Serial Numbering Of Meters - ukmf.org€¦ · allocated to EDF Energy CFS as MAP. Addition of Meter Serial Code Z allocated to Accuread. Meter Serial Codes split to identify Meter

Final April 2014

UKMF Tech Rec M1-1 v1.37 Final.doc7 - 1 - April 2014

Technical Recommendation M1/1 Version 1.37

April 2014

Serial Numbering Of Meters This document replaces Electricity Association Engineering Recommendation M10/4, dated

January 1991, and an interim document M1, dated September 2004. The latter took account of the major changes to both the Electricity Industry and the Meter Manufacturing Industry which have occurred since issue of M10/4, but has subsequently needed to be

amended in the light of further changes

This document is controlled and maintained by the UK Metering Forum through its secretariat provided by Gemserv Ltd.

Applications for the allocation of new codes, changes to existing codes or suggested amendments should be made in writing to

Gemserv Ltd using the contact details in section 6 of the document. All changes will be recorded in the version control

table.

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Version Control

Version Number

Status Date of Issue Reason for Change

1.0 Superseded 15 Nov 06 Issued

1.1 Superseded 21 Jun 07 Addition of Meter Serial Code ‘T’ allocated to Siemens Energy Services as MAP

1.2 Superseded 25 Jun 07 Addition of Meter Serial Code ‘M’ allocated to General Electric as Meter Manufacturer

1.3 Superseded 7 April 2008 Addition of document control comment on cover. Addition of Meter Serial Code ‘V’ allocated to EDF Energy CFS as MAP. Addition of Meter Serial Code Z allocated to Accuread. Meter Serial Codes split to identify Meter Purchaser and any additional letter. Additional letters allocated to Central Networks (EMEB & MIDE), E.ON Energy Services (ESML), EDF Energy (EELC), Scottish & Southern (HYDE & SOUT), Siemens Energy Services (SIEM), United Utilities (UUNL & NORW) and Western Power Distribution (WPRM, SWAE, WPWA, SWEB, WPSW) Addition of Appendix 1A.

1.31 Superseded 18 April 2008 Addition of Meter Purchaser Code LB for LowriBeck.

1.32 Superseded 28 May 2008 Addition of Meter Purchaser Code U for IMServ Europe Ltd. Table in Appendix 2.5 updated to reflect ownership of the Norweb network passed to Electricity North West Ltd.

1.33 Superseded 3 November 2008

Manufacturer code ‘R’ issued to Sagem.

1.34 Superseded 26 February 2009

Addition of Meter Purchaser Code UP for Utility Partnership Ltd.

1.35 Superseded 19 January 2010

Addition of Meter Purchaser Code Q for Macquarie Leasing Limited (MLLA) as MAP.

1.36 Superseded 30 April 2010 Amendment of Accuread company details following G4S Utility Services Ltd’s acquisition.

1.37 Issued 14 April 2014 Amendment of Horstman Timers and Controls company details following acquisition by Secure Controls (UK) Ltd.

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Table of Contents 1. Scope ............................................................................................................................ 4

2. Basic Numbering System .............................................................................................. 4

3. Manufacturer Codes ...................................................................................................... 5

3.1 Current Manufacturer Codes ................................................................................. 5

3.2 Historic Manufacturer Codes ................................................................................. 5

4. Purchaser Codes ........................................................................................................... 5

4.1 Non-Half Hourly Meter Asset Providers ................................................................. 5

4.2 Historic allocation .................................................................................................. 6

5. Actual Use of the Codes ................................................................................................ 6

6. Maintenance of this Document ...................................................................................... 6

Appendix 1 - WP 76. Distribution Business Allocation of NHH Meter Serial Nos. (J0004) ..... 8

Associated Document for WP 76. Table of Usage of Meter Id (Serial Number) (J0004) .. 10

Appendix 1A – Non Distribution Business MAPs ............................................................. 14

Appendix 2 - Historical Perspective to this Recommendation ............................................ 15

