Hello,
Welcome to the June SEC newsletter. As well as rising temperatures and light evenings, this time of year is also when we host the SEC Party Engagement Day. This year it is on the 12th July – here is the Invitation to the SEC Party Engagement Day – 12th July 2018.
This is your opportunity to receive SEC updates directly from the SEC Panel and other key SEC and Smart Metering stakeholders, and ask questions of your elected Panel members. There will also be updates from DCC, Ofgem, BEIS, Smart Energy GB and Citizens Advice.
After the morning’s updates, SECAS will be hosting education sessions in the afternoon. Session A: Introduction to the SEC is targeted at new SEC Parties or people new to working in smart metering. Session B: Operating in the SEC and the DCC will provide more detailed information on current priorities. Sessions include:
| Introduction to the SEC and SEC Governance | Changes to Service Management DCC |
| DCC Onboarding | CPL challenges |
| DCC User Entry Process | Current Modifications Proposals |
| Introduction to Security and Privacy | Managing agile changes to the DCC SSI |
| Prepayment meters: Current trends and issues | Meter triage |
There are still places available; please RSVP to SECAS Helpdesk with your details as soon as possible to secure your reservatoin. Please note that spaces are limited to two attendees per SEC Party.
We look forward to seeing you at the Engagement Day.
Best regards,
Courtney O’Connor
SEC Governance
SEC Panel
The SEC Panel met on 15th June 2018 and discussed the following topics:
- Proposed criteria for the Panel to assess when the first two milestones for the DCC Release 2.0 Incentive Scheme have been met. Milestones 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B, agreed subject to TAG recommendations;
- A confidential Completion Report for Part 3b of SMKI and Repository Testing (SRT), in addition to a letter from the SMKI PMA confirming SMKI PMA were satisfied with the entry and exit criteria. The Panel approved the completion of SRT Part 3b;
- The Panel agreed that DCC will now ensure that after an Incident is raised, if investigations determine that the cause of the Incident may be with the meter, the Incident will remain open on the DCC system, assigned to the Responsible Supplier, until the matter has been confirmed as resolved.
The next Panel meeting will be on 13th July 2018.
Operations Group (Ops Group)
The Ops Group met on 26th June 2018. Meeting headlines are available here. It received regular DCC reports, and also included:
- Activities for the Ops Group in advance of the DC Release 2.0 go live on 30th September 2018. SECAS will provide Ops Group’s views on first DCC Incentive Milestone for R2.0 to SEC Panel in July;
- Members views on DCC proposals for Self-Service Interface improvements, including the next 3 ‘sprints’ the DCC wish to implement;
- DC latest temporary Maintenance schedule proposals.
Draft minutes of the meeting will be available from 3rd July 2018. The next Ops Group meeting will be held on the 24th July 2018.
Testing Advisory Group (TAG)
The TAG meeting took place on the 27th June 2018 where the following items were discussed:
- General updates on the testing progress with Release 2.0 and SMETS1 Services release;
- A discussion on the feature switching functionality within the User Interface Testing B environment and how it affects testing participants;
- The first milestones associated with the DCC Release 2.0 incentive scheme, to inform a recommendation to the Panel;
- Testing activities associated with the June 2019 Release.
The TAG will meet again on 25th July 2018.
Technical Architecture and Business Architecture Sub-Committee (TABASC)
The TABASC meeting took place on 21st June 2018, and the meeting headlines are here. The meeting discussed:
- DCC update on its Traffic Management and the DCC Change Management System, used for tracking DCC Change Request progress;
- SEC Issue 0001 (SEC0001) on the clarification of Device Language Message Specification fixed lengths;
- DCC Planned and Unplanned maintenance notifications;
- The approval of the Business Architecture Model updates required to reflect Release 2.0 functionality;
- Oher updates on
- Progress with the Release 2.0 BAD and TAD updates;
- TABASC Effectiveness Review Questionnaire in advance of it being reissued in September;
- TABASC Risk register and associated Risk Management Plans.
The next TABASC meeting will take place on 19th July 2018.
Security Sub-Committee (SSC)
The SSC met on 13th (meeting headlines) and 27th June 2018 and covered:
- Review and approval of the nominations for two Large Supplier seats, one Small Supplier seat and one Gas Networks seat;
- A DCC update on the Security Architecture Document V0.5 review and how SSC comments had been taken into account and a spreadsheet setting this out would be provided to the Sub-Committee;
- The annual desktop exercise for the Joint Industry Cyber Security Incident Management Plan (JICSIMP) to ensure the industry incident and vulnerability process was still fit for purpose.
The next SSC meeting is scheduled for 11th July 2018.
Smart Metering Key Infrastructure (SMKI) Policy Management Authority (PMA)
The SMKI PMA met on 19th June 2018, with meeting headlines here and it discussed:
- An update on the logistical planning for the DCC demonstration of SMKI Recovery Options. The DCC is in discussion with the Party that volunteered to undertake the exercise;
- An update from SECAS on SECMP0042 (ARO Reports) – Amendment to SMKI Services to provide DCC Users and/or SMKI Participants with Authorised Responsible Officer (ARO) Statistics and Information for which SMKI PMA agreed to act as the Working Group for this modification, while SECAS develops the consultation;
- SMKI PMA reviewed and approved the application for a Large Supplier Seat following the call for nominations.
The next SMKI PMA meeting is scheduled for 17th July 2018.
Modifications Update
New SEC Modification Proposals
There have been no new modifications raised since the May 2018 Panel meeting.
