Seven million Texans will be receiving smart energy meters as part of a program announced this morning. Customers of the Texas utility company Oncor will be receiving the smart meters, which are known to encourage energy efficiency among users.

The meters will come from Landis+Gyr, a Swiss-based energy management firm. Landis+Gyr’s CEO, Cameron O’Reilly, sees energy efficiency as vital, as he discussed in a press release this morning: “Energy conservation is the critical ‘fifth fuel’ -- after coal, gas, nuclear and alternative energy – that must be harnessed to secure our energy future.”

Oncor chose the Landis+Gyr technology after an extensive review process, settling on the company’s meters based on their technological capability. Oncor will be sending $690 million in business to the Swiss firm — the utility company is ttaking on one of the largest distributions of smart meter in the U.S. to date.

As the meters are installed, Texas consumers will get a better idea of just how much energy they’re using — and how much it’s costing them. Oncor’s expectation is that energy consumption will drop across the board, hopefully reducing the need for peak plants, as well as new facilities.

Image courtesy Oncor