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1. Scope This Recommendation applies to non-half hourly electricity meters for domestic and small commercial customers of which there are some 25 million installed in Great Britain. It is intended (i) for the guidance of parties responsible for specifying the serial numbers of meters

which they procure (ii) to assist parties in the identification of certain meter characteristics, particularly the

original procurer (for instance to aid tracing of certification records) For the latter purpose it includes some historical data, both in text and in Appendix 2 providing an historical perspective (see also 5). 2. Basic Numbering System A meter serial number shall be built up of parts in the following order a) A code letter signifying the manufacturer b) Two figures to indicate the year of delivery c) A code letter or letters signifying the purchasing company (MAP) d) (In some formats) a gap, a full stop or an additional reference letter or number e) A serial number sequence of five digits, beginning with 00001 for each year, each

manufacturer and each purchasing company f) A code letter signifying meter use (optional) or an additional serial number digit The allocated code letters are given in Sections 3 and 4. The letters and numbers shall be indelibly marked. The sequence of serial numbers shall be allocated by the manufacturer. Where manufacturers wish to continue their own serial number systems in addition, this shall be placed inconspicuously on interior parts of the meter. Examples of options MyyP.12345 MyyP 12345 MyyPp12345 MyyPx12345 MyyP12345 MyyP123456 MyyP12345z Where:- i M = the manufacturer ii yy= the year of delivery iii P or Pp = purchaser iv x = additional letter or number used for identification

v 12345(6) = the serial number for that manufacturer, that purchasing company and that year

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vi z = a reference character for use by the purchaser (this may sometimes be at the front of the sequence eg zMyyP12345)

3. Manufacturer Codes 3.1 Current Manufacturer Codes

Actaris / Schlumberger S

Ampy Automation Digilog A, Z, D (B, C, E)

CEWE C

EDMI E

Elster / ABB K

General Electric M

Secure Controls (UK) Ltd H, J (Timers Only)

Iskraemeco (UK) I

Jinling (Shanghai Electricity) J

Landis + Gyr L

Polymeters Response International Ltd P

Sagem R

Siemens Metering Ltd (also FML, Ferranti) F

3.2 Historic Manufacturer Codes Appendix A2.4 gives information about previous allocations of manufacturers’ codes 4. Purchaser Codes 4.1 Non-Half Hourly Meter Asset Providers Company Market

Participant ID Meter Purchaser (P or Pp)

Additional letter or number (x)

G4S Utility Services (UK) Ltd ACCU Z

BGlobal Metering BMET BM

Central Networks East (ex East Midlands Electricity)

EMEB F a - z

Central Networks West (ex Midlands Metering Services)

MIDE G a - z

E.ON Energy Services ESML W a - z

EDF Energy CFS V

EDF Energy Networks (ex Eastern Electricity)

EELC E A - Z

EDF Energy Networks (ex London Electricity)

LOND A

EDF Energy Networks (ex SeeBoard) SEEB B

EDF Energy Services ECSM A

IMServ Europe Ltd UKDC U

Independent Power Networks CAML

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Company Market Participant ID

Meter Purchaser (P or Pp)

Additional letter or number (x)

Lowri Beck Services Ltd LBSL LB

Macquarie Leasing Limited MLLA Q A-Z

Northern Electric Distribution Ltd NEEB L

Npower Ltd NATP K

Npower Yorkshire Ltd (Meter Plus) PLUS K

OnStream ONST X

PRI Ltd PRIM Y

Scottish and Southern Energy (ex Hydro Electric)

HYDE R a - z

Scottish and Southern Energy (Ex Southern Electric)

SOUT C a - z

Scottish Power Distribution Ltd SPOW P

Scottish Power Manweb MANW J

Siemens Energy Services SIEM S A - Z

Siemens Energy Services SIEM T A - Z

United Utilities Networks Ltd UUNL N a - z

United Utilities NW (ex Norweb) NORW M a - z

Utility Energy Solutions Ltd UESL

Utility Partnership Ltd UPLD UP

Western Power Distribution WPRM D 0 - 9

Western Power Distribution (South Wales)

SWAE H 0 - 9

Western Power Distribution (South Wales)

