In this sense, smart metering is an enabling infrastructure that cuts across all Fit for 55 policies.

Without reliable and timely measurement data, EU legislative instruments remain theoretical. With smart metering, however, it becomes possible to align consumption with actual grid conditions and renewable energy availability, reducing the use of fossil fuels at peak times. This is a direct and measurable contribution to reducing emissions, perfectly consistent with European policies.

A key aspect, therefore, is the change in perspective required of utilities. Smart metering should not be seen merely as a regulatory obligation imposed by the EU or national authorities, but as a strategic lever for sustainability. Companies that integrate it into a long-term vision are able to use the data not only to comply with regulatory obligations, but also to guide more targeted investments, improve service quality and strengthen customer relationships. In this sense, the measure becomes a common language between regulators, operators and citizens, capable of translating climate objectives into concrete and verifiable actions.

Fit for 55, the role of Terranova's smart metering

Within the framework of the European Fit for 55 package, Terranova's smart metering fits in as an enabling digital infrastructure between climate targets, regulation and utility operations. EU legislation focuses on energy efficiency, the integration of renewables and active consumer participation, all areas that require reliable, frequent and interoperable measurement data.

Terranova's smart metering solutions meet these requirements by supporting the collection and standardisation of multi-vendor and multi-tecnology data, in line with the principles of interoperability and non-discriminatory access promoted by the EU. This allows utilities to use data not only for billing, but also to enable advanced services such as demand response, dynamic tariffs, consumption monitoring and network optimisation. From a Fit for 55 perspective, the platform thus becomes a concrete tool for reducing waste and losses, improving system flexibility and promoting the integration of distributed generation. At the same time, the availability of more granular consumption data strengthens end-customer empowerment and the possibility of targeted efficiency policies. In this sense, Terranova's smart metering not only complies with the European regulatory framework, but also translates its climate objectives into measurable and scalable operational capabilities for the utility sector.

The fight against climate change requires concrete, widespread and reliable tools. Smart metering perfectly meets this need, transforming sustainability from an abstract principle into a measurable process. For the European Union, it is an essential piece of the puzzle for achieving climate targets; for utilities, it is a strategic infrastructure on which to build more efficient networks, more advanced services and a more transparent relationship with customers. Ultimately, measurement is not just the first step towards reduction: it is a necessary condition for making the climate transition real, monitorable and shared.