A smart meter can show when a household consumes electricity, transmit readings remotely and make an hourly variable-price offer possible. However, it cannot cool an overheated transformer, repair a storm-damaged cable or generate the energy missing during a period of low water levels and high air-conditioning use. This distinction matters in Romania, where meter digitalisation is advancing but grid operation still depends on physical investment, good data and rules that do not shift risk onto consumers.
ANRE data as at 31 December 2025 show that 3,578,830 consumption, generation and prosumer connection points were integrated into smart metering systems, representing 34.5% of the total connected to distribution networks. This is up from 28% at the end of 2024. However, the same report shows that installation does not automatically mean consistent digital services: operators differ substantially both in installation pace and in the successful transmission of data.
Three different issues are too often grouped under “energy security”
During heatwaves, droughts, violent storms or severe cold, public debate frequently conflates three separate questions:
| Issue | What can cause it | What a smart meter can do | What it cannot do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is enough energy being generated? | Peak demand, drought, unavailable capacity, fluctuations in wind and solar generation | Provide aggregate data useful for demand forecasting and flexibility programmes | It does not build generation, storage or reserve capacity |
| Can the grid deliver the energy? | Heavily loaded transformers and lines, faults, vegetation, storms, ageing infrastructure | Flag anomalies more quickly and better locate certain problems in the distribution network | It does not increase the physical capacity of lines or prevent every fault |
| Can the consumer respond without disproportionate losses? | Estimated bills, lack of hourly information, unsuitable contracts, inability to shift consumption | Enable remote reading and, where an offer exists, the use of dynamic pricing | It does not automatically guarantee savings or replace protections for vulnerable customers |
The practical conclusion is simple: smart metering is a tool for control and information, not a power plant or a new grid. Used well, it can reduce unnecessary consumption during critical hours and make billing more accurate. If data do not flow properly, commercial offers are absent or consumers have no real means of shifting their use, its benefits remain limited.
Why climate change puts pressure on generation and the grid at the same time
Climate change does not simply mean more solar energy available in summer. It also brings difficult combinations to manage: high temperatures, high cooling demand, less water for hydropower and for cooling certain power plants, as well as storms or fires that can affect infrastructure. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that heat extremes affect energy generation and distribution, including transformer and line capacity, while drought can limit water available for hydropower and cooling.
For Romania, the risk must be understood through the system’s structure: part of generation depends on water availability, while new solar and wind investments must be connected in areas where the grid needs strengthening. The 2024–2033 transmission network development plan, published by Transelectrica, aims to integrate new generation, modernise infrastructure and increase interconnection capacity. In its sustainability report published in 2026, the company explicitly identifies storms and drought as physical risks that may affect infrastructure stability and operations.
It is also important to distinguish transmission from distribution. Transelectrica operates the high-voltage transmission grid and balances the national system. Distribution operators deliver electricity to homes, shops and businesses through local networks. A meter installed in an apartment is primarily relevant to distribution, metering and the relationship with the supplier; by itself, it does not provide a solution to every constraint in the national system.
What the data on smart meters in Romania show
At national level, the 2019–2028 implementation timetable provided for 3,659,556 integrated connection points by the end of 2025. Actual delivery was 3,578,830, or 98% of the cumulative target. The aggregate result is close to plan, but it conceals significant regional gaps.
- In the Rețele Electrice Dobrogea area, total implementation had reached 66.85% as at 31 December 2025.
- It stood at 58.81% in Rețele Electrice Muntenia and 56.45% in Rețele Electrice Banat.
- It was 13.54% in the DEER Transilvania Nord area and 13.63% in DEER Transilvania Sud.
- It was 15.58% in DEER Muntenia Nord.
These percentages refer to operators’ concession areas, rather than the performance of an individual county or city. But they show why a customer’s experience with a digital meter can vary greatly from one region to another.
