Smart Meters: Communications Issues

In May 2009, the UK's Department for Energy and Climate

Change (DECC) confirmed the Government's plans to install smart

meters in all households by 2020 and launched a public consultation

on smart metering for electricity and gas in Britain (the

Consultation). As part of our

on-going series of articles exploring legal and commercial

issues relating to smart meters, this article outlines and examines

some of the telecommunications issues and obligations with which

smart metering projects in Britain may have to contend.

In May 2009, the UK's Department for Energy and Climate

Change (DECC) confirmed the Government's plans to install smart

meters in all households by 2020 and launched a public consultation

on smart metering for electricity and gas in Britain (the Consultation).

As part of our on-going series of

articles exploring legal and commercial issues relating to smart

meters, this article outlines and examines some of the

telecommunications issues and obligations with which smart metering

projects in Britain may have to contend.

Smart metering network(s)

Telecommunications networks and functions will lie at the heart

of any smart metering project and a wide variety of technical

solutions could be applied. For example, smart meters might

transmit data around a home using low power FM transmitters, power

lines, ethernet technology, or more common wi-fi systems, whilst

the "backchannel" (i.e. the data-feed connecting the

meter back to the energy company) might utilise cable/broadband

connections, digital power lines or wireless connections such as

mobile telephone networks. Legally, radio equipment and telecoms

terminal equipment must meet the UK standards and interface

requirements and comply with the Radio and Telecommunications

Terminal Equipment ("R&TTE")

Directive. All products placed into the UK market within the scope

of the R&TTE Directive must carry a CE conformity mark.

As indicated, some meters are already able to use existing power

lines to transmit data (such as Siemens' Automated Metering and

Information System (AMIS) piloted by Energie AG of Austria). In a

domestic setting, there would need to be at least one network

connecting the house to the energy supplier (backchannel) but,

depending on the solutions adopted, numerous additional networks

might be involved in the backchannel before meter data reaches

energy companies (for example, if backchannel transmission were by

power line, the information would ultimately need to be...