Richard Williams gave this presentation at the IET conference on 8th March 2011. Across the world governments, utilities and industry bodies are working hard to define and roll out Smart Metering Systems which will work for their customers, industry structure and regulatory environment. There are many issues that need to be considered, including the interfaces to the internet and Consumer HAN

1. Why Smart Meters need to define interfaces
to the Internet and Consumer HAN.
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IET 4th Annual Smart Metering Conference 8-9 March 2011
Richard Williams
8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
I am Richard Williams and I work at Cambridge Consultants, an Engineering Design
company. We provide our development services to a wide range of business covering
many markets including Consumer products and Industrial sensing which includes
Utility meters.
With the rollout of smart meters we have been considering why and how the metering and
consumer appliance worlds should come together.
This is what I will talk about today.
Page 1

2. Agenda:
1 Why Smart Meters must define their communications with the home
2 What are the candidate system architectures
3 What technologies and standards fit best
4 Conclusion
2 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
In this presentation I will explain why it is essential for smart meters to communicate with
products in the home and why these communication interfaces must be open and
standardised.
I will introduce a suitable high level architecture for this communication and then briefly
describe how established and familiar standards and technologies can be used to
implement it.
Page 2

3. 1. Why Smart Meters must define their communications with the Home
Reminder: Why we are rolling out Smart Metering?
DECC forecast benefits
£17Bn (domestic rollout)
{
Achieving the EU 2020 climate change Other
targets benefits
Energy
Progressing to the 2050 target of an saving/CO2
80% reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions
Debt
Smart metering will help to achieve this handling
through
No
– Better information and advice for estimated
consumers bills
– Load shifting and load control
– Support for micro generation Load
Avoiding
– Integrating electric vehicles and home shifting
meter reading
energy storage with the grid
Source: Impact Assessment of a GB-wide Smart meter
rollout for the domestic sector, 2010
3 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
First let’s remind ourselves why Smart Meters are being deployed.
Smart metering has two main areas of benefit
First are the Customer Service and Operational benefits of meter reading, billing,
payments and efficient change of supplier
Second are reducing energy consumption and shifting the time when energy is used. This
will provide the dual benefit of reduced energy cost to the consumer and reduced
carbon emissions. These are the two blue segments pointed to on the chart.
It is these later benefits which are at risk if we do not have effective communications
between Smart meters and home systems.
There is a lot of focus on the 2020 climate change targets but it is the 2050 goal of an
80% reduction in greenhouse gases where smart meters must make their main
contribution. The smart meters which will be rolled out in the period up to 2020 will
have an operational life extending to 2050.
Our energy mix in 2050 is still being planned but for domestic housing there will be a
substantial shift from gas to electricity. This combined with the introduction of major
new energy consuming devices in our homes like heat pumps and electric vehicles
makes the need for accessible open communication to the smart metering system
even be greater.
Page 3

4. 1. Why Smart Meters must define their communications with the Home
The UK Smart Metering Programme does not define interfaces for the Consumer
Smart Meters should enable consumers to add services and products to make their
homes more energy efficient
Current scope of the
proposed UK system
4 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
Now consider the scope of the Smart Metering System which is being defined for the UK.
This diagram should be familiar to those of us involved in the UK programme.
The system comprises
In the home: Electricity and Gas meters, an In-Home Display IHD and WAN comms
module (more generically known as a gateway). The responsibility for installing and
operating these is with the Energy Supplier.
Outside the home is a central WAN communication and data aggregation function which
provides the communications between all 26M homes’ Smart meters and the relevant
energy supplier. This central comms system will be operated by a new organisation
known generically as the DCC or Data Comms Company.
The UK programme is focussing on two interfaces in the system.
Interface 1 as I term it which is the connection between the gateway and the WAN. This
must be defined as the Energy suppliers will be responsible for ensuring the meter’s
gateway will communicate with the WAN. There is an added complication with this
interface as the DCC will lag the start of the meter rollout and the WAN will be defined
after some meters are installed. The proposed solution is to implement the WAN
comms as a module in the home which can be upgraded.
Interface 2 as I term it is also known as the Meter HAN. There will not be universal supply
and ownership of the meters in a home by one energy supplier. Many homes get gas
from one provider and electricity from another. Consequently an interface must be
defined so that meters, IHD and gateways from different suppliers will work together.
What is missing from the UK Programme, and is needed, is a third interface between the
smart metering system and the consumer’s appliances.
Page 4

