Smart Metering Initiative

Definition :

The Smart Metering Initiative (SMI) has been driven forward by the UK Government's announcement that every consumer and business in the UK will have a smart meter installed by 2020. The Smart Metering Initiative will ensure that an accurate reading is always recorded, resulting in cost and efficiency savings.

Smart meters will be rolled out over the next 5 years, putting pressure on utility companies to have the correct processes in place to support this effectively, especially as part of this initiative means that consumers will have monitor and control capabilities of their energy systems, remotely. Installing smart meters across the UK will be enabled by machine-to-machine (M2M) communication network.

The smart metering initiative is good news for both customers and suppliers alike. It provides the opportunity for better customer relationships to be built and more information on energy usage to be collected for more intelligent marketing. But ahead of this rollout, there is a lot of groundwork to be prepared.

Utility companies will need confidence in accurate contact data. Address details will need to be correct, to ensure the successful installation of smart meters while complete customer records will be imperative so to include information like MPRN, MPAN and telephone numbers.

Related information

• Visit our dedicated Utilities page for full information on how Experian QAS can help deal with the challenges faced in this sector.