Regulation

Smart DCC Licence

Smart DCC Ltd (DCC) operates under the Smart Meter Communication Licence which was granted by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and is regulated by Ofgem.

We are registered in England under company number 08641679 and our registered office is at 65 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7NQ, United Kingdom.

The licence allows us to establish and manage the smart metering data and communications infrastructure.

Under this licence, we required to be a Party to and comply with: 

 

• the Smart Energy Code (SEC) which set out operations and technical requirements for smart metering for DCC, as well as suppliers, network operators, and other Parties; and
• the Retail Energy Code – which sets out a broad range of arrangements relating to the retail energy market, including the faster switching arrangements.

 

Licence key facts

• DCC is regulated by Ofgem
• The licence came into effect on 23 September 2013
• The licence term is 12 years (with a maximum further extension period of six years)
• The licence imposes an ex-post Price Control regime to scrutinise DCC costs
• The licence may be modified by BEIS or Ofgem

 

Smart Energy Code (SEC)

The Smart Energy Code (SEC) is a multi-party agreement, which requires energy suppliers, network operators and other relevant stakeholders to become a party to the SEC and to comply with its provisions in order to use DCC services.

The SEC sets out the rights and obligations of each SEC Party. 

It is overseen by a Panel of industry experts (the SEC Panel) which includes a DCC representative, and is administered by the Smart Energy Code Administrator and Secretariat (SECAS). DCC supports the development and maintenance of the SEC through assessing and implementing changes (known as modifications), and consulting on changes to technical appendices known as subsidiary documents when directed by BEIS.

 

For the current version of the SEC and for more information, including how it is governed, visit the SECAS website.

 

Retail Energy Code (REC)

The Retail Energy Code (REC) came into force in early 2019 and is a new multi-party agreement that sets out the framework for the retail energy market including how the new Centralised Switching Service will work. As well as continuing to comply with the existing Smart Energy Code (SEC), DCC will also be required to follow rules in the REC.

The REC also sets out the rights and obligations of each REC Party. DCC will be responsible for the obligations relating to the design, implementation and early live operation of the Centralised Switching Service.         

The development of the REC is being led by Ofgem and will transition to being overseen by RECCo. DCC supports Ofgem and will support development of the REC.

For the current designated REC version and for more information on REC governance, visit the Ofgem website.