Consultation outcome

Maximising interoperability for first generation (SMETS1) smart meters

From:: Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
Published: 17 April 2018
Last updated: 4 October 2018 — See all updates

Read the full outcome

Consultation on maximising interoperability for first generation (SMETS1) smart meters: government response

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Annex A: final draft legal text

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Detail of outcome

We will introduce requirements on energy suppliers to take all reasonable steps to enrol SMETS1 meters in the Data Communications Company (DCC), within 12 months of the point they can do so (or the point they gain any unenrolled meters on change of supplier).

Energy suppliers will be required to take all reasonable steps to replace any unenrolled SMETS1 meters with SMETS2 meters by the end of 2020. This will ensure that by the end of the rollout all consumers with smart meters can retain smart functionality when they switch energy supplier.

Detail of feedback received

We received 51 responses to this consultation and have taken these stakeholders’ views into account in reaching our decision.

Original consultation

Consultation description

A number of energy suppliers are installing SMETS1 smart meters, using their own data and communications systems to provide smart services. While SMETS1 meters support accurate bills and near real-time energy consumption which enable consumers to realise the benefit of smart metering, consumers may lose smart services on switching to another energy supplier.

The government’s long-standing policy for resolving this issue is for all significant populations of SMETS1 meters to eventually be operated via the national data and communications provider, the Data Communications Company (DCC). However, as energy suppliers are not required to make use of a DCC SMETS1 service there is a risk that the benefits to consumers of an interoperable SMETS1 service are not delivered in a timely manner.

In recognition of this, we are consulting on proposals to require energy suppliers to enrol SMETS1 meters in the DCC, or failing that to replace them with SMETS2 meters, within a specified timeframe. In addition, a proposed new back-stop obligation would require energy suppliers to replace any SMETS1 meter that is not enrolled with a SMETS2 meter by the end of 2020.

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