British Gas selects CGI to provide smart meter interface

British Gas has selected IT consulting firm CGI to provide an interface that will simplify the management of energy smart meters as part of the Smart Metering Implementation Programme of the UK Government. This programme aims at providing every house with a smart meter. This will allow UK consumers to better manage their energy consumption and spending.

Smart meters
The UK Government has set the goal for every home in the UK to have smart energy meters that will allow UK consumers to better understand their energy consumption and control their bills. To achieve this, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has set up the Smart Metering Implementation Programme (SMIP) with the objective of installing an estimated 53 million smart electricity and gas meters in domestic and small non-domestic properties in the UK by 2020. The Data and Communications Company (DCC) will provide shared infrastructure underpinning mass smart meter rollout through communication services between the smart meters and the business systems of energy suppliers, network operators and service users.

Energy and home services provider British Gas, which is a subsidiary of utility company Centrica, has taken the lead in the ‘Foundation Stage’ of the smart meters and currently deployed more than one million smart meters to its domestic UK customers.

Just recently, British Gas selected IT consulting firm CGI to provide the DCC with an interface for the management of the smart meters. This Adapter solution will simplify the process of connecting to the DCC under the mass roll-out plans, as it meets the terms of connection set out in the Smart Energy Code. In addition, the Adapter will minimise changes needed to energy company’s internal IT systems. Currently, half of British Gas’ smart meters are supported by CGI through its Smart Data Services programme.

According to CGI, the contract builds on “CGI’s experience of delivering smart meter data solutions in the British market and over 30 years of working with the utilities sector.”

“The success of Britain’s Smart Metering Implementation Programme in part rests on suppliers’ ability to access and use the large volumes of data provided through the DCC. British Gas is already the largest installer of smart meters in the UK and this agreement sees them further demonstrate that commitment by taking an important step towards full rollout,” comments Tara McGeehan, UK Utilities Director CGI on the contract.