Modifications Reports at the June Panel Meeting
Three Draft Modification Reports (DMRs) were presented to the Panel at its June 2018 meeting:
- SECMP0019 ‘ALCS Description Labels’
- SECMP0044 ‘User Security Assessment of a Shared Resource’
- SECMP0048 ‘Extension of SMETS gas Valve exemption to include Large Gas Meters installed at Domestic Premises’
The Panel determined that these modifications should be submitted to Modification Report Consultation (MRC).
Open Consultations
The following consultations are open:
- SECMP0018 ‘Standard Electricity Distributor Configuration Settings’ Working Group Consultation – responses invited by Friday 6th July 2018;
- SECMP0019 ‘ALCS Description Labels’ Modification Report Consultation – responses invited by Wednesday 4th July 2018;
- SECMP0044 ‘User Security Assessment of a Shared Resource’ Modification Report Consultation – responses invited by Wednesday 4th July 2018;
- SECMP0048 ‘Extension of SMETS gas Valve exemption to include Large Gas Meters installed at Domestic Premises’ Modification Report Consultation – responses invited by Wednesday 4th July 2018.
If you wish to respond to any of these, please send your responses to sec.change@gemserv.com.
Change Board Vote
At its meeting on 23rd May 2018, the SEC Change Board approved the following under Self-Governance:
- SECMP0027 ‘Amending Service Request Forecasting’;
- SECMP0047 ‘Default Provisions for Other SEC Parties’; and
- SECMP0052 ‘Updates to the DCCKI CP and DCCCKI RAPP’.
SECMP0027, SECMP0047 and SECMP0052 are now subject to a 10 Working Day period in which Parties may refer these decisions to the SEC Panel if they disagree with the Change Board’s determinations. This period ends at 5pm on Wednesday 4th July 2018. If no referrals are received, the Change Board’s decision is final and SECMP0047 will be implemented on 31st October 2018, and SECMP0027 and SECMP0052 will be implemented on 1st November 2018.
Recent Designations of the SEC
Four designations of the SEC have been made in the last month, with the most recent, SEC version 5.19, being designated on the 25th June 2018. Details on the previous designations can be found in the June 2018 Change Status Report.
You can download the current version of the SEC from the SEC and Guidance Documents page of our website.
Modifications Register
Our Modifications Register contains the details for all SEC Modification Proposals, including a summary of the latest progress and a view of the impacts each proposal will have. You can download this from the top of the Modifications page of the SEC Website.
Modifications Question Hour
The next Modifications Question Hour will be held at 11am on Monday 9th July 2018. Further information, including the relevant teleconference details, can be found here.
Recent Publications and SECAS updates
Open DCC consultation – Temporary Maintenance schedule – supplemental consultation
On 28th June 2018, DCC issued a DCC Temporary Maintenance schedule June 2018 - supplemental consultation. DCC will be seeking a decision on the proposals from the SEC Panel at an ex-committee meeting on Tuesday, 3rd July 2018.
Feedback is welcome via email, bilateral meeting or teleconference. Please contact DCC at contact@smartdcc.co.uk if you would like to discuss any aspect of these proposal
Open DCC consultation – Hub sizing, North region
https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/media/459604/sizing_and_rhch_consultation.pdf, closing 13th July 2018. This is a proposal to introduce smaller Hubs to the CPL.
DCC Performance Measurement Methodology
A new version of the methodology following a consultation in March. The main comments were on:
- Allowed Exceptions (Section 1.6.1)
- Incident Resolution: CPM4 (Section 2.6), CPM5 (Section 2.87), PM3 (Section 3.8)
- Communications Hubs: CH1.3 (Sections 4.13 and 5.12).
BEIS response to closed consultation – changes to allow DCC service for SMETS1
This is a response to a consultation at the end of March. The conclusions in the response were:
- Renaming The Certified Products List (CPL) Central Products List;
- Implementing the proposed ‘all reasonable steps’ obligation on the Lead Supplier at split supply premises;
- No changes to Security, DCC Service Management, Transition and Other Changes sections of the consultation;
- Changes to Pending Product Combinations Testing.
The changes that were the subject of the consultation have now been incorporated into the SEC.
Closed BEIS consultations / confirmation relating to Designations
https://smartenergycodecompany.co.uk/download/7223/
These have now been incorporated into SEC (which is now at Version 5.19).
SEC Parties and Accessions
Six Applicants acceded as a Party to the SEC in June 2018. The table below shows the current status of SEC Parties for each SEC Party Category. SEC Party Details can be seen on the SEC Website.
| Current SEC Parties, Total (comprising): | 309 |
| (Electricity Networks) | 26 |
| (Gas Networks) | 20 |
| (Large Suppliers) | 24 |
| (Small Suppliers) | 149 |
| (Other SEC Parties) | 90 |
| Accession of new Parties to the SEC since last Newsletter | 6 |
| Parties withdrawing from the SEC | 0 |
| Expulsion of Parties from the SEC | 0 |
| Changes to SEC Panel Member employment status | 0 |
A list of SEC Parties can be accessed below the documents section of this page.
Upcoming SEC Calendar Dates
The dates for the regular meetings of the SEC Panel and SEC Sub-Committees are below. More information on these meetings is available via the Meeting Calendar on the SECAS Website. Modification Proposal Working Group meetings, which are scheduled on an ‘as needs’ basis, are also found on the SEC Meeting Calendar.
| Date | Meetings and Events |
| 11th July 2018 | SSC Meeting 58 |
| 13th July 2018 | SEC Panel Meeting 58 |
| 17th July 2018 | SMKI PMA Meeting 48 |
| 19th July 2018 | TABASC Meeting 32 |
| 24th July 2018 | Operations Group Meeting 10 |
| 25th July 2018 | TAG Meeting 52 |
| 25th July 2018 | SSC Meeting 59 |
