Meter Rooms
Alt HAN devices provide a solution to a problem that could exclude over 700,000 customers from the benefits of smart metering. These range extending devices need space next to the meter to be installed and in some buildings, there is not enough space for the devices to fit in.
The Alt HAN Co Crowded Meter Room (CMR) service has been set up to address the challenges of installing smart meters in buildings where there is not enough space, particularly in apartment blocks where many meters are often clustered together in meter rooms.
Alt HAN Co, working together with Energy Suppliers, Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), Building Operators (BNOs) and Landlords, is now delivering a coordinated service to make these buildings “smart ready”. The CMR service was successfully piloted in 2023 and went live in 2024; it is estimated that up to 5,000 buildings could benefit from the coordinated work to resolve Crowded Meter Rooms.
How does it work?
The first stage in making a Crowded Meter Room “smart ready” is to undertake a site survey. The Alt HAN Co CMR team work in partnership with two Meter Equipment Managers (MEMs); IMServ and SMS Energy. Our partners will visit buildings where industry data has shown that there may be not enough room in the meter rooms for the successful installation of an Alt HAN device which may be required.
Once a site survey has been completed and it has been established that there is not enough space to install an Alt HAN device, a design proposal is created. Each meter room has different challenges to make it “smart ready”; the design proposal for each site enables Energy Suppliers to have enough space to install an Alt HAN device on the meters, allowing their customers to have a working In-Home Display, as and when they chose to request one from their Energy Supplier.
After gaining agreement from the Building Operator, work will then start in the meter room. The MEMs will write to all affected residents of the building, informing them of the work and when it is taking place. As the electrical supply needs to be disconnected for a short amount of time whilst these works are undertaken, information is provided to residents on how to let us know if they are unable to have their power turned off for any reason. Typically, works take one day and all efforts are made to minimise the impact on residents of the building.
Once the works are completed, the relevant Energy Suppliers are contacted to inform them that the meter room is now “smart ready”, and they will then contact their customers to offer them a smart meter installation.
