New Smart Energy Code content (Stage 4)

The consultation document for Stage 4 of the Smart Energy Code also includes the government response to previous consultations including:

• Response to SEC 2 consultation on Communications Hub Charging and further consultation on associated SEC 4 legal drafting;
• Response to SEC 3 consultation on using the SMKI Service and further consultation on associated SEC 4 legal drafting;
• Response to consultation on the regulatory arrangements for Enrolment and Adoption of Foundation Meters and further consultation on associated SEC 4 legal drafting;
• Response to consultation on the Arrangements to Support Churn of an Enrolled Smart Metering System from a user to a non-user and further consultation on associated SEC 4 legal drafting

The Smart Energy Code (SEC) is a new industry code which has been created through, and comes into force under, the Data and Communications Company (DCC) Licence. The SEC is a multiparty contract which sets out the terms for the provision of the DCC’s Smart Meter communications service, and specifies other provisions to govern the end-to-end management of Smart Metering.

This document consults on proposed text for stage 4 of the Smart Energy Code (SEC4). This follows the designation of Stage 1 of the Smart Energy Code (SEC1) in September 2013 and stage 2 (SEC2) in January 2014. The conclusion to stage 3 (SEC3) was published in two sections, SEC3A was published March 2014 and SEC3B was published in June 2014.

This SEC Stage 4 (SEC4) consultation covers a wide range of areas, including:

• the roles and responsibilities on the DCC and other SEC Parties throughout the lifecycle of the communications hub, including the procurement, maintenance, returns and removal of Communications Hubs and a requirement on the DCC to provide communications hubs upon request for testing purposes.
• the process of enabling the enrolment of SMETS1 meters into the DCC and the adopting of associated communications contracts through an Initial Enrolment Project;
• further requirements for the DCC and Users to maintain secure systems and undertake regular audits of those systems using a centrally procured Competent Independent Organisation;
• establishment of a Security Sub-Committee (SSC) to provide security expertise and on-going scrutiny of security arrangements;
• additional requirements on parties in relation to SMKI, including liabilities when subscribing for certificates from the SMKI, and when relying on certificates;
• obligations on the DCC to provide for the business continuity of its services; and
• a process which allows an energy supplier who is not a DCC User to supply customers whose smart metering systems are enrolled with the DCC.

Confidentiality: Please note that DECC intends to summarise all responses and place this summary on the GOV.UK website. This summary will include a list of names or organisations that responded but not people’s names, addresses or other contact details. In addition DECC intends to publish the individual responses on its website and you should therefore let us know if you are not content for the response or any part of it to be published. We will not publish people’s personal names, addresses or other contact details. If you indicate that you do not want your response published we will not publish it automatically but it could still be subject to information requests as detailed below.

Further, information provided in response to this consultation, including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure in accordance with the access to information legislation (primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004).

If you do not want your individual response to be published on the website, or to otherwise be treated as confidential please say so clearly in writing when you send your response to the consultation. For the purposes of considering access to information requests it would be helpful if you could explain to us why you regard the information you have provided as confidential. If we receive a request for disclosure of the information we will take full account of your explanation, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded by us as a confidentiality request.