At Enlit Africa 2026, Landis+Gyr EMEA launched its latest electricity smart metering innovation, the E480 DIN-Rail meter, a solution designed to help utilities and consumers better manage electricity usage amid South Africa’s ongoing energy challenges.
At the launch, industry players had a first view of how the technology can support South Africa’s energy market.
Enlit Africa is a leading gathering of the continent’s power, energy, and water community, bringing together utilities, municipalities, technology providers and policymakers to explore solutions that will shape Africa’s energy future. Landis+Gyr saw this as the right platform to launch the E480, recognising the urgency of accelerating smarter, more resilient electricity infrastructure across South Africa and the broader region.
As the country continues to navigate grid constraints, rising electricity demand, and the transition to more decentralised energy systems, the need for smarter, more responsive electricity infrastructure has become increasingly evident. The E480 electricity smart meter is positioned to respond to this by enabling greater visibility, control, and efficiency across the electricity value chain.
The E480 is a smart prepayment electricity meter that supports both prepayment and post-payment environments. It enables two-way communication and provides real-time access to electricity consumption data, empowering utilities and consumers with insights to better manage electricity usage.
“The future of energy in South Africa depends on smarter, more adaptive electricity systems,” said Connel Ngcukana, CEO of Landis+Gyr South Africa. “Solutions like the E480 give utilities and consumers the tools they need to respond more effectively to electricity demand, improve efficiency, and unlock new opportunities within the energy ecosystem.”
The meter leverages NB-IoT (Narrowband-Internet of things) connectivity, with 2G fallback, to enable reliable, real-time communication with the Head-End System (HES), and a mobile application that replaces the traditional customer interface unit. This gives users direct access to their electricity consumption data, prepayment functionality, and energy insights.
Beyond operational efficiency, the E480 introduces practical use cases that directly benefit South African consumers. These include load limiting capabilities, which can help reduce pressure on the national grid and lessen the need for load shedding, as well as support for households with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. This enables consumers to feed excess generated electricity back into the grid (where allowable) supporting greater energy resilience and participation in the energy market.
With advanced features such as power quality monitoring, demand management, tamper detection, and remote supply control, the solution also strengthens grid stability and improves revenue protection for utilities.
“Designing and manufacturing the E480 locally in Gauteng, reflects our long-term commitment to South Africa,” added Ngcukana. “It allows us to support local skills development and job creation – and ensure we deliver solutions tailored to the needs of our market.”
For more information visit: www.landisgyr.eu/