WPWA H 0 - 9

Western Power Distribution (South West) SWEB D 0 - 9

Western Power Distribution (South West) WPSW D 0 - 9

Yorkshire Electricity Distribution plc YELG K

The serial number should not be used in isolation to determine the ownership of an asset. The "Property of" statement on the meter nameplate should also be taken into account. 4.2 Historic allocation Appendix A2.5 gives information about previous allocations of purchaser codes. 5. Actual Use of the Codes The Master Registration Agreement has a Statement of Operation WP76 which indicates the format of meter identification codes used by the DNO’s to populate the Data Transfer Catalogue attached for information as Appendix 1. 6. Maintenance of this Document This document will be maintained by the UK Metering Forum through its Secretariat provided by Gemserv Ltd. Applications for the allocation of new codes or requests for changes to existing codes should be made in writing to

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UKMF Secretary c/o Gemserv Ltd 10 Fenchurch Street London EC3M 3BE email: [email protected] telephone 020 7090 1011 fax 020 7090 1001

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Appendix 1 - WP 76. Distribution Business Allocation of NHH Meter Serial Nos. (J0004)

WP no: 76 Status: Implemented by Industry

Implementation Date:

27/03/2001

Title: Distribution Business Allocation of NHH Meter Serial Nos. (J0004)

Version: 7 Originator: DSC

WP type: S Originator Ref: DST Issues 118 & 172

Date raised: 08/06/98 DST Doc. Ref: 98.356

Product Area: NHH Parties Affected: Suppliers, MOps, NHH DCs

Baseline Products Impacted:

None

Last Amended: 01/10/99

Change History: V1 approved at CCG 18 on 10/07/98 - see Design Note 13 V2, with WP CR 9, approved at CCG 23 on 22/09/98 – see Design Note 18 V3, with WP CR 33, approved at CCG 29 on 21/05/99 – see Design Note 25 (change to Associated Document only re SP/Manweb formats). V4 with WP CR 27, approved at CCG 31 on 13/08/99 – see Design Note 27 V5 with WP CR 49 and WP CR 52, approved at CCG 32 – see Design Note 28 V6 with WPPS CP 28 accepted at MDB_00_06 on 30/06/00 V7 with WPPS CP 24 accepted at MDB_00_06 on 30/06/00

Context: Processing steps involving the use of data item J0004, Meter Id (Serial Number), when relating to NHH Metering Points, may involve Participants’ legacy systems. In such systems, assumptions may be made about the format and uniqueness of the data item. In the DTC, data item J0004 is specified as having format CHAR(10). But there are no further specifications within the MRA Product Set which address the uniqueness or internal format of the data item. Engineering Recommendation M10/4, published by the Electricity Association in 1991, provides a recommended standard format for meter serial numbers. However, it is not included in the current MRA Product Set. The Distribution Business’s exclusive contract for providing MOp services within their own Authorised Areas implies that they will maintain ownership of meter serial numbers at least until MOp competition is introduced. Hence, MOps will, at least initially, follow the Distribution Business local practice for loading data item J0004. Data Collectors may be faced with the situation when reading a meter, where the serial number actually on the meter does not exactly match the contents of J0004 due to formatting or truncation issues. The DC would need to take account of local practice relating to meter serial numbering and to J0004 data entry in order to validate the readings, as required by BSCP 504 4.2 1.

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Problems may also arise in Suppliers’ billing systems, in which the meter serial number may be used as a database key. Such systems may also make assumptions about the format of the data item. For MRA purposes, the data consistency between a meter’s serial number and the data loaded into J0004 by the MOp is seen as an MOp’s internal process and not an inter-operational issue. Hence it is outside the scope of Supplier Entry Testing. Similarly, a DC’s validation of meter readings against J0004, and the Supplier’s use of J0004 in its customer billing systems, are seen as internal processing for each Participant and are hence also outside the scope of MRA testing. Statement of Operation: The purpose of this Statement of Operation is to provide a reference list of how Distribution Businesses format J0004 for NHH Metering Points and what assumptions should be made about uniqueness, so that Suppliers and NHH DCs can pre-empt any processing problems they may have as outlined above.

In general, Participants should not assume that data item J0004 for NHH Metering Points has any additional properties, such as uniqueness or standardised internal format, other than any established locally between Participants.

When responding to a flow containing Distribution Business provided meter IDs, they should be re-quoted, within the constraints of the appropriate flow. All alphabetic characters used in J0004 are in upper case only.

Distribution Businesses have reported that they allocate data item J0004 for NHH Metering Points as set out in the attached table, Table of Distribution Business Allocation of NHH Meter Serial Nos. (J0004).

