SMETS2 Meters - Delayed?

Legacy_user

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/bills-and-utilities/gas-electric/first-generation-smart-meters-hinder-switching-could-installed/

Brian Rix would be proud!!

System

More detail on the consultation from Utility Week:

The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has opened a consultation on the actions it should take to avoid negative impacts arising from the transition to SMETS2 meter installation in the national smart meter rollout.

A statement on the BEIS website said that the consultation had been launched in recognition of a number of risks faced by suppliers if the current end date for the rollout of SMETS1 meters remains in place, without any flexibility.

The statement said that the existing cut-off date for the installation of SMETS1 meters – 13 July 2018 – had been put in place to “support and incentivise an efficient transition to SMETS2 meters”

But it admitted that “despite detailed planning” a smooth transition to installing exclusively SMETS2 meters at scale may take time”.

Without the introduction of flexibility around the SMETS1 end date, BEIS fears there could be “a temporary reduction in the rollout”. Other risks include suppliers being unduly burdened by stranded asset costs and unpredictable supply chain dynamics which could in turn lead to increased costs to consumers via rollout inefficiency.

To mitigate such risks, BEIS suggests three possible alterations to the current smart meter programme timeline which would introduce some flexibility for individual suppliers around the SMETS1 cut-off date, though the consultation document stresses that it does not propose altering the end date as such.

The options put forward by BEIS include:

Creating a proportional post-end date SMETS1 installation allowance – all suppliers would be allowed to install a number of SMETS1 meters after the end date equal to or not greater than the number of SMETS2 meters they have installed before it.

Introducing a time limited derogation – suppliers who meet set eligibility and evidence criteria would be allowed to install SMETS1 meters for up to a maximum of three additional months after the end date.

Introducing a quantity and time limited derogation – suppliers who meet set eligibility and evidence criteria would be allowed to install a limited number of SMETS1 meters up to six months after the end date.

Interested parties have until 10 November to respond to BEIS’s consultation.

The transition to SMETS2 installation in the national smart meter rollout has become an increasing point of tension for industry players and consumer groups.

On both sides there is a worry that the continued rollout of SMETS1 meters – which have limited smart functionality, cannot reliably be switched between energy suppliers while retaining smart functionality and are unable to communicate with the central DCC communications system – could push up rollout costs and block some consumers from the biggest potential benefits of smart metering.

At the beginning of the rollout, it was originally only intended that around 500,000 SMETS1 meters would be installed in homes and businesses across GB. However, due to a variety of technical problems and delays for SMETS2 meters, SMETS1 installation has forged ahead to the point where over 6 million SMETS1 or “SMETS1 capable” meters are on walls.
This summer, EDF Energy’s managing director for its customers business, Beatrice Bigois, told Utility Week that continued delays to the final stages of testing for SMETS2 meters means the timescales for transition remain unclear.

She emphasized that all suppliers are working hard to iron out persistent security and operational issues, because the arrival of SMETS2 meters: “will make our lives much easier, and it is really much less expensive, because the asset life for SMETS2 is longer. And then some components in the meters are less expensive too.”

brewerdave

The translation of this is " the Utility Companies have huge stockpiles of SMETS1 meters which they will not get rid of before July 2018, so some powerful share holders of the Companies have bent the ears of various Govt.politicians to extend the rollout "

badmemory

So anyone taking bets - any dates available between 2030 & 2050!

AndyPK

Thanks for the link.

SSE been trying to ring me today about a smart meter. (that I don't want)

firefox1956

Brian Rix ???
More like Victor Meldrew........I do not beeeeeeelive it !!

SnowMan

Hengus wrote: »

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/bills-and-utilities/gas-electric/first-generation-smart-meters-hinder-switching-could-installed/

Brian Rix would be proud!!

Sing along now

It's just it reminds me of Brian Rix
When the smets2 conversion is not a quick fix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1uvVa11cFE

Michaelw

British Gas unveils first smart meter fit for digital energy boom

Britain’s largest energy supplier has won the race to roll out a household smart meter fit for the digital energy boom sparked by renewable energy, batteries and electric vehicles. After years of delay the next generation smart meter will be rolled out to British Gas customers from next year following a small-scale trial in UK homes over the summer.


In the short-term Landis+Gyr, the UK’s largest smart meter manufacturer, said the devices would iron out the teething issues faced by some customers using the first generation meter, known as SMETS1, when they opt to switch supplier. SMETS2 will also be more secure than the original smart meter, the company added.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/10/20/british-gas-unveils-first-smart-meter-fit-digital-energy-boom/


Why if they knew these problems existed did they install them in the first place?

System

Michaelw wrote: »

British Gas unveils first smart meter fit for digital energy boom

Britain’s largest energy supplier has won the race to roll out a household smart meter fit for the digital energy boom sparked by renewable energy, batteries and electric vehicles. After years of delay the next generation smart meter will be rolled out to British Gas customers from next year following a small-scale trial in UK homes over the summer.


In the short-term Landis+Gyr, the UK’s largest smart meter manufacturer, said the devices would iron out the teething issues faced by some customers using the first generation meter, known as SMETS1, when they opt to switch supplier. SMETS2 will also be more secure than the original smart meter, the company added.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/10/20/british-gas-unveils-first-smart-meter-fit-digital-energy-boom/


Why if they knew these problems existed did they install them in the first place?

Because the SMETS2 technical specification has been 'work in progress' for years. Eighteen months ago, GCHQ had to step in and tell industry that they needed to up their game when it came to cyber security. It is worth remembering that most meter manufacturers have been making meters for years but they have never had to be experts in cyber security. The new meters also connect to a standalone central hub - The Data Communications Company - and this was set up late last year (after many delays) and suppliers/meters are still in the testing phase.

I think that we will allow be shocked when the final bill for this badly mis-managed project comes in. I see that the potential saving per household has been quietly reduced to £6 per year by 2020 in the latest Smart Meter Bill that has just gone to Parliament.

House_Martin

Why take any notice of a newspaper who don t really know what they are talking about
.SSE should have sued them to shut them up for good about making stories up about things that the reporter does nt quite understand. They are still showing a photo of a freebie in house display and calling it a "meter ". The general public are already mixed up about the smart meter roll out and the Telegraph have joined them
.Rubbish story as usual by the Telegraph. You may just as well link fairy tales from Stopsmartmeters.uk as this Tory broadsheet

System

House_Martin wrote: »

Why take any notice of a newspaper who don t really know what they are talking about
.SSE should have sued them to shut them up for good about making stories up about things that the reporter does nt quite understand. They are still showing a photo of a freebie in house display and calling it a "meter ". The general public are already mixed up about the smart meter roll out and the Telegraph have joined them
.Rubbish story as usual by the Telegraph. You may just as well link fairy tales from Stopsmartmeters.uk as this Tory broadsheet

The SSE quote came from Utility Week not The Daily Telegraph. The Telegraph and Utility Week reports were based on what is published on the BEIS website.