Infrastructure Company announces five year smart meter deployment plan

The organisation leading the design, build, test and integration of the data and communications infrastructure needed to connect smart meters with energy suppliers and network operators has revealed a five-year plan for deploying smart meters across the country, a recent news report has been able to suggest.

The Data Communications Company (DCC) says it will develop its secure data network to make the UK more connected, enable consumers to be more sustainable, facilitate faster switching and boost innovation.

It notes while its immediate priority remains maintaining the smart meter deployment rate of 20 units being installed per minute, it will also deliver a range of other improvements, such as dual-band communications hubs to connect with smart meters in blocks of flats or homes with thicker walls.

The report commits to making smart meters available to every household, promising to “extend coverage in a cost effective way to the remaining properties that do not have a signal”.

It adds: “By 2021, our Communication Services Providers will have delivered the maximum contracted coverage levels of at least 99.5% in the North Region and at least 99.25% in the Central and South Regions.”

It also plans to bring first-generation meters (SMETS1) onto its centralised network, solving the issue of meters potentially losing their functionality when an energy supplier changes.

HeatingSave – leading developers of Smart Energy Monitoring and Management Systems

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