5. 1. Why Smart Meters must define their communications with the Home
IHDs (In Home Displays) do not achieve enough energy saving on their own
IHDs are a good start: Universal and simple
– But sustained savings <2%
Information should be available on many devices
– TV, PC, Smartphone ….
– And new devices that become available in the next
~20 years
With multiple methods of consumer engagement
– Analysis, advice and feedback
– Peer group comparison
– Rewards and encouragement
Interfaces should not limit future methods
– Or access by the organisations that can provide the
services and products
5 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
Why do we need this third interface?
Current plans are to include IHDs in the roll-out at no additional cost to the consumer.
These devices will provide a relatively simple interface for the consumer which can be
located in a convenient place in the home.
Many trials with IHD have been carried out to assess their influence on the consumers
energy use. These trials have shown a rage of results but the longer term trend shows
that an IHD combined with some generic energy saving advice results in an average
consumer saving of less than 2%.
Everyone would agree a consumer display (or User Interface) is an essential part of a
smart home energy system but there should be a wide choice of devices and methods
which are available to display the information.
The other key consideration is how and what information should be displayed. Different
formats will suit different users and the information will range from presenting data, to
billing/payment, receiving specific advice, and interacting with peer groups, friends etc -
the social networking phenomenon.
Looking to the future the most important consideration is supporting new means of
interacting with systems. Who can tell what devices we will have in our pockets in 20
years time?
The Smart Metering system needs an interface which will evolve to support the new
products that become available.
Page 5

6. 1. Why Smart Meters must define their communications with the Home
Appliances must interface to the Smart Metering System
There are two mechanisms to shift the time when
energy is consumed
– Time of Use (ToU) pricing and Load Control
Appliances must have electronic access to this
control data
– ToU pricing in 30 min intervals and load control
<5sec response
The future will require more complex interaction
and control
– Integration of local generation and storage
– Energy budgeting
– Consumption profiling and optimisation
6 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
The other main requirement is that appliances must interface to the Smart Metering
System. I use the term appliances not only to mean washing machines and other white
goods but any energy consuming or energy controlling device in the home.
Varying the price of energy with time and direct control of devices to turn them on and off
are the two main mechanisms that are proposed to encourage consumers to time shift
when they use energy.
Appliances must be connected electronically to the smart meter system for these
mechanisms to work.
Today many appliances could have the communications and simple control functionality
to work with these load shifting mechanisms. For example
A clothes washer could be set to run overnight with a requirement to complete by 7.00am
- It then chooses the cheapest time to run from the Time of Use tarriff data in the Smart
metering system.
Fridges and freezers, particularly those with good insulation, can easily have their power
off for 20-30 minutes and still keep cool.
Looking a little into the future and considering more complex systems where homes will
have a combination of micro generation, storage and imported energy then the need
and complexity of communication with the smart metering system becomes even
greater.
As an example a typical domestic space and water heating system could comprise a
combination of solar thermal heat panels on the roof, an electric heat pump and a
thermal store. With this arrangement the controller needs to combine: Future electricity
tariffs, and weather predictions for both anticipated solar output and space heating
requirements. Should I charge the thermal store tonight with low cost electricity
powering the heat pump or will the Solar Panels generate enough heat tomorrow?
Developing this concept further, what are the benefits in homes being able to predict their
energy requirements?
Perhaps they could “Negotiate” with the energy supplier for the best rate
Or they could inform the grid of their energy requirement for the next few days and also
the times when this energy will be needed. This information can then be used by the
Grid Operators for planning and load management.
All this requires communications with the smart metering system. Page 6

