SEC Newsletter 9 January 2020

Welcome to our first newsletter of 2020! We hope that you all had an enjoyable Christmas break.
We are looking forward to seeing you at our next Spotlight on the SEC event on 23 January. We also look forward to receiving your feedback on the SEC Panel Draft Budget which is out for consultation via CodeWorks, which should make it easier for you to respond.
Read on to find out more, and a Happy New Year from the SECAS Team.

 

Comment on the SEC Panel Draft Budget in CodeWorks

The SEC Panel welcomes your views on its Draft Budget for the next three Regulatory Years. Excitingly, it has been made available for you to view in CodeWorks which will make it easier and more convenient for you to leave your feedback and comments. Don’t have access yet? Simply sign up here.
The deadline for comments is 31 January 2020, click here to find out more. The Panel will consider comments from Parties, and any changes as a result will be included in a future newsletter. Don’t hesitate, let your views be heard.

 

Spotlight on the SEC – 23 January 2020

Are you interested in learning about key updates from industry experts? We welcome you to our Spotlight on the SEC event on 23 January 2020 – we still have a few spaces left!
Topical updates include SMETS1 Enrolment and Adoption, Supplier of Last Resort, Code Digitisation and updates on SEC governance. You can see the final agenda here. To reserve your place contact SECAS@gemserv.com with attendee names, emails and any dietary requirements, by the close of business on Monday 13 January 2020.

 

New Draft Proposals

The Change Team are busy processing numerous Modifications. The following Draft Proposals are problems or issues that the proposer believes needs addressing. We therefore need to know the impact these issues are having on you as a SEC Party – our Change Team welcome your feedback.

 

Draft Proposal

 

Issue

 

DP102 ‘Power Outage Alerts triggered by an OTA firmware upgrade’

 

Some Devices can trigger a power supply interruption when undergoing an Over the Air firmware upgrade. This leads to a Power Outage Alert being produced.

 

DP103 ‘DCC SOC2 Assessments’

 

 

Systems Organisation Controls 2 is a USA Financial Assessment tool which has been difficult to align with the SEC, DCC and Service Providers. An alternative tool is therefore being sought.

 

DP104 ‘Security Improvements’

 

The Security Sub Committee has identified some Security Improvements, currently confidential.

 

DP105 ‘Sending SR11.2 to Devices in Suspended State’

 

 

If a Device is ‘Suspended’ on the Central Products List, Parties cannot read the Devices’ firmware version. The Proposer believes that Users should be able to as it would provide another means to update the state of the Device on the CPL.

 

DP106 ‘CHISM update for Unknown WAN Variant’

 

 

To receive Smart Metering Wide Area Network (SM WAN) coverage, a SR12.1 ‘Request WAN Matrix’ is sent. In the South and Central regions, if the WAN Variant is unconfirmed, the response is “  “ (space). This has been identified as potentially confusing and so there is a proposed wording change to “Unknown”.

 

 

DCC Publications

There are four open DCC consultations:

Changes to the DCC Performance Measurement Methodology – proposes to amend the calculation applied to determine the Service Level of four Performance Measures. The consultation closes on 22 January 2020;

A Further Testing Consultation – covers changes to the SEC Variation Testing Approach Document for SMETS1 Services and the Migration Testing Approach Document for SMETS1 Services (MTAD), and some firmware changes. This closes on 17 January 2020;

Changes to the Transition and Migration Approach Document for Final Operating Capability closes on 22 January 2020; and

Consultation on Proposed ICHIS changes for Fylingdales and other minor changes – consults on proposals for additional testing and criteria to Intimate Communication Hub Interface Specification (ICHIS) when accepting meters based on sample testing on Fylingdales Communication Hub Antenna Structure (CHAS). The closing date is 31 January 2020.

 

The DCC has also published A Consultation Response on SMETS1 FOC System Integration Testing (SIT): Proposed Device Model Combination (DMC) Selection and Rationale, implementing the consultation proposal.

 

Ofgem Publications

Ofgem has published its Forward Work Programme 2020-2022 Consultation. This annual consultation sets out Ofgem’s proposed work for the coming years, in three broad areas:
• enabling competition and innovation;
• protecting consumers; and
• decarbonising to deliver a net zero economy at the lowest cost to consumers.
The consultation closes on 21 February 2020.

 

Ofgem has published its 9 August 2019 power outage report which sets out the causes of the outage and identifies the companies at fault, and identifies the lessons learned by the energy sector to improve the resilience of Great Britain’s electricity network.

 

The SEC Panel has published its response to Ofgem Consultation on DCC Price Control Consultation: Regulatory Year 2018/19.

 

BEIS publication

BEIS published a press release which claimed that the default tariff cap saved consumers over £1 billion on their energy bills in 2019. The tariff cap will continue in 2020.

 

Would you like to join the SECAS Team?

Do you have strong relationship management skills, the flexibility to manage changing and competing priorities, and a keen eye for detail?
We are currently recruiting for a Governance Consultant to join our SECAS Committee Support team. For more information please visit the recruitment page here.

 

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  

 

14 January   Testing Advisory Group Meeting 62x 
17 January  SEC Panel Meeting 76 
17 January   Closing date for DCC Further Testing Consultation on Device Model Combination Testing  
21 January  Smart Metering Key Infrastructure Policy Management Policy Meeting 65 
22 January   Security Sub-Committee Meeting 93 
22 January  Change Board Meeting 38 
22 January  Closing date for DCC Consultation on Changes to the DCC Performance Measurement Methodology 
22 January   Closing date for DCC Consultation on Changes to the Transition and Migration Approach Document for Final Operating Capability 
23 January   Spotlight on the SEC  
24 January   Closing date for Ofgem REC Technical Specification Approach Consultation 
27 January  Operations Group Meeting 28a 
28 January  Change Sub-Committee 11 
29 January  Testing Advisory Group Meeting 63 
31 January  Closing date for DCC Consultation on Changes to the Intimate Communications Hub Interface Specification (ICHIS) 
4 February  Operations Group Meeting 29 
5 February  Monthly Working Group Meeting February 2020  
6 February   Technical Architecture and Business Architecture Sub-Committee Meeting 50