11. Notes the role that smart meters have in enabling two-way communication, allowing for accurate billing for consumers and increasing demand-side participation, where consumers adjust their habits according to peaks and troughs in energy production; stresses that citizens should receive the full benefits of a smart energy system and that citizen ownership increases behavioural efficiency and thus overall greater energy saving through open protocols; highlights the responsibility of DSOs as service providers to local, regional or national authorities to guarantee access to this service of general interest for all by ensuring network s ...[+++]ecurity and stability; highlights that every citizen should have direct access to consumption and production data in order to ensure efficient, safe and secure smart grid operations; urges the Commission to take steps to ensure that electrical appliances (in particular washing machines, dishwashers, heat pumps and storage heaters, etc.) are capable of operating automatically in conjunction with smart meters by providing consumers with the most favourable tariffs;

Smart grids, including smart meters and intelligent storage solutions, can facilitate this development as they allow for a new, smarter type of energy system – where energy is generated and used close to the site of production instead of transported long distances - and where bi-directional communication between the generation side and the consumption side is possible.

they shall ensure that if final customers request it, metering data on their electricity input and off-take is made available to them or to a third party acting on behalf of the final customer in an easily understandable format that they can use to compare deals on a like-for-like basis.

43. Believes that smart metering and ICT projects in general require broad information campaigns to explain their benefits to citizens; stresses that informing society about the need for, and benefits of, smart metering is crucial to avoiding misinterpretation and lack of public support; maintains, therefore, that no time should be lost in promoting smart metering, enabling consumers to manage their consumption as efficiently as possible, with a view to optimising energy production, delivery and electricity grids; emphasises, in this connection, that the measurement, monitoring and automation of consumption will be part and parcel of ...[+++]optimised electrical network architecture, the purpose of which must be to ensure energy efficiency, on the one hand, and to incorporate renewable energy sources, energy storage management and the recharging of future electric vehicles, on the other; emphasises, however, that while smart metering systems are a crucial stage in the process, they are only the first step towards the development of smart networks;

43. Believes that smart metering and ICT projects in general require broad information campaigns to explain their benefits to citizens; stresses that informing society about the need for, and benefits of, smart metering is crucial to avoiding misinterpretation and lack of public support; maintains, therefore, that no time should be lost in promoting smart metering, enabling consumers to manage their consumption as efficiently as possible, with a view to optimising energy production, delivery and electricity grids; emphasises, in this connection, that the measurement, monitoring and automation of consumption will be part and parcel of ...[+++]optimised electrical network architecture, the purpose of which must be to ensure energy efficiency, on the one hand, and to incorporate renewable energy sources, energy storage management and the recharging of future electric vehicles, on the other; emphasises, however, that while smart metering systems are a crucial stage in the process, they are only the first step towards the development of smart networks;

43. Believes that smart metering and ICT projects in general require broad information campaigns to explain their benefits to citizens; stresses that informing society about the need for, and benefits of, smart metering is crucial to avoiding misinterpretation and lack of public support; maintains, therefore, that no time should be lost in promoting smart metering, enabling consumers to manage their consumption as efficiently as possible, with a view to optimising energy production, delivery and electricity grids; emphasises, in this connection, that the measurement, monitoring and automation of consumption will be part and parcel of ...[+++]optimised electrical network architecture, the purpose of which must be to ensure energy efficiency, on the one hand, and to incorporate renewable energy sources, energy storage management and the recharging of future electric vehicles, on the other; emphasises, however, that while smart metering systems are a crucial stage in the process, they are only the first step towards the development of smart networks;