EFR

Smart Grid Energy Managementefr.de

EFR GmbH is a Munich-based energy management system provider, founded 1993 and owned by Bayernwerk, N-ERGIE, and Netze BW. It supplies certified smart meter gateways, electronic electricity meters, grid management software, broadband powerline systems, and longwave network control services to German and Central European utilities, grid operators, and municipalities.

Company typePrivate
Founded1993
HeadquartersMünchen, Germany
Headcount51–100
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What EFR does

EFR GmbH is a Munich-based energy management system provider founded in 1993, operating as a private subsidiary jointly held by three E.ON-affiliated German utilities: Bayernwerk, N-ERGIE, and Netze BW. The company employs approximately 67 people across four locations (Munich headquarters, Wutha-Farnroda production, Berlin longwave operations, and Aachen product management) and serves over 350 utilities, distribution network operators, municipalities, and industrial customers in Germany and Central Europe.

EFR's core product portfolio spans certified hardware and integrated software for smart metering and grid control. Hardware includes the SGH-S Secure Smart Grid Hub (BSI-CC-1000 and EUCC certified), the SGM series of electronic electricity meters (C2/C4/C6/C8 compact meters and D/D4/DD/SM base meters), and the GCU-S Secure Control Box for controllable local systems. The Grid Management Suite (GMS) and Grid Management & Metering Suite 2.0 (GM2S) provide ISO 27001-certified software for feed-in management, tariff and load control, Redispatch 2.0, and CLS administration. A distinctive asset is EFR's longwave broadcast infrastructure with transmitter facilities at Frankfurt am Main, Magdeburg, and Budapest controlling over 1.35 million radio ripple control receivers. The company has also launched a complete Broadband Powerline (BPL) product family based on the ITU-T G.9960 G.hn standard, an EFR Utility SIM powered by Telefonica for cellular M2M communications, and WS-K weather stations for predictive building management.

EFR's revenue model combines hardware sales (meters, gateways, control boxes, BPL components), recurring SaaS subscriptions (GMS, GM2S), managed services including Metering as a Service and longwave network control, and M2M cellular service contracts. Distribution is sales-led with dedicated enterprise account managers serving DSOs and municipalities; pricing is quote-based with multi-year contracts. Certifications (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO/IEC 27001, EUCC, BSI-CC-1000, GWA §25 MsbG, HomeGrid Forum membership) constitute significant regulatory moats, and the company is positioned as a first-mover in EUCC-certified smart meter gateway deployment.

EFR firmographics

Firmographics

Name: EFR
Legal name: EFR GmbH
Website: https://efr.de
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1993
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 51–100 employees
Short description: EFR GmbH is a Munich-based energy management system provider, founded 1993 and owned by Bayernwerk, N-ERGIE, and Netze BW. It supplies certified smart meter gateways, electronic electricity meters, grid management software, broadband powerline systems, and longwave network control services to German and Central European utilities, grid operators, and municipalities.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

EFR industry classification

Industry

Product category: Smart Grid Energy Management
NAICS: Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing (335314)
SIC: Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600), Electric Services (4911)
akta.pro primary industry: DER & Microgrid Interconnection / Grid Edge Integration Services (EUAEANAF)
akta.pro secondary industries: SCADA/DMS/OMS Integration, Upgrades & Managed Services (EUAEANAE), Microgrid O&M, Monitoring & Asset Management Services (EUAFAJAJ), Microgrids & Energy Management Controllers (Campus/Community/Industrial) (EUADAPAE)

Keywords

Smart grid management
Smart metering systems
Energy management solutions
Grid control services
Metering point operation

Where EFR is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: München
HQ country: Germany
HQ region: Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

EFR business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Smart Energy Devices: Sale of electronic meters (SGM series), Smart Meter Gateways (SGH-S), Control Boxes (GCU-S), and accessories including modems, couplers, and repeaters for smart grid and metering infrastructure.
Software/SaaS Solutions: Grid Management Suite (GMS) and Grid Management & Metering Suite 2.0 (GM2S) offered as SaaS solutions. EFR operates and maintains software; operators avoid local installation costs.
Metering as a Service (MaaS): Comprehensive managed services including metering, control, and feed-in management for compliance with § 14a EnWG and § 9 EEG. Includes MSB supply chain 'EMELIE' for device logistics and warehouse management.
M2M Cellular Services: EFR Utility SIM cards with industry-specific tariffs for energy sector applications including data pooling, SMS, and IP communications. Revenue from cellular service contracts.
Service Provider Network Control: Longwave broadcast system services for feed-in management, tariff/load control, and grid operations. Revenue from service contracts with grid operators and energy providers.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Other	Multi-year contract	Custom enterprise solutions

