Wheatley Software Solutions know what is required to work within a regulated industry. Our solutions are known to the Retail Energy Code (REC) through multiple qualification processes and new meter operators often come to us for advice on how to get started in the role of Meter Equipment Manager (MEM).
We don’t just provide metering software, Wheatley work with our customers to ease the way through the market qualification process, providing guidance and support to navigate the assessment criteria and timescales required to operate as a MEM in the UK Utilities market. From getting started with the REC Portal to gathering evidence for annual qualification audits, we can help.
We know the BSCCo and RGMA baseline requirements for the roles of MEM or MAP so you don’t have to. And we know what the Market-wide Half Hourly Settlement Programme means for these roles too, as the market transitions to new settlement codes.
Wheatley monitor the requirements of the REC so that our customers stay up to date, with compliant solutions that ensure efficient business operations that perform to industry standards. Here are some of the latest headline news from the REC:
The June release of the REC introduced definitions for Meter Operator Agent (MOA) and Electricity Metering Operative (EMO). This was in recognition of some confusion created when the REC merged Meter Operator Agents and MOCOPA Meter installers into a single category of Meter Equipment Managers (MEM) at Code consolidation. The REC has retained the MEM term as a collective descriptor for gas Meter Asset Managers (MAM) and electricity Meter Operator Agents (MOA).
The term MOA is now defined as meaning ‘a Party which has Qualified in the role under the Qualification and Maintenance Schedule of the REC’. The MOA is the Party Appointed by an Electricity Supplier in accordance with the Metering Operations Schedule. The EMO is an entity which is approved under the Metering Accreditation Schedule to install, replace, repair and maintain electrical metering equipment, (the old MOCOPA Installer role). A MOA can be qualified as an EMO itself or can chose to use another EMO. A Safe Isolator Installer (SIP) must first be a Qualified MOA before it can seek to Qualify as a SIP. It is also worth noting that a SIP must also accede to the Distribution Connection and Use of System Agreement DCUSA before it can operate. (When acting as a MOA this is not necessary as the MOA is acting as the agent of the Energy Supplier who is contracted under the DCUSA).
The introduction of the Safe Isolator Installer role (SIP) by the REC has created a lot of interest from EV Charger installers, particularly in the domestic sector. It is estimated that around 35% to 40% of new domestic EV charger installations require the isolation of the distribution cut-out fuse for the work to safely proceed. Until the introduction of the SIP role, only the Distribution Company or the appointed Meter Operator Agent (MOA), via the electricity supplier, could remove and replace the fuse to facilitate the work. This means most EV Charger installers cannot complete the whole installation themselves and face the complexity of co-ordination with, and cost of, a third party. The SIP role at first glance appears to present an opportunity for EV Charger installers to gain a qualification to be allowed to remove and replace cut-out fuses themselves and solve their problem. However the SIP role was not intended to solve this particular problem and the role is dependent on the SIP first being qualified as a MOA and having demonstrated its competence under the REC Combined Metering Code of Practice, including its ability to receive send and process Market Messages via the Data Transfer Network, and complying with the REC Metering Accreditation Schedule. The cost and complexity of attaining MOA qualification and maintaining Market Massaging capability via the Data Transfer Network is likely to be prohibitive for most EV Charger installers not wishing to make meter operator work a core part of their business.
RECCo is hosting an MHHS webinar on 18 July 2024 (11:30 – 13:00). The webinar will cover the key consequential changes and activities that all REC Parties need to take in relation to the REC before MHHS goes live in March 2025. Certain changes will be required by all REC parties at MHHS go-live, regardless of their planned qualification wave. It is important parties are prepared for these changes and have these factored into their plans for implementation on the MHHS go-live date, currently targeting 7 March 2025. Register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/6238be47-8e79-484d-84d7-b6abf7496c57@f59e1ee2-6e37-44df-b088-2e81f9d1b201