How energy suppliers can ensure they meet Ofgem’s new smart meter performance standards

Ofgem has recently announced that energy suppliers will be asked to pay £40 fines to consumers if a customer reports a problem with their smart meter and suppliers do not provide a resolution plan within five working days of the report. Suppliers will also face fines if a meter is not operating in smart mode – when it automatically sends readings to the supplier – and has not been fixed within 90 days. Suppliers may also be liable to additional compensation.  

The new rules mean that suppliers will have to ensure their communication with smart meters works seamlessly and that smart meters work as expected.  

Despite the many negative news headlines about smart meters, the vast majority work as intended. According to the latest government data, 66 percent of homes in Britain have a smart or advanced meter, and more than 90 percent are working correctly. However that still leaves suppliers with work to do. 

Procode is already working with energy suppliers to ensure their smart meters work correctly through its Test Services team and Smart Lab testing facility.  

The Test Services team consists of 35 testing experts of which the Smart Lab has a team of four on-site engineers with more than 40 years of smart metering experience between them. Each engineer is a subject matter expert in several areas, enabling Procode to support customers through almost any scenario. 

The services offered in the Smart Lab are wide and varied, and include the following: 

• DCC adapter testing; 

• Implementation of price changes; 

• Upgrading firmware; 

• Management of Active Load Control (ALC); 

• Trust centre swap-out (TCSO); 

• Development and testing of new smart meter apps; 

• Dual-band operation; 

• Asset exchange; 

• Twin element operation. 

Proof of concept testing of new meter types and combinations and the testing of new firmware has been particularly useful for suppliers. Trust centre swap-outs will be vital in the new era of Ofgem smart meter regulation. 

TCSOs are very involved tests that sacrifice the communications hub being removed. It is easy to make mistakes during the testing process and therefore it is easy to needlessly end up sacrificing a hub in a test that has to be repeated. We’ve performed TCSOs on numerous meter manufacturer combinations over the years, so we know what to expect from each meter. The Smart Lab team is well-versed in the process and can test it with ease and in small numbers are even willing to sacrifice our own comms hubs for testing. 

We know that testing can often be long and painstaking and is often delayed in favour of more dynamic or time critical projects. Suppliers welcome the opportunity of our team handling this work enabling them to focus on other areas of their business, knowing they’ll receive a comprehensive testing report and recommendations without the hassle. 

Procode’s Smart Lab offers an independent alternative to DCC’s own testing facilities. 

Using an independent testing lab rather than DCC has its benefits. While the DCC Lab is a valuable free resource to the industry, it has limited resources, especially in personnel to operate and report on your meters. Independent testing provides a dedicated team to respond efficiently to your queries. Additionally, the DCC Lab requires significant direction to be effective, whereas Smart Lab can conduct expansive and detailed testing with basic instructions. 

One of the latest innovations at Smart Lab is a new mobile test bench which houses several production meters and mobile phones. This means we can test meters in a production environment without needing a DCC test environment connection. The mobile phones allow us to pair production meters with smart metering applications for additional testing. 

We use the mobile test bench in remote training situations and have displayed it at conferences and roadshows. 

Utilita is already using our Smart Lab and has enabled the company to achieve the second highest percentage of meters working in smart mode. 

The work of Smart Lab is going to be increasingly important in the new landscapes where suppliers will face fines and compensation if their smart meters do not work as intended. 

Our experience shows that many smart meter issues can be resolved remotely or are caused by systematic issues rather than the meter itself. Identifying the root cause and providing a solution within five days has just become much more important and this is a significant part of our work in the Smart Lab.  

Moreover, ensuring that meters operate as expected before installation is crucial. Not every meter functions in the same way and understanding this before installation is essential.