7. 1. Why Smart Meters must define their communications with the Home
The interfaces must be defined now
The UK specifications will be frozen this summer with roll-out starting mid 2012
– Equipment suppliers are developing now with their best estimate of the UK spec.
The UK specifications must include the interface definitions when they are frozen
– The cost of home visits to
upgrade hardware soon
exceeds the cost of 100%
installation at roll-out
– The inconvenience of a further
home visit will put off
consumers from using this
feature.
– The interface can be enabled
and updated after installation
using firmware upgrades.
Source: UK Smart Metering Programme Prospectus Launch July 2010
7 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
Timing is important and for the UK the interfaces must be defined now.
The smart meter roll out is a step change and a big bang process. The system will be
defined, built and deployed with very little opportunity for evolution in this process. It will
then be in place for 15, 20, 30 years or more.
There will be little or no opportunity to revisit the system design in a few years time.
Consequently the external interfaces must be defined before the roll-out and when the
rest of the technical specifications are confirmed later this summer.
With the installation of the Smart Metering System the cost of upgrading after roll-out is
very high. Even if a feature is only used in a percentage of installations, it is cheaper to
do a 100% fit at roll-out rather than go back and upgrade the meter in a subsequent
home visit when the feature is requested by the customer.
Incidentally this is one of the main reasons all gas meters will include a valve so they are
prepayment ready.
Page 7

8. 1. Why Smart Meters must define their communications with the Home
Why do we need to define an open standard – Why not let industry and the free
market evolve a solution ?
Consumers will face a barrier to
switching energy supplier because
the Smart Energy services and
products they use are not
interoperable
Smart Energy service and product
suppliers will adopt different
standards and solutions
– e.g. Measurement devices
or network standards
Consumer’s investment will be
limited by a lack of product
interoperability
The diversity of solutions will
create uncertainty for the
consumer
8 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
Why do we need to define a standard. Suppliers are already offering solutions with the
type of functionality I have been describing and these will develop and evolve as the
smart meters are rolled out.
The answer is:
This will work to a point but there will be a number of barriers to uptake which would be
removed not if the interfaces were standard and open.
Energy suppliers will provide Smart Energy services and products. These may not be
compatible between suppliers requiring consumers to change all or part of their Smart
Energy system when they switch their supplier.
Alternative consumer owned measurement devices will be introduced because the
readings from the Smart Meters are not readily available. This will result in differences
between the consumer’s system’s measurement of consumption and calculation of cost
and the Energy Supplier’s billing. Typically consumer owned measurement devices are
clip on current monitors for electricity and hence only estimate Voltage to calculate the
energy consumed.
Gas is difficult to measure without an expensive and professionally installed meter so
many consumer Smart Energy systems will not cover this. At the moment Gas accounts
for typically 3-4 times more domestic energy consumption than electricity so it should
not be ignored.
Finally the market for Smart Energy systems will be limited and develop more slowly.
Rather that offering the benefits of choice the differing and incompatible systems will
make consumers unwilling to make purchases and for the same basic reasons
manufacturers will be unwilling to invest in the market.
Page 8

