Romania is among the European countries that measure energy consumption the least. Countries that have achieved close to 100% metering

Wednesday, Oct 21, 2026

HotNews

Romania invests in smart meters to boost energy efficiency, though implementation lags behind EU peers.

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[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

Romania plans to install over 800,000 smart meters using 100 million euros from the Modernization Fund. As of the end of 2025, only 34.5% of Romanian consumers were integrated into smart metering systems, lagging behind many other European countries. Smart meters record real-time consumption and can support dynamic tariffs, potentially lowering household bills by shifting usage away from peak hours. While Romania has accelerated its installation rate in 2025, significant disparities exist between different distribution operators, with some regions making much greater progress than others. The National Regulatory Authority (ANRE) noted that while the annual progress was optimistic, the overall cumulative target for 2025 was only met at 98%. The government’s new program allocates 100 million euros to the four concessionary distribution operators to install these meters, aiming to enable real-time billing, reduce physical meter readings, and decrease network losses and fraud. However, ANRE points out that the challenge extends beyond hardware installation to integrating existing infrastructure and effectively utilizing the collected data. Furthermore, the impact on consumers remains limited because the availability of dynamic pricing offers from suppliers is very low. Across Europe, while smart meter penetration is increasing, the adoption of dynamic pricing contracts remains low, despite the technology’s potential for flexible energy use. European Commission proposals aim for 50% of final customers to have smart meters by 2030 and 75% by 2033. Countries like Spain and France offer examples of widespread adoption, while Austria mandates smart meters.

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