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

EFR product offering

Product offering

Core offering

EFR GmbH is a system provider for energy management offering an integrated portfolio of smart metering hardware (Smart Meter Gateways, electronic electricity meters, control boxes), software platforms (Grid Management Suite, GM2S), and multi-channel communication infrastructure (longwave broadcast, cellular M2M, broadband powerline) for utility companies, distribution network operators, municipalities, and industrial sites in Germany and Central Europe. The company also delivers managed services including Metering as a Service (MaaS) and longwave-based grid control for tariff/load management, feed-in management, and public lighting.

Product overview

EFR GmbH is a system provider of energy management solutions in Germany and Central Europe, offering an integrated portfolio of smart metering, grid communication, and energy management products. The core offering consists of the SGH-S Secure Smart Meter Gateway (BSI-CC-1000 certified) paired with SGM-series electronic electricity meters (SGM-C2/C4/C6/C8 compact meters and SGM-D/D4/DD/SM base meters), the GCU-S Control Box for CLS management, and the Grid Management Suite (GMS) / GM2S software platform for control, monitoring, and administration. EFR operates a Longwave Broadcast System controlling 1.3M+ radio receivers for tariff/load control, feed-in management, and public lighting. The product range includes Broadband Powerline (BPL) solutions based on ITU-T G.9960 G.hn standard (BPL-Headend, BPL-Repeater, BPL-1TE-Modem, BPL-Coupler), the EFR Utility SIM for cellular M2M communications, charging solutions (iASB, Ladecontroller), WS-K weather stations for predictive building management, and system solutions for Redispatch 2.0, tariff/load control, and lighting control. Services include Metering as a Service (MaaS) and the EMELIE supply chain solution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

SGH-S Secure Smart Grid Hub (Smart Meter Gateway) BSI-CC-1000 and EUCC-certified communications gateway for intelligent metering systems (iMSys). Provides secure connectivity between smart meters and head-end systems for grid operators and utilities.
SGM-C2 Electronic Electricity Meter System-ready single-phase compact meter (modern metering device/mMe) for residential electricity measurement within smart metering systems.
SGM-C4 Electronic Electricity Meter System-ready three-phase compact meter (modern metering device/mMe) for commercial electricity measurement within smart metering systems.
SGM-C6 Electronic Electricity Meter System-ready single-phase two-wire compact meter (modern metering device/mMe) for residential metering applications.
SGM-C8 Electronic Electricity Meter System-ready three-phase four-wire compact meter (modern metering device/mMe) for commercial metering applications.
SGM-D4 Base Meter Smart Grid four-line FNN base meter for intelligent metering systems (iMSys).
SGM-DD Base Meter Smart Grid four-line meter with extended functional scope for intelligent metering systems.
GCU-S Secure Control Box Highly secure control unit (CLS/Controllable Local System) for power management, smart grids, distribution grid automation, VPP/direct marketing, and infrastructure with All-IP connectivity. Enables feed-in management through SMGW infrastructure.
Grid Management Suite (GMS) ISO 27001-certified software system for control, monitoring, and administration of smart grid infrastructures. Includes feed-in management, Redispatch 2.0 applications, tariff and load control, CLS management, and 60870-5-104 adapter for control center connectivity. Offered as SaaS solution.
Grid Management & Metering Suite 2.0 (GM2S) Next-generation SaaS platform for metering point operation and network management. Provides metering services, gateway administration, and feed-in management for smart metering systems.
Longwave Broadcast System Radio ripple control infrastructure with transmitter facilities at Frankfurt am Main, Magdeburg, and Budapest. Controls over 1.35 million radio receivers across Germany for tariff/load control, feed-in management, public lighting control, and e-mobility charging management.
BPL-Headend SGC-HE (Broadband Powerline) Broadband Powerline headend managing all powerline communication devices in a domain. Connects distributed BPL components with higher-level network management systems (NMS). Supports ITU-T G.9960 G.hn standard with MIMO technology, secure boot, and VLAN.
BPL-1TE-Modem SGC-MD

Quantifiable outcome

Over 1.35 million radio receivers controlled through longwave system
+3 more outcomes