9. 1. Why Smart Meters must define their communications with the Home
How to make this new Smart Energy market attractive to appliance companies?
Appliance companies will ask:
Which interface should my product have
to access the Smart Meters ?
Governments are wary of imposing standards
What information will be available from – Not their role and anti-competitive
the Smart Meters ?
But the opposite is true
Is it a level playing field? – an open and appropriate standard will
– Can I maintain and enhance the value create a market and enable competition
of my product ? There are many successes:
– How can I be compatible with other – Telecommunications: Media storage:
products ? Computing: The Internet
Is the market large and predictable ? This will be the case for Smart Energy
Defined interfaces are essential for positive answers to these questions !
9 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
This leads on to my next point: How do we make this new market attractive to appliance
companies.
Organisations which are considering entering the smart energy market will be looking for
a market which is large, predictable and accessible (i.e. has few barriers to entry). They
will want to compete and differentiate on the basis of how they can help consumers
reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions not on how they can access data which
already exists.
This is particularly true of appliance companies who are already operating in a mature
market and need to produce standard products in large quantities to be competitive.
Supporting 3-4 different physical communications networks and applications interfaces for
each country is not viable.
Having standard defined and open interfaces provides the certainty that products will be
interoperable and facilitate investment and development on the key objectives of energy
saving.
As an aside one of the reasons that standard interfaces are not being defined is
governments are reluctant to do this. They see it as stifling competition and not their
place to interfere with the market. However the opposite is also true. Where there are
no defined open standards the uncertainty prevents the market developing.
The important thing is to understand the particular details of each market and get the
balance between sufficient definition to create competition and an attractive market and
not too much which will prevent competition. In the case of Smart Energy defined
standards will help competition.
Page 9

10. Agenda:
1 Why Smart Meters must define their communications with the home
2 What are the candidate system architectures
3 What technologies and standards fit best
4 Conclusion
10 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
In the past few slides I have discussed why Smart Meters must have a defined interface.
Now I will go on to look, at a fairly high level, at an architecture which includes a
suitable interface with the Consumer’s Smart Energy Systems.
Page 10

11. 2. What are the candidate system architectures
Two interfaces are key
1) The Internet
It is the preferred choice for many consumers
– Can be accessed outside the home (almost
anywhere)
– Can be accessed by many existing consumer
devices
– An established, familiar and mature channel
It is the preferred choice for many Smart Energy suppliers
– Services are held and upgraded centrally
– Future proof:
– Long life and is continually being developed
– Existing solution for security and other key services
– An Open system with many technology providers
Use of the Internet for Smart Energy is inevitable. This must be standardised
11 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
Two interfaces are key. The first is the internet
The internet is already the preferred choice for many consumer to business interactions.
It is inevitable that it will be a key interface by which consumers and the businesses,
proving smart energy products and services, will access the data from the Smart
Metering system.
The internet is an open system, supports secure transactions and is constantly being
developed to meet new requirements. It is future proof.
Standardisation of the interface to the Internet is required to provide a defined application
interface through which consumers can access the same data in the same way
whoever their energy supplier is.
Access to the interface would be controlled by the consumer to ensure data privacy and
consumer’s ownership of their data. Consumers can then chose and give permission to
the third party organisations who they wish to give access to.
This could be an organisation offering energy saving services or a social networking site
with energy saving peer groups.
The important point is it is the consumer who decides who can access their data and can
easily grant and withdraw permissions.
Page 11

12. 2. What are the candidate system architectures
Two interfaces are key
2) The Consumer’s HAN in the home
For the consumer Appliances access data directly
– It is universally available (does not from the Smart Meters
require the internet)
No Broadband router is required
– Simple: Appliances connect directly to
the Smart Metering System
– Do not need to trust the internet with
personal data
Energy
Consumer’s Supplier
For the Smart Energy Supplier Smart Smart Head-End
– Low latency and good Quality of Energy Metering DCC
Appliances
Service (helps Load Control) Cluster (Data
Comms
– Reduces data traffic on the Co)
WAN (data can be held locally in
Consumer Metering
the meters) HAN HAN
12 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
The second key interface is between the smart meters and appliances in the home. This
interface has already been considered in some national Smart metering systems. For
example the Netherlands with the NTA specifications and Germany with the OMS.
This interface offers a number of important advantages over the Internet. It will be
available in all homes that have smart meters and will allow simple system solutions
where appliances can connect to the meter system without any additional hardware or
services.
A consumer can buy a Smart washing machine from a retailer as normal; install it and it
can start working with the ToU tariffs from the Smart metering system without the need
for the consumer to have their own router or ay other “infrastructure devices”. All
network management and routing functionality would be available in the interface to the
smart metering system within the home.
This simple solution will make the Smart Energy accessible to all consumer not just those
with access to the Internet.
From the energy supplier perspective this interface offers the advantages of low latency
and deterministic communications between the smart metering system and appliances.
This is important for load control.
Page 12

