Open consultation: Enrolment of Secure SMETS1 meters in the Data Communications Company (DCC)

The Government views smart meters as an essential upgrade to energy infrastructure, enabling a smarter energy system and for consumers to be better informed and engaged.SMETS 1 is the standard for minimum common functionality of smart meters deployed during the Foundation Stage, which ran until November 2016. SMETS 1 meters currently operate via data and communications systems put in place by individual energy suppliers, as opposed to a single national data centre which is accessible to all suppliers. This means that consumers may lose smart services when switching suppliers.BEIS aims to ensure interoperability for SMETS1 meters so that smart functionality is retained when a customer switches energy supplier. BEIS' long-standing policy has been for all significant populations of SMETS1 meters to eventually be operated via the DCC to deliver this objective.In October 2018 the Government confirmed it would require DCC to provide SMETS1 services to four out of six SMETS1 meter sets, representing around two thirds of the meter population. BEIS is consulting on whether DCC should provide a SMETS1 service in respect of SMETS1 Secure meters, representing the vast majority of the remaining third of the meter population.The consultation considers whether there is a business case for enrolling the Secure meter set in the DCC. There are four main questions: Do you agree that the DCC should offer SMETS1 services to the Secure meter set? Please provide quantitative and qualitative evidence to support your views. Are there any other non-core costs additional to those included in the cost-benefit analysis in this document that arise from the enrolment of the SMETS1 Secure meter set which you believe should be considered? Please provide quantitative and qualitative evidence to support your views. Are there any other benefits additional to those included in the cost-benefit analysis in this document that arise from enrolment of the SMETS1 Secure meter set which you believe should be considered? Please provide quantitative and qualitative evidence to support your views.  Are there any other factors that we should consider in arriving at our conclusion? Please provide quantitative and qualitative evidence to support your views. The consultation closes on 2 April 2019. Visit the consultation page to find out more.