Implications of Statement of Operation: DCs may fail to validate meter readings correctly due to meter serial number matching problems.

Suppliers may encounter unforeseen problems with their customer billing systems, possibly resulting in invalid processing or systems failures.

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Table follows Associated Document for WP 76. Table of Usage of Meter Id (Serial Number) (J0004)

Participant J0004 Allocation

Eastern Group

The following 10 character format is followed:

L YY P 12345(6), where

L = Manufacturer

YY = Year of delivery

P = Distribution Business identifier for Eastern Electricity

12345(6) = Manufacturer’s serial number.

The manufacturer’s serial number is screened to ensure uniqueness within the Distribution Business Authorised Area.

EME The following 10 character format has been followed for all meters delivered since 1968:

L YY P T 12345, where

L = Manufacturer identifier, with different codes used for certain metering devices such as for timeswitching


P = Distribution Business identifier F for EME

T = Manufacturer’s meter type

12345 = Manufacturer’s serial number.

Meters delivered before 1968 have either “30”, “41”, “42”, “43”, “44” or “45” in the YY position.

The J0004s will not be unique in all instances within the EME Authorised Area due to some historical exceptions in the allocation of coding.

London Electricity

The following 9 or 10 character formats are used:

LYYQ^12345

LYYQ12345

LYYQ123456

where:

^ represents a space

L = Manufacturer


Q = Either the Distribution Business identifier ‘A’ for London Electricity, or the identifier of a third party Meter Operator that installed the meter.

12345 and 123456 = 5 and 6 digit Manufacturer’s serial numbers respectively.

All prepayment meters have meter ids of the format LYYQ^12345

There are known to be duplicate manufacturer’s serial numbers in existence.

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Manweb

(existing meters)


L XX P 12345, where

L = Manufacturer

XX = Year of manufacture

P = Purchaser (i.e. J for Manweb)


MEB The following 9 or 10 character format is followed:

L XX P 12345(6), where:

L = the meter manufacturer's Id code

XX = the year of manufacture

P = code ‘G’ for MEB

12345(6) is an alpha-numeric character string which is normally 5 characters in length but can be 6 characters in some cases. Any alphabetic characters included would be in upper case.

The J0004s are allocated to be unique.

This format applies in the majority of cases, but there are exceptions.

Northern Electric


L XX P 12345 n, where:

L = manufacturer

XX = year of manufacture

P = Distribution Business identifier (L = Northern)

12345 = meter serial number

n = null

Norweb The following 9 character format is generally followed, but there are some exceptions:

L YY P 12345, where

L = Manufacturer


P = Distribution Business identifier for Norweb


The manufacturer’s serial number is screened to ensure uniqueness within the Authorised Area.

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Scottish Hydro If 7 character the following format is followed: WW 12345, where WW = the purchase year which form digits 1 and 2 of the serial number stamped on the meter 12345 = digits 3 to 7 of the serial number stamped on the meter itself J0004s may not be unique at any data level within the Scottish Hydro Authorised Area. OR If 9 character the following format is followed (all the characters being included in the meter serial number stamped on the meter itself): L YY P 12345, where: L = the meter manufacturer YY = the purchase year P = the purchaser. Scottish & Southern Energy plc is “C” or “R”

12345 = the meter serial number.

ScottishPower

(existing meters)


P MM ZZ 12345, where:

P = Scottish Power

MM = Manufacturer and type

ZZ = Certification year

12345 = serial number

The following practice should be adopted for translating a 12 character meter id stamped onto a physical meter to 10 character Meter Id (Serial Number) as per

the definition in the DTC:

Remove characters 4 and 5 (counted from the left hand end of the meter id) from the 12 character meter id to reduce it to a 10 character Meter Id (Serial Number). The resultant J0004 remains unique within the Scottish Power Authorised Area.

ScottishPower/ Manweb

(new meters)


XxxxYnnnnn where

xxxx - four characters, no effective coding

Y – set to J or P for Manweb or ScottishPower respectively

nnnnn –five digit serial number

Seeboard The following 8 character format is followed:

L YY 12345, where

L = Manufacturer



For meters which existed before the Electricity Association recommendation was followed, a range of formats exist. Hence it may be that not all J0004s are unique.

