SAP and Logica team up for smart meters

Global firms join forces to provide systems that will enable the energy market in the UK to operate more effectively

Business and technology services provider Logica has partnered with software vendor SAP to provide systems designed for the UK's smart energy market.

The companies claim their systems will enable the energy market to operate more effectively, enabling healthy competition and allowing consumers to benefit from services that will help them control their spend on energy.

The agreement of the two firms aims to address the UK government's challenge of delivering the systems at the heart of Britain's energy market as it transfers to operating on a smart metering infrastructure by 2014.

Logica and SAP said the deployment of smart meters to every home and small business in Britain during this decade is a vital first step in the transformation of how the UK will meet its energy needs in future, and in operating its energy distribution networks more intelligently.

They added that their partnership will help drive the benefits of the low-carbon transformation of the energy market and should give consumers, utilities and government confidence that the rollout of smart meters will be a success.

The Smart Grids programme is expected to deliver £18.6bn of benefits against an investment of £11.3bn - a net benefit of £7.3bn, or £23 per home per year, according to figures from the National Audit Office.

"It is vital to the UK economy that we have an energy infrastructure that delivers security of supply and addresses climate change, while keeping energy affordable," said Craig Boundy, CEO of Logica UK.

Mike Lewis, utilities industries principal at SAP UK, added: "Putting our systems with Logica at the centre of Britain's smart metered energy market will give everyone confidence that the market can operate consistently and reliably to the levels demanded by utilities, government and consumers."