13. 2. What are the candidate system architectures
The Meter HAN and Consumer HAN should be separate
Device and network ownership are aligned
– Consumer devices on the Consumer HAN and Smart Metering devices on the Meter HAN
The high reliability and security of the Smart Metering system is not compromised
The Meter HAN is unlikely to be compatible with consumer devices
Technical evolution of the
HANs is decoupled
– Consumer products and
technology have a shorter
lifetime than Meters
The consumer is only aware of
their HAN
– There is concern that two
networks will confuse the
Consumer
13 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
Looking in further detail at the connection between appliances and the smart meters the
Meter HAN which connects the meters, IHD and WAN module or gateway should be
separate from the HAN which connects appliances and other devices in the home.
Compared to directly connecting appliances to the HAN this has many advantages:
First: Device and network ownership are aligned. With metering devices on the Meter
HAN and consumer devices on the Consumer HAN problems of incompatibility and
operating failures are not spit between two owners. Neither the consumer or energy
supplier would welcome the prospect of sorting out why a new appliance a consumer
has just bought and installed will not connect the Meter HAN or worse still has broken it
preventing the meter system from operating.
Second: The needs of each HAN can be better served by the relevant technical solution.
The meter HAN needs high reliability, restricted access, good security and low power.
The consumer’s HAN can benefit from being compatible with other consumer devices in
the home.
Third: The consumer HAN can evolve as new technical solutions and standards are
introduced. The Meter HAN will need to remain unchanged for the lifetime of at least
one set of meters and maybe longer -30+ years. It is almost in conceivable that
consumer networks will not change significantly in this time frame.
Finally there is a concern raised in the UK prospectus that there should only be single
HAN to avoid confusing consumers. With separate networks this is not problem
because the Consumer is only aware of a single network. The Consumer HAN which
they own and use.
Page 13

14. 2. What are the candidate system architectures
Recommended Architecture Interface 3 – Proposed additional interface
The third Interface defines how the Smart Metering
System communicates with Consumer devices via
the Internet and via the Smart Meter’s in the home
Interface to the Internet
Internet
Interface 3
Interface 1
{
DCC WAN Energy
HOME (from DCC to
Smart Metering Cluster 26M Homes)
Energy
Supplier
Firewall Broadband Energy
Supplier
Router + Gateway HEC
Interface to the Supplier
HEC
Command Consr HAN
Smart Metring
Consumer’s HAN HEC
Web Server
Access Firewall
Response Network
Control
Point Command
Consumer’s Coordinator
HAN Response Interface 1
IHD IHD Interface 2 Is the communications
PC TV from the Smart meters
DCC in the home to the
Consumpt’n
E Meter Electricity (Data Comms Co)
Meter DCC. This is called the
HAN
Micro- Home WAN interface
Consumer Energy
generation
Wind Generation Managem’t
E Meter G Meter Gas
Solar PV System Interface 2
(HEMS)
Is the communications
In Home between the Smart
Electric Appliances: Display
Vehicle Consumer Washing (IHD)
metering devices in the
Charge + Generation Machine,
E Meter home. This is called the
Discharge Boiler Water ?
Meters HAN interface
14 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
This diagram shows the overall proposed architecture. It is quite detailed and so I will
highlight a few areas.
1) The defined Interfaces between The Smart Metering System and Consumer HAN are
shown as Interface 3 highlighted in red.
2) Firewalls are shown at both the Internet and Smart Metering Cluster connections. In
this architecture both connections would operate a typical client server style interface
with the consumer’s Smart energy system pulling data from the Smart Metering
System. This arrangement provides an explicit and secure mechanism to protect the
Metering system from being disrupted by interference from the consumer’s system.
3) Micro generation from renewable sources (mainly wind and solar) is a key part on
many countries energy strategies and these are supported by Feed-in-Tariffs FITs.
Consumers are paid both for the energy they generate locally and for any excess they
export to the grid.
Generation meters are owned by the consumer but they provide data which is used for
billing by the energy supplier. So which HAN should they be on Consumer or Meter?
In the proposed architecture the location should follow ownership. Where the generation
meter is owned by the consumer it is located on the Consumer HAN with a push
mechanism to transfer readings to the energy supplier.
If the energy supplier provides the generation meter it would be connected to the Meter
HAN.
It is this type of architecture which puts Consumer Smart Energy appliances at its centre
that the UK program should be defining and not the diagram I showed earlier.
Page 14

