FAQs

Our most frequently asked questions are listed below. Select a question to reveal the answer.

General scheme information is available to the public, for example the Home and News pages. Only SMDA members have access to meeting information, Scheme documents and the Device Assurance Register (DAR).

Once a device has been assured and registered on the Device Assurance Register (DAR), then it does not need to be tested again unless in the follow scenarios:

  • The testing or technical baselines have been updated and the manufacturer chooses to re-test against the changes;
  • A device has been mistakenly added onto the DAR, for example: it is found that the assurance process was not followed correctly or if the information provided during testing was incorrect;
  • The device has been Partially Assured and further testing is required to become Fully Assured; or
  • The device has been awarded Partial Assurance with tolerated issues, following which an exemption form can be submitted to the Test House for retesting.

The cost of testing a device depends on the type of device. Please refer to the SMDA Assurance Fees document available here.

The testing fees have been separated into three parts – 50% upfront when the device is submitted to the Lab and the remaining 50% upon issuance of your Full Assurance certificate.

To apply to have a device tested for SMDA Assurance please send an email to smdalab@criticalsoftware.com, who will be able to provide you with more detail on the next steps for your specific device.

If a device is SMDA assured, it will be registered on the Device Assurance Register (DAR). Access to the DAR is only available to Scheme Members.

Click on the Device ID for more information on the device, including which baseline it has been assured against. Some devices may have been assured with tolerated issues, for example where a test has failed as a result of a known industry defect which is outside of the device’s control to resolve. A full list of tolerated issues is published in Scheme Document SMDA-246 SMDA Tolerated Issues for Partial Assurance in Credit Mode in Central and South Regions. To find out which specific issues relate to a particular device, you can contact the manufacturer directly.

Devices can be granted full or partial SMDA assurance. Partial assurance is awarded in two instances:

  1. When a device has only been assured against certain aspect(s) of the SMDA assurance baseline, for example only credit functionality, or only for use in the Central and South regions; or
  2. When a device has been granted assurance with tolerated issues.

Partial assurance allows devices to gain SMDA assurance despite having known issues which prevent certain tests from being performed or passed. These could be due to external factors that sit outside of either the Scheme or the device’s control to resolve, or could have little impact to the industry when installed in the field. For more information on how the Scheme determines whether a test can be tolerated, please refer to Scheme Document SMDA-247 SMDA Management Panel Tolerable Issues and Principles Process.

Full assurance is granted when a device passes all tests listed in the SMDA assurance baseline.

Assured devices will be listed on the Device Assurance Register (DAR), which details the baseline against which assurance has been achieved and whether the device has been assured with any tolerances.

The testing consists of two parts:

  1. Interoperability relates to the ability of Type 1 devices to interact with the Data Communications Company (DCC), successfully receiving, interpreting, acting on and responding to messages.
  2. Interchangeability goes further, checking that all devices on the Home Area Network (HAN), such as meters and pre-payment interface devices, can communicate with one another, interpret and act on commands, no matter what brand is being used.

SMDA Test specifications can be provided to Supplier, Meter Asset Provider (MAP) or Manufacturer Scheme members and can be used to prepare for SMDA testing.

To request the latest version of the SMDA Test specifications, please email smdaso@gemserv.com.

You will then be asked to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) which will be assessed by the Scheme Operator and, if approved, countersigned by the SMDA Board.

Following this, you will be provided with a copy of the NDA and the Test specification.

Information on how to request access to SMDA material can be found here.

You do not need to become a SEC Party in order to get your devices tested to obtain SMDA assurance. However there are certain benefits that are available to Parties, that are not available to non-SEC Parties, such as membership of the SMDA Sub-Committee, access to all scheme documentation, and reductions on testing.

Prior to the commencement of testing of smart meter devices, test houses will be able to take bookings. Test house contact details will be available on this website in the How to Get Assured section. If you would like to be notified of Scheme updates including testing changes, please email smdaso@gemserv.com and request to be added to our mailing list for news updates.

The SMDA Scheme Operator is currently open to device submissions. The Test House will be responsible for carrying out testing on the smart meter devices in accordance with the test specifications and processes developed by the Scheme.