The participants in the pilot project to implement smart meters will pay differentiated electricity charges. According to the Ministry of Energy, the consumers will pay half the usual price for one kW/h between 00:00 and 06:00, the standard price for consumption between 11:00 and 16:00 and a price increased by the coefficient 1.2 between 16:00 and 24:00, IPN reports.

The pilot project, carried out in partnership with UNDP Moldova and the Government of Italy, provides for the installation of smart meters for a particular number of electricity consumers. The final consumers will be selected by the energy distributors based on a sample formed according to demographic and geographical principles. After a trial period, the differentiated tariffs could be applied throughout the country.

“To begin with, the scheme of future charges will be applied only to the participants in the pilot project, and the purpose is to observe their behavior, consumption habits, whether the night tariff will help reduce consumption peaks and stabilize the electricity system. Especially in the winter months, there are urgent needs to reduce these peaks in energy consumption,” reads a press release from the Ministry.

Smart meters will measure consumption at short intervals and will transmit the data automatically, securely and without mistakes to the energy distributor, without the need for the employees of the supplier companies to physically read the meters. The smart appliances will automatically “read” the charges from the meter and decide when is the most convenient time to start.