Companies that use EFR

Customer profile

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

EFR technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature9 records

EFR partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

TelefónicacoreTechnology or IntegrationTelefónica powers the EFR Utility SIM cellular service, providing all German cellular networks (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G) with network coverage including border area roaming.
HomeGrid ForumstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEFR joined the powerline industry association to shape G.hn standard development and ensure interoperability between BPL providers. E.ON is also a member.
exceeds solutions GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner from Halle involved in NPorts smart metering project for efficient, reliable project implementation.
Meterwise GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner from Aachen involved in NPorts smart metering project for efficient, reliable project implementation.
PSIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in Redispatch 3.0 project for demonstration and marketing of flexible capacities of microfacilities.
University of KasselminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic consortium partner in Redispatch 3.0 project for research on unused flexible capacities of small power systems.
Fraunhofer FIT, Fraunhofer IEEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch consortium partners in Redispatch 3.0 project for grid integration and energy management research.
Navimatix GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in EM4Q project for energy management in quarters, developing dynamic charging management systems.
Städtische Werke BornaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in EM4Q project for developing and testing dynamic charging management for local low-voltage grids.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

EFR competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

PPC (Power Plus Communications): German BPL/smart meter gateway provider. Direct competitor to EFR in BPL communication infrastructure for smart meter rollout and low-voltage grid digitization. Both target German DSOs and utilities under the same regulatory framework (§ 14a EnWG, § 9 EEG).
Theben AG: German manufacturer of smart meter gateways and energy management devices. Competes directly with EFR's SGH-S product in the German smart metering market, serving similar municipal utilities and DSOs with BSI-certified gateways.
Sagemcom Dr. Neuhaus: German subsidiary of Sagemcom producing BSI-certified smart meter gateways. Direct competitor to EFR's SGH-S, particularly for TR v2.0-ready certified gateways under the German rollout.
Kiwigrid: German energy management platform provider for utilities and grid operators. Competes with EFR's GMS/GM2S in delivering EMS, CLS management, and grid control software for renewable integration and controllable loads.
Discovergy: German smart metering-as-a-service provider offering submetering, metering point operations, and energy data services. Overlaps with EFR's MaaS and EMELIE MSB supply chain offerings for residential and commercial customers.

Broad incumbents

Landis+Gyr: Global leader in smart metering and grid management solutions with significant presence in German-speaking markets. Competes with EFR across metering hardware, communication infrastructure, and grid software, but operates a much broader international portfolio.
Itron: Global smart metering and grid edge intelligence provider. Competes with EFR in the broader smart grid and AMI market, particularly for utility-scale deployments, though with less specialization in the German-specific regulatory regime.
Siemens Smart Infrastructure: Large industrial conglomerate with energy management, grid control, and substation automation offerings. Competes broadly with EFR's GMS and grid communication systems as part of a much wider portfolio.

Regional players

Voltaris: German metering point operator and meter rollout services provider for municipal utilities. Competes with EFR's MaaS/EMELIE offerings in the German DSO market for MSB services and smart meter rollout execution.

Emerging players

Robotron / Robotron Datenbank-Software: German software provider for energy data management, gateway administration (GWA), and smart meter rollout. Overlaps with EFR's GMS/GM2S platform and competes in serving DSOs and metering point operators in Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

EFR compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance4 records

EFR financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

EFR leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

EFR funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

EFR M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EFR

What does EFR do?

Is EFR a public or private company?

EFR is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was EFR founded?

EFR was founded in 1993. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is EFR based?

EFR is headquartered in München, Germany, in the Europe region.

How does EFR make money?

Five revenue lines are on record. Smart Energy Devices are the primary driver. The others are software/SaaS Solutions, metering as a Service (MaaS), M2M Cellular Services and service Provider Network Control.

Who are EFR's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are PPC (Power Plus Communications), Theben AG, Sagemcom Dr. Neuhaus, Kiwigrid and Discovergy. Broad incumbents are Landis+Gyr, Itron and Siemens Smart Infrastructure. Voltaris is listed as a regional player. Robotron / Robotron Datenbank-Software is listed as an emerging player.

Does EFR have an API?

No public API is recorded for EFR.

What industry is EFR in?

EFR's product category is Smart Grid Energy Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAEANAF, DER & Microgrid Interconnection / Grid Edge Integration Services, with a secondary code of EUAEANAE, SCADA/DMS/OMS Integration, Upgrades & Managed Services. Its NAICS code is 334512 and its SIC code is 3823.