Written question asked by Jonathan Reynolds (Labour) on Thursday, 11 June 2015, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 16 June 2015 (named day). It was answered by Andrea Leadsom (Conservative) on Tuesday, 16 June 2015 on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Energy: Meters

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she expects the smart metering communications infrastructure managed by the Data and Communications Company to begin operation.

Answer: The Government has set a date of April 2016 in the licence of the Data and Communications Company (DCC) to begin operation. The Government has also made available up to six months of contingency which will be strictly governed by the Department, to enable the DCC’s systems and services to come together with the energy companies’ systems and processes in a co-ordinated start to the main installation stage. The Government has advised energy suppliers and network companies to use August 2016 as a central planning assumption for the start of DCC operations.

Secondary information