Dear All,

With the Christmas break around the corner, this is a great opportunity to highlight the recent achievements of SMDA before starting the new year.

Developments

 SMDA Review Progress Update

The Scheme Operator and SECAS have been working to complete the objectives of the SMDA Review Tranche Two and hosted a Workshop on 24 November 2023 which was attended by representatives from the SEC Panel, SMDA Sub-Committee and DESNZ.

At the Workshop, attendees were invited to review the Guidance Note: Interoperability and Interchangeability Obligations and Expectations, High-Level Requirements for the SMDA testing services and changes to the Scheme that had been raised previously.

The Guidance Note brings together all the regulatory obligations relating to the interoperability and interchangeability of smart metering Devices.  The Guidance Note provides a handy graphical summary of the obligations across the Energy Licences, the SEC, and its technical subsidiary documents, as well as a quick guide summarising key responsibilities and requirements.

The Guidance Note also sets out the Government policy position relating to interoperability and interchangeability, including from DESNZ and Ofgem, so that their views on what the regulations mean and how they apply are in one place.

Both the Guidance Note and the High-Level Requirements were submitted to the SEC Panel on 19 December 2023 following SMDA Sub-Committee endorsement. The SEC Panel approved the High-Level Requirements, which will be used during re-procurement of an SMDA Testing Service Provider, and a communication will be sent to Parties once the Guidance Note has been published.

A SEC modification will also be raised in tandem to the re-procurement to review the restrictions on Parties who can participate in the re-procurement activity.

Current activities

 SMDA Sub-Committee Election

 SECAS initiated an election for half of the Smart Meter Device Assurance Sub-Committee (SMDASC) seats (five seats) to split the term duration of members.

Following this election, we are pleased to announce the following appointment of members retaining their existing seats:

• Other SEC Party GSME Manufacturer representative seat – Martin Bell (EUA)
• Other SEC Party ESME Manufacturer representative seat – Andrew Willman (BEAMA)
• Other SEC Party Meter Asset Provider representative seat – Adam Cooke (Macquarie)
• Network Party representative seat – Matthew Alexander (SSEN)

The new term begun on 5 December 2023 for 24 months.

No nominates were received for the Large Supplier representative seat, therefore this seat will remain vacant until a nomination is received. If you want to learn more about these seats or the SMDASC, please contact SMDASO@gemserv.com.

Future

 DCC Communication Hub SMDA Report

 The SMDA Test Reports for DCC Communication Hubs will be published on the SMDA website.

The reports will show the testing that has been completed by the Scheme on the Communication Hub and the results of each test.

The Scheme hopes that by providing this information to Parties, that it will increase visibility of Communication Hubs and associated Firmware versions going through SMDA testing, and ultimately greater confidence in Communication Hubs being tested independently.

Notifications will be provided to Parties when a Report is published.

If you wish to submit any feedback or questions, please contact the SMDASO@gemserv.com. This can include testing issues that manufacturers would like to raise for discussion.

This newsletter will also be published on the SMDA website here.

Best Wishes,

Anik Abdullah, Head of SMDA Scheme Operator

Dear All,

This is the quarterly newsletter providing Parties with the latest developments from the SMDA Scheme.

Developments

SMDA Review Progress Update

Tranche One of the SMDA Review, which was commissioned by the SEC Panel to identify the value of the Scheme and whether Parties believed that it should change, has been completed.

As directed by SEC Panel, Tranche One focused on Parties that contribute most to the fixed overheads of the Scheme and therefore nine Suppliers were interviewed including two Small Suppliers.

Overall, the results showed that Suppliers saw value in the Scheme, though improvements can be made. Based on this feedback and input from Ofgem and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in support of an assurance scheme, the SEC Panel has agreed to move to Tranche Two.

Tranche Two will seek input from all SEC Parties, to identify improvements to the Scheme. The SEC Panel Chair, Angela Love and SMDA Sub-Committee Chair (SMDASC), Carmen Strickland, supported the development of objectives for this next phase of work:

1. Clarify the current regulatory obligations (Licence Conditions and SEC) on  Parties in relation to providing evidence of interoperability and interchangeability of Smart Metering Devices against Government expectations.
2. Identify and document the requirements for SMDA services that meet the current and future regulatory obligations, Government expectations and industry requirements.
3. Create the documentation required to support the competitive re-procurement of SMDA testing services identifying and addressing any barriers preventing parties from bidding.

These objectives and supporting Project Brief are due to be approved at the October SMDA Sub-Committee and Panel meetings, with work commencing immediately thereafter. An update on the results of Tranche Two is expected to be presented at the November 2023 SEC Panel meeting.

June 2023 SEC Release

The Scheme Operator has determined that no changes to the SMDA test specification or scripts are required to align with the June 2023 SEC Release.

For the latest testing Baseline please refer to the SMDA November 2022 SEC Release Baseline available on the SMDA website here.