15. Agenda:
1 Why Smart Meters must define their communications with the home
2 What are the candidate system architectures
3 What technologies and standards fit best
4 Conclusion
15 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
The final part of this presentation will briefly show that existing technical standards used
for consumer networks can also be used to provide the connections to the Smart
Metering System.
Page 15

16. 3. What technologies and standards fit best
IP can provide the communications protocol solution for both the Internet and
Consumer HAN interfaces to the Smart Metering System
Client Server architecture fits Consumer interaction with the Smart Metering System
It has well developed services for key areas like Security and Firewalls to protect
the differently owned parts of the system
Consumer appliances only need to support
one protocol
– It can be used for both the Internet and
Consumer HAN interfaces
Future proof
– Operates over different physical layers
– No obsolescence: Evolves to address
new requirements and problems
– Consistent with the long term trend and
intension for Smart Metering
16 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
As shown on the proposed architecture the client server arrangement fits Consumer
interaction with the Smart Metering System.
The Internet Protocol is well established and suitable for both the Internet connection and
the connection between the Meter HAN and Consumer HAN in the home.
This has the advantage that consumer appliances are simplified as they only need to
support one protocol. The same appliance can be used with either connection and, if
the data application layer is also standard, then the appliance does not even need to
know which connection is being used.
IP is also consistent with the longer term trends for Smart Metering which is looking to
adopt IP particularly for the Grid. To support this move to IP networking standards like
ZigBee are developing 6LoWPAN.
Page 16

17. 3. What technologies and standards fit best
WiFi is a good choice for the interface to the Consumer’s HAN
There are several candidates for this interface: ZigBee, WiFi, Z-Wave are examples.
– A full analysis is required to define the best choice
– The imperative is to define a single standard which will create the largest market pull for
suppliers to invest in Smart Energy products and services
Why not use WiFi ?
– The most widely adopted Wireless LAN in homes with an
increasing number of devices connected by WiFi.
– In particular PCs, TVs and Smartphones all of which
could be display and control devices for a home
energy system.
– The mature technology and large market has driven down
the cost of WiFi components
– WiFi has good support for web services and the Internet
17 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
Now we turn to the physical interface in the home.
Home network standards for Automation and Smart Energy have been developed against
the requirements of low cost, low power and low data rate. A diversity of standards,
combined with no dominant reason to chose one over the other, has resulted in a
limited uptake of these standards.
In contrast WiFi has achieved a large penetration as the preferred Wireless LAN standard
at home, work and in public spaces.
An increasing number of products are including this interface driven by the convergence
of computing and media handling devices. PCs, TVs and Smartphones all of which
should be used for Smart Energy display and control have WiFi.
WiFi is mature and the large market and multiple suppliers have driven down the
component costs. There are many technology and software suppliers and widespread
development engineering expertise is available.
Page 17

