The Regional Gas Company (RGC) has completed the certification of smart natural gas meters developed by the company's R&D department.

"They will be produced and installed at gas consumers' homes as early as 2023," RGC said in a press release on Wednesday.

As explained in the RGC, metering devices combine a membrane meter and a smart module built into the case with a modem. Thanks to the modem, the device will automatically transmit data on gas consumption to the gas distribution company.

"It's just convenient, even when you haven't gone anywhere, you don't have to worry about transferring data at the beginning of each month," Head of Research and Development at RGC Yaroslav Khavrel said.

The membrane meter is based on the components of the world-famous Italian brand Mesura – smart modules with a modem developed by RGC specialists.

According to the company, the production of smart meters will begin in the second quarter of 2023 at the facilities of the Ukrainian metrological centers RGC Metering. The first batch of 16,000 meters will be manufactured this year.

"New meters will be installed both as part of the investment program of gas distribution companies and intended for commercial sales. Usually developers order installations of new meters," Khavrel said.

According to him, gas distribution network operators operating under the RGC brand will, as part of the investment program, replace old metering devices that have not been verified with new meters free of charge.

More than 10 million gas meters have been installed in Ukraine for household consumers. Only a few tens of thousands of them have smart systems. Other consumers have to submit their meter readings on a monthly basis.

As summed up in the RGC, after the launch of mass production of smart meters, conventional meters will be replaced by smart ones if the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission of Ukraine (NEURC) provides appropriate funds in investment programs for distribution network operators.