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Southern Electric

The following 9 character format is followed (all the characters being included in the meter serial number stamped on the meter itself): L YY P 12345, where: L = the meter manufacturer YY = the purchase year P = the purchaser. Scottish & Southern Energy plc is “C” or “R” 12345 = the meter serial number. OR If 7 character the following format is followed: WW 12345, where WW = the purchase year which form digits 1 and 2 of the serial number stamped on the meter 12345 = digits 3 to 7 of the serial number stamped on the meter itself

J0004s may not be unique at any data level within Southern Electric Authorised Area.

SWALEC The manufacturer’s serial number is entered. This is a 7 or 8 digit number, with no alphabetic characters.

Meter J0004s are checked to ensure uniqueness within MPAN only. J0004s may not be unique within the SWALEC Authorised Area.

SWEB The following 10 character format is followed for the majority:

L YY P 12345 B, where

L = Manufacturer

YY = Year of manufacture/certification

P = Distribution Business identifier ‘D’ for SWEB


B = 1 blank character

There are also a significant number other formats, such as A12345.

A J0004 may not be unique, for example, due to truncation of the manufacturer’s serial numbers.

For meters which existed before the Electricity Association recommendation was followed, a range of formats exist.

Yorkshire Electricity


MM XX P 12345, where:

MM = Manufacture make and type

XX = Year of manufacture

P = Distribution Business code (K for YE)

12345 = Manufacturer’s serial number

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Appendix 1A – Non Distribution Business MAPs For Meter Asset Providers that are not Distribution Businesses, the following format has been used


Siemens Energy Services

The following 10 character format is followed: L YY P 12345(6) L YY P T 12345 where L = Manufacturer YY = Year of delivery P = NHH Meter Asset Provider, S = Siemens, T = Siemens. T = Manufacturer's meter type 12345(6) = Manufacturer's serial number.

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Appendix 2 - Historical Perspective to this Recommendation A2.1 Background With a view to achieving a greater degree of standardisation for serial numbering of meters within the Electricity Industry, Engineering Recommendation M10 was issued by the Electricity Council in 1956. This made various recommendations concerning

The information which could be incorporated in a meter serial number

The symbols which could be used to denote the information

The method of presenting the information in one composite number Not all Area Electricity Boards (the owners and providers of meters at that time) implemented the proposals of the Recommendation, apart from the fact that Boards had different computer systems, not all of which were capable of accepting one common code. Modified coding systems were therefore used albeit that the one proposed in the Recommendation was accepted by the majority. Subsequently revisions of the Recommendation were undertaken whenever necessary to bring information up to date to reflect such things as changes of manufacturer. The last such revision – ER M10/4 - was in 1991 to reflect changes in the structure of the Electricity Industry resulting from the Electricity Act 1989. Since then there have been further changes in this structure due to acquisitions and mergers and similar changes as regards meter manufacturers. A2.2 Legal Requirements Historically there were no legal requirements to mark a meter with a serial number. However, product standards against which meters are type approved under the direction of the UK’s Legal Metrology Authority (currently Ofgem in the case of electricity meters) required certain markings which included a serial number [format not specified] and year of manufacture. The Measuring Instruments Directive (MID) will come into force in October 2006 and will be implemented in UK legislation. Essential Requirement 9.1 of Annex 1 to the MID requires a meter to be inscribed with certain information which includes the manufacturer’s mark or name and an ‘identity marking’ [type or format not specified]. Marking to this Recommendation is deemed to comply with these requirements. A2.3 Commercial Requirements Prior to the introduction of arrangements for competition in the supply of electricity in 1988, provision of meters for customers taking below 100 kW was a franchise of the Public Electricity Supplier (PES) licensed for a particular geographic area. Each PESs had its metering operation and its own system of serial numbers to identify meters, most using the ER M10/4 or its principles. In this scenario the chances of two meters having the same serial number were effectively non-existent. In 2000 the PESs were split into Supplier and Distribution Network Operator (DNO). In the main PES meter assets were transferred to the respective DNO although one PES sold its metering operation with its assets. Suppliers are now free to contract with a metering service provider other than the incumbent ex-PES franchisee which means that, in any

