Metering, Billing/CRM Australia/New Zealand 2009, the premier targeted event for the utility industry in Australia and New Zealand is part of a global series of annual (smart) metering events hosted by Synergy and Spintelligent and is organized in conjunction with the leading magazine Metering International.

Worldwide utilities, both large and small are developing and adopting plans for mass deploying of Smart Grid and advanced metering projects, driven by government legislation and billions of dollars are being invested in “smart metering” technologies. Utilities, vendors and research institutes are working together on a standard to ensure interoperability of all the devices and systems.

As the smart metering infrastructures are rolled out, utilities and their customers are looking for energy management solutions that can be deployed today. In Victoria, the program to roll out new smart electricity meters has been officially launched and over the next four years all five electricity distributors in Victoria will be required to rollout the new meters. NSW's deadline for the roll-out of smart metering technology is 2017 and there are plans to trial the technology amongst 10,000 households in the coming months.

Australia’s water utilities are working hard to secure the growing water needs, to adapt to climate change and a future with less water. A report on New Zealand's water supplies has called for the mandatory use of water meters in households as a way of managing the resource. State-of–the-Art water meters play a crucial role in achieving these objectives.

Against this background, the Metering, Billing/CRM Australia/New Zealand 2009 conference and exhibition provides a timely platform for the key players in the energy supply industry targeting at innovative solutions to improve energy efficiency and demand management. For the 7th time Metering, Billing/CRM Australia/New Zealand will take place in Sydney, October 21-22, 2009.