French technology group Sagemcom has acquired Germany smart-metering company Froschl for an undisclosed sum.

Sagemcom (Rueil-Malmaison, France), which sells terminals in the digital TV, energy and document-management sectors, claims the takeover will help it realize an ambition of becoming a major international player in the smart-meter market.

Froschl specializes in developing data-management software that will round out Sagemcom’s portfolio, according to the French company, and help it to win new business.

Nearly 40% of executives from water utilities think it is “highly likely” that demand will exceed supply by 2030, underscoring the need for better management through innovations like network sensors and smart meters, according to a new study from software giant Oracle and the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Some 45% of the 244 executives surveyed for the report reckoned that wasteful consumer behavior is the main barrier to meeting future demand, with about a third of respondents rating worries over climate change and low tariffs as other significant barriers.

Siemens Smart Grid has introduced an updated version of its demand response system, claiming it allows utilities to manage demand response programs more effectively than via traditional processes.

The so-called Demand Response Management System (DRMS) Version 2.0 is supposedly one of the first technologies that can ‘surgically’ target demand reductions through substation, feeder, zip code or geographical location. This means that utilities can reduce power loads at critical sections of their distribution network.

Smart-meter business Energy Assets has acquired a subsidiary of Gazprom, the huge Russian gas company, in a £13.5 million ($21.7 million) deal that strengthens its position as one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of gas-metering services to the industrial and commercial (I&C) market.

The Scotland-based firm has announced a takeover of Gazprom Global Energy Solutions (GGES) (Manchester, UK), which provides automated meter reading (AMR) services to gas suppliers and blue-chip companies in the I&C market.

Telit has expanded its collaboration with a Chinese start-up in the country’s fast-growing smart-grid sector, helping it to secure a spot in one of the world’s biggest markets for energy-related M2M technology.

Founded in 1996 and funded by the North China Electric Power Research Institute, Beijing Yupont develops electric power metering and automatic meter reading technologies, as well as geographical information systems, electric power meter and load control terminal products.

Itron and C3 Energy have announced a strategic alliance to market energy-management services to North American utilities.

The companies say their tie-up will enable utilities to provide better energy-management services to customers.

Under the arrangement, Itron (Liberty Lake, USA) will combine its smart-metering and data-management products with C3’s energy-management services. The end result, it is hoped, will be used by utilities to help consumers better understand and reduce their energy consumption.

Cisco (San Jose, USA) is hoping to accelerate the development of smart-grid technology with the launch of a developer program that provides participants with access to tools, resources and go-to-market support.

Called the Connected Grid Cisco Developer Network (CDN), the program allows partners to develop services that can be integrated with Cisco’s GridBlocksTM architecture and Connected Grid solutions to support advanced smart-grid capabilities.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) is looking into the introduction of a smart grid to boost energy efficiency and provide better services to consumers in the State.

The PSC has initiated a proceeding that it says will examine “all aspects” of smart grid technologies, including their implementation costs, any technical issues and the societal impacts they might have.

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The introduction of smart meters to the UK could lead to savings of £65 a year for the average household, according to a new report from British Gas (Staines, UK) and Oxford Economics.

According to the study, the rollout of smart meters across the UK will lead to savings of approximately £14 billion ($22.7 billion) between 2012 and 2030, equating to an average saving per household of about £65 a year.