Current activities

GBCS v4.1 in SMDA testing

Other SEC Party Manufacturers should note that the SMDA November 2021 SEC Release Baseline supports Great Britain Companion Specification (GBCS) v4.1 Communications Hubs.

The aim of the Scheme is to test each baseline against the prevalent hardware and firmware combinations available to industry at the time. This includes the SMDA November 2020 SEC Release Baseline that uses GBCS v4.0.

Both of these Baselines are available to Manufacturers to test against, either by submitting a new device, or using the exemption process to uplift a device that has already undergone testing.

For more information on device testing please contact SMDASO@gemserv.com

DDC Communication Hubs Testing

Data Communication Company (DCC) has submitted a new round of Communication Hubs, consisting of GBCS versions 3.2 and 4.1, for independent SMDA testing prior to Pre-User Integration Testing. The aim of this testing is to identify issues sooner so they can be resolved prior to industry testing.

SMDA Sub-Committee

The SMDA Sub-Committee are pleased to welcome Letitia Maidment (OVO) and Joey Manners (Octopus Energy) who have both joined as Large Supplier representatives.

There is currently one vacancy for an Other SEC Party Display Manufacturer and two Small Supplier vacancies available. To find out more about these roles please contact SMDASO@gemserv.com.

An election for half of the roles on the SMDA Sub-Committee will start in December 2023. Further information will be circulated closer to the time to request nominations.

The current SMDASC representation includes:

SMDA Communication Hub Uplift

The Communication Hubs used within SMDA testing has been uplifted following agreement from the SMDA Sub-Committee. The table below shows the updates:

Future

November 2023 SEC Release

The November 2023 SEC Release modifications have been reviewed by the Scheme Operator and will be raised at the October 2023 SMDA Sub-Committee meeting.

If you wish to submit any feedback or questions, please contact the SMDASO@gemserv.com. This can include testing issues that manufacturers would like to raise for discussion.

This newsletter will also be published on the SMDA website here.

Best Wishes

Anik Abdullah, Head of SMDA Scheme

The SMDA November 2022 SEC Release Baseline is now available on the SMDA website here.

Manufacturers are invited to submit new devices or use the exemption process to uplift devices to this baseline in order to align with current industry requirements.

These changes align SMDA testing with the November 2022 SEC Release and includes additional test scenarios proposed by Network Operator Parties to provide greater testing confidence in the industry.

For more information, please contact SMDASO@gemserv.com.

Dear All,

This is the quarterly newsletter providing Parties with the latest developments from the SMDA Scheme.

Developments

SMDA Test Exemption Procedure
The SMDA Text Exemption Procedure has been updated and merged with the SMDA SO Exemptions Guidance. This follows a request from Parties to provide additional clarification on the SMDA exemption testing process.

November 2022 SEC Release and Network Party Test scenario changes
The changes to align SMDA testing with the November 2022 SEC Release and the inclusion of additional test scenarios proposed by Network Parties to provide greater testing confidence in the industry, were approved by the SEC Panel on 28 February 2023. The Scheme Operator and Test House are working on implementing these changes and a new baseline will be published.

WNC Communication Hubs
The SMDA Baselines have been updated to reflect the introduction of WNC Communication (Comms) Hubs into SMDA testing. Manufacturers can submit new devices for testing or uplift their current devices to these baselines to be tested against all three Comms Hubs (WNC, Toshiba and EDMI).

Following a pilot programme that determined that there were no variations between WNC and Toshiba Comms Hubs when running the SMDA test scripts, testing will be equally split between both comms hubs. This will be carried out by randomly selecting three testing categories to test on one comms hub and testing the remaining three on the other comms hub.

The purpose of splitting testing is to ensure that there are no additional costs or testing timescale delays for manufacturers.

Devices with existing assurance will not be impacted by this change.

Baselines Overview

The SMDA Baselines Overview has been published on the SMDA website, here.

This document aims to assist manufacturers with identifying a suitable SMDA baseline to test devices against and outlines the SMDA baseline support end dates.

Current activities

SMDA Sub-Committee Meeting
The SMDA Sub-Committee (SMDASC) met on 7 February 2023. The next meeting will be held on Thursday 4th April 2023.

There are currently four roles available on the SMDASC – one Large Supplier, two small Supplier and one Other SEC Party Display Manufacturer.

If you are interested in volunteering as a representative, please contact SMDASO@gemserv.com for further information.

Manufacturer NDA

Other SEC Party Manufacturers can request access to the SMDA test scripts to assist with understanding the detailed SMDA test requirements. Manufacturers are required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) which is available from the Scheme Operator (SMDASO@gemserv.com).

Future Focus

SMDA Review

Former SMDA Sub-Committee Chair and now SECAS SME, Martin Hanley, has developed a project brief for the next phase of the SMDA review which will focus on options for what the scheme is expected to look like in twelve to eighteen months and how it should be funded.

