SEC Newsletter 15 July 2021

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the SEC Newsletter.

Today is the last day for SEC Parties to register to attend our annual SEC Panel Q&A webinar on 16 July 2021, where you can put your questions to the SEC Panel and hear from the SEC Panel Chair, Peter Davies. Don’t delay, click here to register!

SEC Parties are invited to read the new firmware guidance for information about the management and deployment of meter firmware. Read on to learn about the new Draft Proposals and Modification Consultations which you are invited to provide feedback on. We hope you enjoy this edition.

 

Last call to join the Annual SEC Panel Q&A webinar: 16 July at 9:30am

If you’ve not yet registered to join the Annual SEC Panel Q&A webinar on 16 July 2021, there is still time. You will have the opportunity to put your questions to the SEC Panel and Sub-Committee Independent Chairs. Plus hear Peter Davies, the SEC Panel Chair, present highlights from the previous regulatory year, and the Panel’s view of the main challenges and forward look for the year ahead.

To register, click here. If you have any questions, please email the SECAS Helpdesk.

 

Your Enrolment and Adoption questions answered here

You can view the answers to the questions raised by SEC Parties at our ‘Enrolment and Adoption: what you need to know’ webinar on 24 June 2021. Thank you to all those who asked questions. Please find the answers here; including information about Device behaviours and who to contact for help at the DCC. If you missed the webinar, you can watch the video here (you must be logged into the SEC website to view).

 

View the New Meter Firmware Management Best Practice Guidance

SEC Parties are invited to view the new Meter Firmware Management Best Practice Guidance here. The guidance provides information for Energy Suppliers on the management and deployment of Smart Meter firmware. It aims to provide helpful and practical advice on the steps that should be considered before, during and after the deployment of Device firmware. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact the SECAS Helpdesk.

 

Rationale for the DSP Contract Extension

SEC Parties can find out more about the DCC’s decision to extend its Data Service Provider (DSP) contract. In the interest of transparency to SEC Parties, the Panel requested that the DCC writes to wider industry to inform all Users that an extension had been secured, and to lay out the rationale for seeking that extension, rather than a full procurement.

 

SEC Parties can access the letter here, within the Green Meeting Documentation folder, under the name SECP_94_1607_01 – Appendix A – DSP Contract Extension (GREEN). Please note, you will need to be logged into the website to access this folder. If you have any questions, please contact the SECAS Helpdesk.

 

New Draft Proposals

Two new Draft Proposals have been raised since the last newsletter. You are invited to provide feedback to help us understand whether the issue affects your Party. Please contact the Change Team to share your views.

 

 

DP176 ’Customer Analytics Reporting’

 

The current SEC reporting gives SEC Parties an industry-wide level of reporting. The DCC has identified that additional reporting metrics are needed which are not currently listed in SEC Section H ‘DCC Services’. This is because the current reporting does not consider individual performances, how one Party compares to other SEC Parties, or the ability to diagnose factors (Devices, Firmware, Geographic Location, Orchestration) that may affect their performance against key business processes.

 

 

 

DP177 ’Replacement CPA Evaluation Assurance and Certification Provider’

 

The Commercial Product Assurance (CPA) Certificate scheme is one of the certifications run by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Other SEC Parties have recognised that the scheme is not meeting the needs of Device Manufacturers and SEC Parties. The Proposer believes that the current NCSC service causes unnecessary costs to SEC Parties and Device Manufacturers.

 

Modification Report Consultations closing next week

Four Modification Report Consultations will close on 19 July 2021. SEC Parties, we welcome your comments before the Modification Proposals are taken to the next Change Board meeting. For more information, and to respond to any of these consultations, please download the relevant consultation pack linked below and send your response to the Change Team.

 

 

MP134A ‘Use of SMKI Certificates relating to a SoLR event’

Download the consultation here

 

A Supplier (or their agent) holds its own Smart Metering Key Infrastructure (SMKI) Private Keys that enable it to send and action Critical Commands by the Meter. It often takes between two to four weeks from the appointment of a Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) for a new Supplier to change the SMKI Certificates and may be longer which leaves a risk that Prepayment meter customers could be off supply.

 

 

 

MP138 ‘DCC Service Testing in ETAD’

Download the consultation here

 

The scope of the Enduring Testing Approach Document (ETAD) was initially designed to ensure that DCC Users had appropriate provisions to undergo the User Entry Process Testing (UEPT). However, the ETAD does not include every Testing Service that the DCC offers. The DCC has been working with Device Manufacturers to understand their testing needs and develop additional Testing Services. The Proposed Solution is to add four Testing Services to the ETAD.

 

 

 

MP157 ‘Removal of DUIS v1.1 and v2.0’

Download the consultation here

 

MP080 ‘Managing DUIS uplifts’ added DCC User Interface Specification (DUIS) versions to the Technical Specification Applicability Tables (TSAT). In the SEC, the TSAT currently still displays DUIS versions 1.1 and 2.0 as available for use. These need to be removed from the SEC so that DCC Users are clear that these are no longer supported versions.

 

 

 

MP158 ‘Incorporation of multiple Issue Resolution Proposals into the SEC – Batch 5’

Download the consultation here

 

Issue Resolution Proposals (IRPs) identify and resolve issues in the Technical Specifications documents of the SEC. There are 14 IRPs contained in this document confirmed as not being DDC System impacting, or that require DCC System testing. The Technical Specification Issue Resolution Sub-group (TSIRS) requested this to be progressed as a Modification Proposal for implementation into the SEC. Implementation of these IRPs will ensure Devices operate as they are intended.

 

New Refinement Consultation

There is one Modification Proposal undergoing Refinement Consultation which is due to close on 9 August 2021. As a SEC Party, you can help influence the Proposed Solution, help determine the business case for the change, and comment on how the proposal will affect your organisation. For more information and to respond the consultation, download the consultation pack linked below and send your response to the Change Team.

 

 

MP116 ‘Service Request Forecasting’

Download the consultation here

 

Each quarter, DCC Users must submit an eight-month forecast of the number of Service Requests it anticipates sending to the DCC. It is believed that each forecast takes an average of two days for a User to complete. These forecasts are intended to assist in managing demand on the DCC User Interface Services. The DCC has raised concern that the forecasts lack the accuracy required to create useful data that improves demand management on the DCC User Interface Services.

 

 

Open Industry Consultations Webpage

Please visit our Open Industry Consultations webpage for details of consultations that may be of interest to SEC Parties. If you are aware of a consultation that should be added, please contact the SECAS Helpdesk.

 

SECAS Helpdesk

Please contact the SECAS Helpdesk with any questions and a member of the team will be happy to help. Helpdesk hours are Monday-Friday 9-5pm (excluding bank holidays).

 

Date                Meeting, Event or Deadline  
16 July  Annual SEC Panel Q&A webinar 
16 July  SEC Panel Meeting 94 
21 July  Small Suppliers Engagement Call 
26 July  Operations Group Meeting 53 
28 July  Testing Advisory Group Meeting 81 
28 July  Security Sub-Committee Meeting 128 
28 July  Change Board Meeting 56 
3 August  Operations Group Meeting 54 
4 August  Monthly Working Group Meeting – August 2021 
5 August  Technical Architecture and Business Architecture Sub-Committee Meeting 68 
9 August  Strategic Working Group 04 
11 August  Smart Metering Key Infrastructure Policy Management Authority Meeting 84 
11 August  Security Sub-Committee Meeting 129 
11 August  Other SEC Parties Engagement Call 
13 August  SEC Panel Meeting 95 
18 August  Small Suppliers Engagement Call