More relevant than installation alone is whether information reaches the operator’s system in full and on time. ANRE measures the daily success rate for transmitting data from the meter to central collection and processing platforms. In 2025, Rețele Electrice Muntenia reported 91.13%, Rețele Electrice Banat 92.49%, Rețele Electrice Dobrogea 91.52%, and Distribuție Energy Oltenia 93.09%. By contrast, Delgaz Grid reported 75.51%, DEER Muntenia Nord 81.96%, and DEER Transilvania Sud 75.83%.
The difference matters to consumers. A meter may be installed and record consumption locally, but imperfect communication with the central system can delay the use of data for billing, information or technical intervention. The ANRE report shows, for example, that the proportion of integrated users for whom billing data were available ranged from 66.9% in DEER Muntenia Nord to more than 99% in some Rețele Electrice Romania areas and in Distribuție Energy Oltenia.
For more information about ANRE, see also Romania’s electricity grid enters an investment plan through 2035: what changes in links with Hungary and Bulgaria, which provides complementary details on this subject.
The main issue is not just the meter, but the entire data chain
A smart metering system operates in several stages: the meter records, communications transmit, the operator’s platform validates, and the data must reach billing and, ideally, the customer in a useful form. A fault or delay at any stage can cause confusion: missing readings, estimated consumption, incomplete display in an app or an inability to analyse consumption by interval.
In its 2025 report, ANRE mentions problems with the quality and consistency of data reported by operators, as well as delays in responses to requests for clarification. The authority also says that some collected data are not being used efficiently to optimise internal processes. This is a useful warning: digitalisation is not measured only by the number of devices purchased, but by functioning services, verifiable data and outcomes for users.
In the same report, interest in dynamic prices was low: requests represented between 0% and 0.43% of integrated users, depending on the area. This does not prove that dynamic tariffs are useless. It does show, however, that the mere technical availability of a meter does not automatically create a mature market or a good choice for every household.
Why dynamic pricing is not a universal solution
A dynamic-price contract reflects fluctuations in electricity prices on spot markets at intervals at least equal to the market settlement frequency. It may benefit a customer able to move a meaningful share of consumption to cheaper hours: charging an electric car, running a washing machine or dryer, or, under certain conditions, charging a battery.
For a family that needs to cool its home precisely during the hottest hours, by contrast, flexibility may be limited. A dynamic tariff can bring savings, but it can also expose customers to high prices during peak periods. The basic rule is not to confuse the technical possibility of having an hourly price with an obligation to accept it, or with a promise of a lower bill.
ANRE states that a customer with a smart meter may enter into a dynamic-price contract with at least one supplier and with any supplier with more than 200,000 final customers. Before signing, the customer should check the pricing formula, the components of the bill, the periods when their own consumption is high and whether they can shift that consumption without affecting comfort or safety. For context on flexibility mechanisms, InfoBuz’s explanation of who can be paid to temporarily reduce their electricity consumption is also useful.
What actually protects generation, the grid and consumers
A credible response to climate risks requires different, complementary measures. No single investment can solve all vulnerabilities at once.
1. More diverse generation and the capacity to get through difficult hours
Security is not just about how many megawatts are installed on paper. What matters is how much energy is available during the critical hour and how quickly the system can compensate for fluctuations. This includes diversifying sources, maintaining existing capacity, storage, system services, better forecasting and interconnections with neighbouring countries. Solar produces heavily on clear days, but peak demand on a very hot evening may occur after photovoltaic output begins to decline. This is why panels, batteries, the grid and flexible consumption must be planned together.
Readers can separately follow developments in generation and the role of solar energy on the Energy and Sun Romania page, without concluding that a day of high solar output automatically rules out local grid constraints.
2. Grids designed for heat, storms and new electricity flows
Heat can constrain equipment and increase the load in neighbourhoods where many air conditioners run at the same time. Storms, falling trees and fires can cause local faults. The solutions are physical and operational: replacing ageing equipment, modernising substations, automating protection systems, monitoring lines, preventive maintenance, vegetation management and designing for more severe climate conditions.
