Electricity Smart Metering Equipment

Gas Smart Metering Equipment

Great Britain Smart Metering Implementation Programme: Notification of smart metering technical specifications modified to provide for proportional control of electrical loads.

The Third Energy Package (Electricity Directive 2009/72/EC and Gas Directive 2009/73/EC) introduced requirements relating to the deployment of smart meters. The UK Government introduced requirements ("roll-out licence conditions") on energy (electricity and gas) suppliers to procure and install smart meters in their domestic and smaller non-domestic customers’ premises in Great Britain (i.e. England, Wales and Scotland).

For Great Britain smart meters must meet the minimum functional requirements defined in the Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specifications (SMETS) in force when they are installed. Energy suppliers must also offer consumers an In Home Display (compliant with the In Home Display (IHD) Technical Specification that forms part of the SMETS document) as part of the installation. The Data Communications Company (DCC) is licensed to provide the secure connection for passing data between energy suppliers and smart meters. The DCC has contracts in place with communications service providers who are required to provide Communications Hubs (CH), which must meet the minimum requirements of the Communications Hub Technical Specifications (CHTS). In order to demonstrate compliance with UK Commercial Product Assurance requirements, smart meter devices must meet the requirements of the Commercial Product Assurance - Security Characteristics (CPA-SC) for Smart Metering.

The technical specifications: SMETS2 and CHTS, along with the associated Great Britain Companion Specification (GBCS), were last notified to the Commission on 26 July 2017 (2017/0350/UK). These specifications were adopted into the Smart Energy Code (SEC) on 8 November 2018. Prior to this, in March 2017, the complete set of Commercial Product Assurance - Security Characteristics (CPA-SC) for Smart Metering were notified as part of the package of final regulation text arising from notification 2014/0378/UK.

There have been minor modifications made to the technical specifications and the GBCS, however, no changes have been made that affect the functional operation of devices such to have warranted further notification. The changes made being purely for clarification or correction of typographical errors. The CPA-SCs have only been modified as part of a rebranding exercise by NCSC.

This notification is in support of changes to the technical specifications, GBCS and the addition of a new CPA-SC, all made in order to support the proportional control of electrical load. This functionality building upon the 'binary' approach of the Auxiliary Load Control Switch (ALCS) and HAN Connected Auxiliary Load Control Switch (HCALCS) in the current technical specifications.

The UK intends to incorporate the updated technical documents: SMETS2, CHTS and GBCS into the SEC upon completion of the notification period, as we have previously, to meet our obligations under Article 9 of Directive 2015/1535/EU.