Smart Utilities Survey Reveals Lack of Confidence Among Smart Utilities Professionals Regarding 2020 Target

LONDON, April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Survey respondents were from a variety of Smart Utilities companies such as Utility Providers, Technology Providers, IT Providers and Consultants. 66% of these respondents are currently looking into an investment in either smart metering (23%), smart grids (5%) or both technologies (38%).

The results of this survey reveal that only 38% of industry professionals think that the 2020 target will be met. This might be because of the lack of government support to help move smart utility technology from theory into practice: 76% of respondents think that the government is not doing enough.

The respondents were also questioned about what they see as the biggest challenge in terms of introducing smart utility technology and the biggest concern for 41% of respondents is knowing which technical solution to select. Other major concerns of industry professionals are start up costs (16%), lack of government support (6%) and securing internal buy in (5%). It was also stated that convincing the consumers about the value added for them can be a major challenge.

Another part of the survey focused on the security of smart utility technology. For 64% of organisations involved in smart utilities, security was stated as a concern. 39% even consider the security issues as a "serious concern".

That is why there will be a dedicated Smart Security focus day at the forthcoming Smart Utility Summit 2011 taking place in London 27th - 29th June 2011. The focus day will bring delegates up to date with the latest security measures being designed to safeguard against malicious attacks as well as addressing consumer concerns with effective customer experience strategies.

Now in its 5th year, the Smart Utility Summit 2011 is the event to bring together Smart Metering, Smart Grids and Smart Operations allowing delegates to cover the whole process from provider to consumer.

To find out more about the Smart Security day, the whole agenda of the Smart Utility Summit or the speaker line up, please visit: http://bit.ly/gkaQha

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