18. 3. What technologies and standards fit best
WiFi is adaptable to the Smart Metering System interface requirements
No dedicated router is needed
– For homes without a router WiFi supports
router functionality to create a local Hotspot
Too high power: WiFi is the backbone network
– Ultra Low Power systems such as lighting or
heating control are connected as subsystems to
the WiFi network
For set-up and authentication key entry
– Use the IHD or existing WiFi devices like a
Smartphone
Range and node density limitations are
addressed with repeaters
– More than any other standard in the unlicensed
band WiFi has already proven itself at high
densities
18 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
Although it is sometimes included in reviews of suitable HAN technologies for Smart
Energy, WiFi is not top of the list. Power consumption and cost have been two reasons
to discount WiFi.
In reality the incremental cost of adding WiFi is similar to other wireless LANs and the
level of silicon integration has already reached the point where WiFi can be included as
a sub-system on a complicated SoC (System on Chip). With WiFi so prevalent, the
overall cost of an alternative solution would be higher because the alternative interface
would be added to devices which already contain WiFi.
Considering power consumption in the proposed architecture, where Meter and
Consumer HANs are separate, the low power requirement for the Consumer HAN is not
essential. (The low Power Meter HAN requirement is driven by the battery powered
Gas (and water) meters).
Where very low power solutions are required in the home, e.g. for a lighting or heating
control where nodes are battery powered, then these would be connected as
subsystems on their own low power networkwith WiFi providing the main backbone.
More recent developments in WiFi have included “Hotspots” where WiFi nodes have the
ability to provide router functionality and create a local network. This facility would be
included in the gateway interface to the Meter HAN to enable Smart Appliances with
WiFi to operate directly with the metering system in homes where there is no internet
interface or separate WiFi router. This is the simple solution I described earlier.
WiFi is a good choice for the consumer HAN and if adopted would provide a huge
acceleration in the consumer’s engagement with Smart Energy.
Page 18

19. Agenda:
1 Why Smart Meters must define their communications with the home
2 What are the candidate system architectures
3 What technologies and standards fit best
4 Conclusion
19 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
Page 19

20. 4. Conclusion
Action now to define interfaces to the Internet and Consumer’s HAN will
transform the value of Smart Meter Installations
Smart Meters must communicate directly with
appliances and other consumer devices to Internet
achieve the required reductions in energy
consumption and carbon emission
Investment requires stability, certainty, an Consumer’s
Smart
open market and a long term opportunity Energy
Meters
– A Smart Metering System with defined Systems
interfaces will provide this for Consumers
and Appliance companies to invest in Smart
Energy Systems
Existing solutions based on WiFi and the Internet can provide suitable defined
interfaces for the Consumer
The UK national Smart Metering Programme has the opportunity to create an
environment which will both boost the economy and create a world lead
20 8 March 2011 eSmart-P-014 v1.2
To summarise.
Smart Metering Systems must include communication interfaces to Consumer appliances
so that the Smart Energy Systems necessary to reduced energy consumption and
carbon emissions can be created.
These interfaces must be defined and open to create an attractive accessible and
competitive market for Smart Energy products and services.
Existing technical solutions including the Internet and WiFi can be used for these
interfaces further increasing the accessibility and uptake of Smart Energy.
The UK national Smart Metering programme has the opportunity to create an
environment which will boost the economy and create a world lead. It must act now to
include the definition of interfaces to the Consumers Smart Energy System.
Thank you!
Page 20

21. Contact details:
Cambridge Consultants Ltd Cambridge Consultants Inc
Science Park, Milton Road 101 Main Street
Cambridge, CB4 0DW Cambridge MA 02142
England USA
Tel: +44(0)1223 420024 Tel: +1 617 532 4700
Fax: +44(0)1223 423373 Fax: +1 617 532 4747
Registered No. 1036298 England
info@CambridgeConsultants.com
www.CambridgeConsultants.com
Richard.Williams@CambridgeConsultants.com
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© 2011 Cambridge Consultants Ltd, Cambridge Consultants Inc. All rights reserved.
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