Smart meters: the gate to behind-the-meter?

Abstract The gate to the services behind-the-meter lies at the meter stage. Smart meters provide real-time consumption data that can be used by other smart devices, appliances, and applications to improve the efficiency of energy use. This chapter examines the role that smart meters can play in promoting the consumer/prosumer/prosumager engagement and asset aggregation behind the meter. A sound design of smart-meter rollout and a proactive use of the data made available henceforth may either promote or hinder the development of services behind the meter. As the consumer becomes engaged and possibly evolves in prosumer or prosumager, a legally valid, close to the real-time reading of energy flows to and from the meter is required.