Strategic Panel approves £1.1m smart meter data-sharing hub

The Strategic Panel has given the go-ahead for a new smart meter data-sharing hub to be created for the non-household market. Nearly 800,000 business customers are due to be smart metered by 2030, generating hourly data around the clock.

MOSL has considered three options for wholesalers, who will own smart meters and collect the data they generate, to share consumption data with retailers, who will bill and serve customers: allowing wholesalers to continue developing their own bespoke processes and procedures; a ‘trust framework’ similar to that used in the banking sector; and a central data-sharing ‘hub’. The hub has emerged as the chosen solution.

Chair of the Strategic Panel, Trisha McAuley, said: “Having a central hub for this information will provide a consistent approach to sharing smart meter reads, while allowing trading parties to submit or extract data in different ways and formats, depending on their needs, capability and budget.

“The hub will also help retailers select and submit reads into the market’s central systems efficiently and provide the controls necessary to manage the high volume of submissions entering CMOS.”

The hub is budgeted to cost £1.1m to build. This will be funded from market performance charges. Ongoing running costs will be funded through MOSL’s Market Operator charges.

The first phase of the smart meter read hub is due to be delivered by the end of March 2026, followed by a second phase to connect the hub to CMOS to allow retailers to submit reads directly into the market’s central system for billing and settlement purposes.

The hub vendor is expected to be announced this week.