After an extensive selection process, CGI has been chosen as the delivery partner for the new smart meter read hub.

The news follows the announcement in June that the Strategic Panel had given the go-ahead for the 'hub’, which will enable wholesalers to share non-household customers’ smart meter reads with retailers easily and efficiently.

 Photo courtesy Thames Water

Simon Powell, Chief Information Officer, MOSL explained:

“The pressure to reduce water consumption is growing, and smart meters offer significant benefits for customers, companies, and the environment, from ensuring accurate billing to tackling leakage and waste,"

"To maximise the benefits of smart metering in the business retail market, organisations must be able to share granular meter read data in a consistent and efficient way. By partnering with CGI to develop a Smart Meter Read Hub, we will unlock these opportunities and simplify processes across the industry.”

Wholesalers are rolling out smart metering to more than 10 million customers in AMP8 (2025-30), including nearly 800,000 non-household customers.

Unlike traditional water meters, which are typically read twice a year, smart meters can take hourly meter readings, providing a much more detailed view of customers’ water usage.

The data has potentially enormous benefits for customers, companies and the environment, from ensuring customers’ bills are timely and accurate, to identifying and tackling leakage and waste.

To realise the benefits, the data needs to be shared between water wholesalers, which own the smart meters and collect the data they generate, and retailers.

In its National Metering Strategy the Panel noted the lack of an agreed method of sharing meter reads and asked MOSL to work with members of the Metering Committee to consider how meter reads should be shared, and develop a business case for the preferred option.

The hub will provide a consistent approach to sharing smart meter reads, while allowing trading parties to submit or extract data in different ways and formats, depending on their needs, capability and budget.

The hub is budgeted to cost £1.1 million to build, which will be funded from market performance charges. Ongoing running costs will be funded through MOSL’s Market Operator charges.

The first phase of the smart meter read hub is due to be delivered in Spring 2026, followed by a second phase to connect the hub to CMOS to allow retailers to submit reads directly into the market’s central system for billing and settlement purposes.

Paul Buxton, Senior Vice President Consulting Services, Energy & Utilities, CGI commented:

"Currently, there is no agreed specific method for sharing smart meter data between wholesalers and retailers, leading to inefficiency, delays, and increased costs.

"The Smart Meter Read Hub will address these issues by creating a common data-sharing mechanism, standardising the process and improving efficiency for both wholesalers and retailers."