A newly formed partnership between one energy giant and a supplier of energy management software is looking to bring us closer to a more streamlined process for accessing and managing energy consumption.

In a move to further penetrate the smart grid market and to solidify its position in platform and meter data management (MDM) application software, energy giant Siemens (News - Alert) Industry – a company renowned for its sustainable technologies built for metropolitan areas and their respective infrastructures – has acquired all the assets of eMeter Corp., a provider of software designed to manage smart meter systems for utilities.

Under the terms of the agreement, eMeter will now become part of Siemens’ Smart Grid Division of the Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector as the global business segment and core of competence for MDM. As part of the division, eMeter employees will be integrated into Siemens’ business structure and will continue to operate from its San Mateo, Calif. headquarters. 

According to CNET.com, Siemens was previously an investor of eMeter, which boasts a long list of utility customers of its own including CenterPoint of Texas and Toronto Hydro Electric System. Back in 2009, the company revealed that it was looking to double its growth rate in the smart grid space to secure $8.48 billion in global business over the next five years, as reported by Gigaom.com.

"The acquisition of eMeter will allow Siemens to expand its reach globally in the Energy Information and Meter Data Management space," said Jan Mrosik, CEO of the Smart Grid Division of the Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector, in a press release. "Ever-increasing demand for solutions to improve the effectiveness of the Smart Grid for cities and utilities makes this acquisition even more important. eMeter is renowned for its superior software and services capabilities that enable electric, gas and water utilities to realize the full benefits of the smart grid. A combined portfolio of Siemens' products and solutions and eMeter's software represents a unique and complementary offering to our customers."

Through the collection of energy information, utilities have the ability to read meters and get a clearer picture of energy demand trends. Meanwhile, this new aspect of the smart grid is granting this crucial information to energy consumers so that they can eventually lower utility bills. However, utility companies continue to face obstacles in the massive amounts of data collected over different networks, pushing the need for billing applications that tie in this meter data.

"Siemens' global reach and innovative products and services coupled with eMeter's renowned EnergyIP platform, supports an aggressive growth strategy and further penetration into the Smart Grid market," said Gary Bloom, CEO and president of eMeter. "I am confident Siemens will provide eMeter with the level of investment required in people, technology and operations to significantly strengthen our position in the market."

Tammy Wolf is a TMCnet web editor. She covers a wide range of topics, including IP communications and information technology. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jamie Epstein