Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | OCTOBER 2021 | 39 Analysis We've got to be smart to reach net zero At the Utility Week Live Summit a panel debated the challenges facing the mass take-up of smart meters, and the possibility of a single, unified smart network for all utilities. Elaine Knutt was there. S mart metering is part of the strategy to decarbonise Great Britain. As well as prompting consumers to adopt energy- and water-efficient behaviour, it is also about building physical infrastructure and a res- ervoir of customer data to support the next phase of the net zero challenge – driving and charging EVs, storing and generating energy, and participating in "edge of grid" demand- side response. At the session on "Delivering the smart meter rollout" discussed at Utility Week Live Summit this summer, delegates learnt that the challenges are considerable. Attendees heard from the Capita-owned Data Com- munications Company (DCC) about how it had reinvigorated the smart meter rollout and migration from SMETS1 technology, but there remained a residue of "hard to reach" and unengaged consumers. And even when consumers do accept an invitation to install a smart meter, some of them – perhaps viewing energy providers as belonging on the other side of a "them and us" divide – will tick the data opt out box. "As it stands, customers can opt out of hav- ing a smart meter, or opt out of providing interested parties with half-hourly data from their homes. Some customers think these elements are invasive," said Rupal Patel, head of supply energy consulting at Capita. Panellists agreed that sharing and exploiting smart meter data will be a founda- tion for future energy products and services, but raised a question mark over whether half-hourly data is detailed enough to build an accurate picture of demand and loading on a more congested low-voltage network. In the workshop accompanying the ses- sion, a different theme emerged. With the water sector's meter installation programme progressing more slowly than that for energy, participants saw an opportunity to accelerate by linking water meters to the same Internet of Things (IoT) network and communication protocols that gas and electricity suppliers are using. As well as offering advantages in instal- lation, cross-utility data sharing and data security, triangulating between utilities would fundamentally make sense from a consumer point of view. "If consumers could see the three main utilities on one device, I think that would be really useful," said Damian Crawford, head of smart networks and leakage at engineer- ing consultancy Stantec, which advises over 15 water companies in the UK. Taking the first steps Smart meters are widely seen as "preparing the ground" and building acceptance for later rounds of energy transformation net zero behaviour change. Capita's Rupal Patel took up the theme in the panel debate: "Smart meters are the first government-mandated step towards meeting net carbon zero targets, and key to ensuring that the customer can engage with and follow all the other changes yet to come. Smart meters, and the data they provide, are just the first of many products, services and changes our customers will see in their life and homes in the coming decades." But customer engagement is o˜en lack- ing, and a recurring theme in the debate was how to communicate with hard-to-reach cus- tomers. At EDF, Els van der Vijver, manager of planning for its smart meter programme, said: "We see [customer engagement] as one of our biggest concerns when we move to the tail end of the rollout. Virtually all of our customers already eligible to have a smart meter have been offered one. Getting cus- tomers who have ignored or not accepted the offer to accept one will be a big challenge." Similar concerns are widespread across continued overleaf

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