Smart meters can help operators identify abnormal consumption patterns or the absence of voltage at particular points more quickly. However, they must be complemented by network sensors, robust communications, protected IT systems and teams able to intervene. Digitalisation without repair capacity and investment in cables, substations and transformers merely provides a better picture of an unresolved problem.
3. Informed, protected and fairly treated consumers
A customer with a remotely read meter is entitled to billing information based on actual consumption and to access detailed data after the period of use. ANRE specifies that data by day, week, month and year must be made available online or through the meter interface for at least the previous 24 months, subject to the conditions applicable to the remotely read customer. These data are particularly useful for identifying hours of unusually high consumption.
They do not remove rights related to distribution quality. If performance standards are not met, compensation for affected users must be granted automatically by the distribution operator, according to ANRE information issued on 29 July 2025. In the event of an outage, the customer should keep a record of when the interruption began and ended, photographs of any error displays, and the reference number of the report registered with the operator or supplier. For practical steps during the first moments, the article What to do during a power outage in the first 30 minutes may be useful.
What a customer should check when a smart meter appears not to work
- Distinguish a power outage from a meter-reading problem. If there is no voltage in the home or apartment building, it is a distribution issue. If electricity is available but the bill is estimated or the app shows no data, the issue may concern reading, communications or billing.
- Check the basis of calculation on the bill. The bill should state whether it used a meter reading, self-reading or an estimate. An estimated value does not automatically mean the metering device is defective, but it warrants checking if it persists.
- Request detailed consumption data. This is essential before accepting a dynamic tariff or concluding that an appliance consumes excessively.
- Contact the right entity first. For loss of voltage and grid problems, contact the distribution operator; for the bill and contract, contact the supplier. If the response does not resolve the issue, ANRE may be notified.
- Do not confuse access to data with someone else having access to the home. Consumption data can reveal a great deal about usage patterns, which is why cybersecurity and data protection must be treated as part of the service, not as a secondary detail.
The limit of digitalisation: data must be secure and useful
A smart meter collects more detailed data than a conventional meter. For this reason, European legislation requires smart metering systems and data communications to comply with cybersecurity and privacy requirements. The same legislation provides that customers must be informed before or at installation about the handling of readings, consumption monitoring and the processing of personal data.
This does not mean there is public evidence of a systemic breach involving smart meters in Romania. It does mean that data protection and continuity of communications are necessary conditions for the investment to do its job. A more digital grid may be more visible and controllable, but it also becomes more dependent on software, telecommunications, access procedures and qualified staff.
Romania already has a significant base of smart meters and a national timetable running through 2028. The real test of the next stage will not be only how many new devices are installed. It will be whether data reach operators reliably, whether they reduce estimated billing, whether users receive clear commercial options and whether digital investments progress at the same pace as grid strengthening. In the face of heatwaves and extreme weather, energy security is built from all these elements, not from a single device mounted on a wall.
Frequently asked questions
Does a smart meter prevent a power outage?
No. It can help detect certain anomalies and enable remote reading, but it does not increase the grid’s physical capacity or repair faults caused by storms, defective equipment or overload.
Can I request hourly consumption data if I have a remotely read meter?
Yes. ANRE states that detailed data according to the period of use must be available online or through the meter interface for at least the previous 24 months, or for the shorter period since the contract began.
Is a dynamic tariff mandatory if I have a smart meter?
No. A smart meter makes the offer possible, but switching to a dynamic-price contract requires the customer’s agreement. Before signing, it should be checked whether the household can shift a meaningful share of consumption to cheaper hours.
What should I do if my bill is estimated even though I have a smart meter?
Check the statement on the calculation method on the bill, request consumption data and contact the supplier to clarify the bill. If the issue concerns the absence or operation of remote reading, the distribution operator may also need to be notified.
Do I automatically receive compensation for interruptions that exceed standards?
ANRE has stated that distribution operators are obliged to automatically grant the compensation provided for under the Performance Standard when indicators are not met, without an application from the user.