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geographic area, there may eventually be several owners of meters. In this scenario it is important to ensure that meter serial numbers allocated are unique and no two meters have an identical reference. Trading in the competitive market involves a unique number relating to each supply point – the Meter Point Administration Number – associated with standardised message exchanges through a Data Transfer Network. These include provision for a data item J0004 for a meter serial number of 10 characters, the format of which is not specified (see reference to WP76 in Appendix 1 previously). During work through Elexon to produce a Code of Practice 9 for metering of small scale embedded generation, there was discussion about specifying the format of such a serial number to increase the information contained in it, particularly as it was known that there had been relevant work by European groups considering possibilities of pan-European electricity trading to standardise on a meter reference system across Europe which would have up to 16 characters. In the event the European work was not universally adopted and the Elexon Code did not specify any enhanced format. A2.4 Manufacturers A2.4.1 Historic I - Manufacturer codes which are no longer valid A number of manufacturers were allocated codes in earlier versions of M10 and have approved meters which are recorded in Schedule 4 of the Certification Directions but with zero certification periods. It is unlikely that any of their meters would now be found on circuit and, in any case, their age would be obvious. These codes have therefore been released for use by current and new manufacturers as in 3.1

A Aron

B Denis Ferranti Meters

C Chamberlain and Hookham

N Associated Industries/Metropolitan Vickers

Y Smith meters

Some codes were allocated in M10/4 for the Electricity Council EU-funded Energy Management Unit project which ran during the mid-1980s. They no longer have validity and have therefore been released for use by current and new manufacturers as in 3.1

G Normalair Garret

T Thorn Security Ltd

W Mullard

Z Electricity company, own manufacture

A2.4.2 Historic II – Manufacturers no longer trading under a name registered in M10/4 or

subsequently allocated Meters of these manufacturers may still be found on circuit. These codes are therefore reserved

K GEC Meters (previously English Electric became ABB now Elster)

L Landis & Gyr (became Siemens)

S Schlumberger Industries Energy Management (previously Sangamo)

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became Actaris)

A2.5 ‘Purchasers’ Prior to 1998 ‘purchaser’ and ‘owner’ were synonymous (for the mass market). The Review of Electricity Metering Services in 2002 introduced the concept of a Meter Asset Provider (MAP) which may not be the incumbent ex-PES or its agent. A MAP by implication purchases a meter and may continue to own it or may provide it to another party which becomes the owner, and ownership may also change during the ‘life’ of a meter. The owner is irrelevant but being able to identify the purchaser gives an audit trail for the certification certificate (in the case of certified meters) in the event of a dispute. The table below indicates original PESs and successor companies in the transition. The following letters were allocated in M10/4 to what were then Public Electricity Suppliers (plus National Grid and some generators). The table below reproduces this but indicates some transitional aspects in terms of successor companies

Letter PES/Company Successor (DNO for PESs)

A London Electricity EDF Energy Networks (LPN)

B Seeboard EDF Energy Networks (SPN)

C Southern Electric Scottish and Southern Electricity

D South Western Electricity Western Power Distribution

E Eastern Electricity EDF Energy Networks (EPN)

F East Midlands Electricity E.ON Central Networks East

G Midlands Electricity E.ON Central Networks West

H South Wales Electricity Western Power Distribution

J Manweb Scottish Power

K Yorkshire Electricity Group Yorkshire Electricity Distribution Ltd

L Northern Electric Northern Electric Distribution Ltd

M NORWEB Electricity North West Ltd

P Scottish Power ScottishPower

R Scottish Hydro Electric Scottish and Southern Electricity

S National Grid National Grid

T National Power RWE npower

U PowerGen E.ON UK

V Nuclear Electric British Energy/BNFL Magnox

W Scottish Nuclear British Energy/BNFL Magnox

Z Electricity Association Now defunct

DS Datum Solutions Now part of Siemens

This Recommendation is not concerned with the Company previously using code U, (for bulk trading meters) which may therefore be released if wanted, as has happened with T, V and W. Code Z is released. Codes I, O, Q, X and Y are also available although use of I and O will be avoided due to possible confusion with numerals.

Documents

Serial Numbering Of Meters - ukmf.org€¦ · allocated to EDF Energy CFS as MAP. Addition of Meter Serial Code Z allocated to Accuread. Meter Serial Codes split to identify Meter