The DCC, the communications hub for the GB’s domestic smart meters, has reached 10 million connected smart meters. SmartGB confirmed that the milestone was achieved with the installation of an electricity smart meter at 10:47am on 1 February 2021 by E.On Energy at a location in Doddington, Cambridgeshire.

New smart meter installations remain at low levels due to Covid, but the milestone was achieved thanks to a mass adoption of 3 million early-version meters which had passed a complex upgrade and testing programme and could be sent software upgrades.

Some 13 million early-version (so-called Smets 1) meters were installed in homes, using a pre-DCC standards, which all have to be upgraded so they can be connected to DCC. Without the upgrades, the Smets 1 meters may revert to ‘dumb’ meters when customers switch suppliers. As well as losing smart options, like daily cost information or the opportunity to use different tariffs, so-called ‘dormant’ meter users risk building up large credit or debit balances with their energy suppliers, if they do not provide regular manual reads. In addition switching may affect pre-payment functionality.

An industry drive is under way to ‘adopt’ the remaining Smets 1 meters into DCC but the process is slow and piecemeal, as the meters came from different manufacturers and each type requires both a bespoke upgrade and complex testing with other industry processes.

So-called Smets 2 meters currently being installed are designed to connect to the DCC. Around six million have been connected to the DCC.

Overall GB is about half way through its smart meter rollout.

Further reading

Ofgem tells nine suppliers: join smart meter hub or lose licence

The old question over gas meters revisited

Smart meter rollout deadline shifts: now 85% by end 2024

Ofgem warns suppliers to step up smart meter rollout as it admits 2020 deadline is not achievable

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