The project brief was approved by the SEC Panel on 28 March 2023. The next phase of the SMDA review will focus on collecting feedback on the service and the value that SMDA testing provides to Parties paying for the service, to determine if changes to the Scheme are required.

Achievements

Over the last year, three issues found during testing were tolerated based on their risk level and to allow devices to continue testing, and one tolerated common issue was also closed by the Management/ Technical Sub-Group, now merged with the SMDA Sub-Committee (SMDASC). The November 2019, November 2020 and November 2021 SEC Release Baselines were also published.

If you wish to submit any feedback or questions, please contact the SMDASO@gemserv.com. This can include testing issues that manufacturers would like to raise for discussion.

Best Wishes

Kunal Sharma, Head of SMDA Scheme

Dear All,

Merry Christmas everyone!
With the Christmas break around the corner, this is a great opportunity to highlight the recent achievements of SMDA before starting the new year.

Developments
Governance restructure
The SMDA Sub-Committee (SMDASC) has been merged with the SMDA Technical Sub-Group (TSG) to focus on technical aspects of the Scheme while commercial decisions will be made by the SEC Panel. The aim of these changes is to improve timescales for technical and baseline changes by removing duplication of information and decisions.
Volunteers were requested from the SMDASC and the TSG to maintain continuity and access to relevant technical expertise. The new composition of the SMDASC is shown below.

Manufacturer NDA
Seven Other SEC Party manufacturers have successfully gained access to the SMDA test scripts. The aim is that this will result in more devices being submitted for testing as manufacturers will understand the detailed test requirements.

To request access, manufacturers need to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) which is available from the Scheme Operator (SO) (SMDASO@gemserv.com).

Current activities

Meetings
The first meeting of the new SMDASC was held on 6 December 2022. At the meeting, the SMDASC welcomed a new Network Party representative Matthew Alexander, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN).

The SMDASC agreed to recommend changes to the Terms of Reference (ToR) to expand the composition to allow each Other SEC Party Device manufacturer type (ESME, GSME and Display) to have two seats. The changes were agreed at the SEC Panel on 16 December 2022.

Two roles are currently available on the SMDASC for one Other SEC Party Display manufacturer as well as a role for a Large Supplier representative as Martin Hanley has left the SMDASC. Everyone involved in the Scheme would like to thank Martin Hanley for being a key member of the SMDASC, whose input and support has shaped the Scheme into what it is today.

If you are interested in volunteering or finding out more about these roles, please contact SMDASO@gemserv.com.

SMDA November 2022 SEC Release and SMDA Test Scenarios Consultations
The SMDA November 2022 SEC Release and SMDA Test Scenarios Consultation is now available on the SEC website.

This consultation requests feedback from SEC Parties on two items which will require changes to the SMDA test scripts and testing scenarios:
1. Changes to the SMDA test script to align testing with the November 2022 SEC Release
2. A proposal to introduce 14 new test scenarios into testing by updating and creating new test scripts which will provide additional Scheme benefits to Network Parties.

Please log into to the SEC website to access the consultation documents via the link above. If you do not yet have a SEC website account, please register here.

Please email your completed response form available in Annex C to SECAS@Gemserv.com with the subject line ‘SMDA November 2022 SEC Release and SMDA Test Scenarios Consultation’.
The deadline for responses is 5pm on Tuesday 24 January 2023.

Documentation
The SMDA Change Procedure has been updated to reflect the new governance structure and has removed references to the SMDA Technical Sub-Group/ Management Panel Sub-Group. This has simplified the change process and was published on the SMDA website on 20 December 2022.

In addition, the SMDASC agreed to close SMDA Tolerable Common Issue – Positive or Negative meter balance. Updated versions of the following documents were published on the SMDA website on 19 December 2022:
• SMDA-252 – SMDA Tolerated Issues for Full Assurance; and ,
• SMDA-246 – SMDA Tolerated Issues for Partial Assurance.

All new devices submitted for testing will need to demonstrate the expected behaviour to be awarded assurance.

Device Assurance Register
There are currently 39 devices on the Device Assurance Register (DAR).

Future Focus
SMDA Review
Due to the limited number of responses and mixed results of the SMDA Review Consultation, the SO initially proposed to revise the consultation to request further information from SEC Parties.

After further discussions with SEC Panel members, it was agreed that the best approach would be for the SO to develop options for the Scheme’s future with costs. This was approved by the SEC Panel Chair on Tuesday 9 November.

The SO will develop the options and collaborate with key industry representatives to gather feedback, before presenting the results to the SEC Panel in February 2023.
If you wish to submit any feedback or questions, please contact SMDASO@gemserv.com. This can include testing issues that manufacturers would like to raise for discussion.

This newsletter will also be published on the SMDA website here.

Best Wishes

Kunal Sharma, Head of SMDA Scheme