Non-domestic smart metering
Guidance and information on non-domestic smart metering.
Smart meters are a crucial component of achieving a clean and flexible power system by 2030. They are being rolled out to around 3 million smaller businesses and public sector sites across Great Britain (‘the non-domestic smart meter rollout’) across a range of sectors, from retail and hospitality to schools.
The government is committed to ensuring that all consumers can benefit from smart meters as soon as possible.
Energy supplier obligations
A summary of energy supplier obligations for the non-domestic smart meter rollout.
Non-domestic smart meter rollout post-2025 policy framework (smart-contingent contracts)
The government’s response to its consultation on the non-domestic smart meter rollout post-2025 confirmed several new obligations on energy suppliers to support the Clean Power 2030 Mission and protect non-domestic consumers in the transition to smart-contingent contracts. These are:
- a universal implementation requirement coming into effect from 1 September 2027: after this date, if energy suppliers enter into new fixed term energy contracts with non-domestic customers, they must ensure the contract includes a term which provides that the customer has, or agrees to have, smart or advanced meters installed in their designated premises
- a universal communication requirement coming into effect from 1 January 2027: after this date, suppliers must start to communicate the upcoming policy changes so that non-domestic consumers understand what is expected, why and when
- a requirement on energy suppliers to be fully compliant with a legally binding consumer protection code (to be introduced as a new schedule to the Retail Energy Code) by 1 September 2027
- alongside the government response, the government also published guidance to support the implementation of the policy package
Previous smart meter targets framework
The Smart Meter Targets Framework set energy suppliers annual minimum smart meter installation targets and ran from 2022 to 2025.
The government previously responded to its consultation (2023) on energy supplier minimum smart metering installation requirements for Year 3 and Year 4 of the Targets Framework.
It included an adjustment to the structure of installation requirements in the second half of the Framework so that mixed portfolio suppliers were set separate domestic and non-domestic installation requirements.
Consumer segmentation
This report outlines how grouping non-domestic customers by their attitudes towards smart metering, business and energy can be used to increase engagement with smart meters.
Maximising consumer benefits and improving the data offer
The government response to this consultation details changes to energy supplier licence conditions made in 2022 to improve the data offer that non-domestic energy customers receive with their smart meter:
- an on-request data offer - non-domestic consumers and their nominated third parties can request free access to up to 12 months of their historic smart meter energy use data. Energy suppliers must respond within a time limit
- awareness raising requirements with respect to data - energy suppliers must regularly raise non-domestic customer awareness of the routes by which they can access, or nominate a third party to access, their smart meter energy use data for free
- a default data offer (from 1 October 2024) - energy suppliers must provide or make available free, user-accessible energy use information to smaller non-domestic customers with smart meters, for example, via an app, data tool or online platform
Non-Domestic Smart Energy Management Innovation Competition (NDSEMIC) evaluation
NDSEMIC was an £8.8 million competition funded by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy from 2018 to 2020. It aimed to maximise the potential for energy saving in 3 priority sectors: hospitality, retail, and schools.
The competition developed and piloted 7 energy management products and services that use smart meter data to help smaller organisations to better manage their energy use.
The evaluation reports describe learnings regarding facilitating behaviour change (including energy savings) in smaller non-domestic sites and market transformation for smart metering services in this market.