To highlight the value of ElectraLink’s Data Services, ElectraLink launches monthly reports showing the latest smart meter installs split by DNO area on its website
ElectraLink is now providing on our website here a report showing the monthly installs of smart meters as reported across the Data Transfer Service (DTS) for each DNO area. ElectraLink is doing this both to provide visibility to the industry of smart meter activity across the country, and to highlight the value of the Data Services that ElectraLink can offer based on the data flowing across our network.
In February this year the users of the DTS gave ElectraLink permission to intercept their data to provide reports on market processes (such as change of supplier) that ElectraLink, as the central data transfer provider, is uniquely placed to provide. This user permission is subject to certain restrictions and ElectraLink operates as a Data Processor under the terms of the Data Protection Act. Following user approval ElectraLink has invested in the IT infrastructure and analytics software to operationalise this data services capability and this is the first data services report that we have put into the public domain. The report details last month and year to date volumes of smart non half-hourly meter installations across GB being reported via the DTS with meter manufacturer models that correspond to those capable of handling time of use tariffs and which can be remotely updated. The data is split into the 14 standard GSP group areas and presented geographically.
We believe that visibility of smart meter installations will be useful for a number of industry participants as they mobilise during Foundation in preparation for the mass rollout of smart meters and the establishment of the DCC. ElectraLink is able to report only on what crosses the DTS (specifically the D0150 data flow) but we do believe that this analysis captures the vast majority of smart meter installations. Should the DTS changes to flag smart meters currently proposed by the SMIP Foundation workstream be accepted, then this level of accuracy will improve. We are intentionally providing this information on our website in a highly summarised form although.