News & Events

The IMF and JIP have played a significant role in supporting the smart meter rollout, providing a collaborative forum for industry, Government and stakeholders to identify, escalate and manage issues affecting programme delivery. Over the years, these arrangements have helped facilitate engagement, coordination and oversight across the smart metering landscape.

DESNZ has advised that the decision reflects the progress made in the smart meter programme and the evolution of governance and stakeholder engagement arrangements now in place across the sector. The Department considers that existing governance structures provide the appropriate mechanisms for oversight and engagement going forward.

While the IMF and JIP have now closed, DESNZ has confirmed its continued commitment to overseeing programme delivery and engaging with stakeholders on policy and implementation matters. Should future developments require enhanced coordination or issue management, the Department has indicated that similar governance arrangements could be established to support effective oversight and industry engagement.

No further IMF meetings will be convened, and any outstanding matters will be transitioned to the appropriate owners and managed through existing governance processes.

Ofgem has published its second preliminary Strategic Direction Statement (SDS), setting out how it expects energy industry codes to evolve in support of government policy, market reform and the transition to a smarter, more flexible energy system. The SDS is intended to provide a coordinated framework for prioritising code changes and guiding future decision-making across the energy sector.

The updated SDS builds on the first preliminary statement issued in 2025 and reflects stakeholder feedback, policy developments and emerging industry priorities. It identifies areas where code modifications may be required over the next one to five years and categorises these against three delivery horizons:‘Act Now’, ‘Think and Plan’, and ‘Listen and Wait’. This approach is designed to help industry focus resources on the most strategically important changes while providing greater visibility of future reform requirements. 

The statement covers a broad range of policy objectives, including consumer protection, market innovation, network development, low-carbon technology deployment, energy flexibility, system resilience and governance reform. It also aligns with the wider Energy Act 2023 reforms, which introduce a new code governance framework, licensed Code Managers and enhanced strategic oversight of industry codes. 

Alongside publication of the SDS, Ofgem has highlighted the role the document will play in coordinating strategic change across industry codes and supporting the implementation of harmonised code governance arrangements. The SDS will be reviewed and updated annually, providing an evolving roadmap for code modifications as government policy and sector priorities develop. 

For metering stakeholders, the SDS provides important insight into the regulatory and market developments that may drive future changes to the Retail Energy Code (REC), Smart Energy Code (SEC) and Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC). Topics such as smart metering, consumer-led flexibility, data sharing, low-carbon technology deployment and market digitalisation are expected to remain central themes as the industry progresses towards a more integrated and data-driven energy system.

The landmark installation was completed in Cheshunt by AMO Member, British Gas, demonstrating the remarkable pace at which the transition to next-generation smart metering communications is progressing. Having only recently celebrated the installation of the first million 4G Communications Hubs, the industry has now doubled that figure in a relatively short period, with approximately 12,000 hubs currently being installed every day across homes and businesses.

This achievement highlights the scale of the national rollout and the collective effort being delivered by energy suppliers, meter operators, installers and technology partners. More than two million properties are now benefiting from the enhanced communications capabilities that 4G technology brings to the smart metering network.

The transition to 4G is delivering tangible improvements across Great Britain’s smart metering infrastructure. Enhanced communications performance, improved reliability and greater network coverage are helping to support a more robust and resilient smart metering ecosystem. The technology also offers operational efficiencies that can reduce costs while supporting the long-term sustainability of the smart metering programme.

Importantly, this milestone reflects the strong collaboration that exists across the industry. Suppliers, installers and communications partners have all played a key role in driving the rollout forward, with organisations including Toshiba and VodafoneThree continuing to support deployment at scale.

While the installation of two million 4G Communications Hubs is an impressive achievement in its own right, it also marks an important step in the wider modernisation of Great Britain’s energy infrastructure. As the rollout continues, 4G communications technology will play a vital role in supporting reliable smart metering services, enabling improved customer experiences and helping to underpin the future of a smarter, more connected energy system.

For the metering industry, the milestone demonstrates what can be achieved through collaboration, innovation and sustained investment, providing a strong foundation for the next phase of smart metering deployment across Great Britain.

With approximately 34 weeks remaining until the completion of migration activities, scheduled for 7 May 2027 under MHHS Milestone 15, supplier migration volumes continue to align with the programme’s agreed migration framework. The progress achieved demonstrates sustained industry commitment and provides growing confidence that the programme remains on track to deliver its implementation objectives.

For metering stakeholders, the continued pace of migration highlights the increasing importance of robust meter data collection, data quality assurance, and operational readiness across the end-to-end settlement chain. As migration volumes accelerate towards completion, Meter Asset Managers, Meter Operators, Data Services providers and suppliers will need to maintain a strong focus on data integrity, customer support, and efficient management of any migration-related issues.

The successful migration of over 20 million meters represents a major step towards the delivery of a smarter, more flexible electricity system. Once fully implemented, MHHS is expected to support improved settlement accuracy, enable more innovative tariffs and demand-side flexibility services, and contribute to the efficient operation of Britain’s transition to a low-carbon energy future.

For the metering sector, the message is particularly significant. Water metering is recognised as a key enabler of demand reduction, helping customers better understand their consumption while supporting more efficient use of water resources. As water companies increasingly deploy smart technologies, opportunities are emerging to apply lessons learned from the electricity and gas smart metering programmes, including data management, consumer engagement, installation practices, asset assurance and operational efficiency.

The direction of travel aligns closely with wider sustainability and net zero objectives. Greater adoption of advanced water metering solutions can support leakage reduction, improve consumption insights, enable faster fault detection and help customers make informed decisions about water use. As the water sector accelerates its digital transformation, metering technology is expected to play an increasingly important role in delivering the resilient, efficient and environmentally sustainable water system envisaged by Ofwat.

From a Metering UK perspective, the growing focus on water metering presents opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and knowledge sharing. The expertise developed through electricity, gas and smart metering programmes could help support the evolution of water metering infrastructure, contributing to improved customer outcomes and the delivery of broader environmental goal