The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published its response to the Delivering a smart and secure electricity system: implementation consultation on 23 April 2025, concluding a process that opened on 16 April 2024 and closed on 21 June 2024 after an extension from the original 11 June date1. The department received 97 responses from manufacturers, energy suppliers, network operators, technology companies, consumer groups and other stakeholders, and held webinars in June 20241. It says responses broadly supported its proposals1.
The 2024 consultation covered three areas: energy smart appliances (58 questions), a licensing regime (56 questions) and time-of-use tariffs (12 questions)1. The response confirms the government will, subject to Parliamentary approval, put forward secondary legislation on energy smart appliances within the next year, and will licence organisational load control activities through a new load control licence framework1. Licence requirements are to cover consumer protections, data privacy, consumer switching, and management and financial controls1.
"We can also confirm our minded to position for Elexon to deliver the necessary enduring governance functions to maintain and supervise these standards and requirements through modifications to the Balancing and Settlement Code."
On tariffs, the government commits to proceeding with Time-of-use Tariff Interoperability, which by mid to late 2026 will require energy suppliers to comply with a tariff data specification set out in the Retail Energy Code, so that energy smart appliances can easily receive and respond to tariff information1. The programme is described as creating technical and regulatory frameworks to enable untapped flexibility from small scale devices such as domestic electric vehicle charge points and heat pumps, contributing to electricity system decarbonisation in a way that protects consumers and the electricity system1. The response also sets out plans for further consultation on points of detail1.
| Area | Confirmed position |
|---|---|
| Energy smart appliances | Minimum standards covering interoperability, cybersecurity, data privacy and grid stability; secondary legislation within the next year, subject to Parliamentary approval1 |
| Load control | New licence framework for organisational load control activities, with consumer protection and data privacy requirements1 |
| Tariff interoperability | Suppliers to comply with a Retail Energy Code tariff data specification by mid to late 20261 |
| Governance | Minded to position for Elexon to deliver enduring governance functions through Balancing and Settlement Code modifications1 |
Why it matters for households
The proposals concern the devices a household may increasingly run: electric vehicle charge points, heat pumps and heat batteries, the last defined in the consultation as an electric heating appliance that stores heat in a thermal storage medium to feed central heating or hot water1. Standards for energy smart appliances and automated load control are intended to govern how such devices interoperate, how their data is handled and how they respond to grid signals, which bears on whether a home can shift its own consumption rather than have it shifted for it. The tariff data specification sits alongside smart meters and time-of-use tariffs: a common data standard is the mechanism by which a device can read and react to a supplier's time-of-use prices without bespoke integration. The licensing element extends consumer protections, data privacy and switching rules to organisations that control load remotely, which is the point at which a third party, not the householder, decides when a device runs. The security expectations attached to these standards are separate from the security of the metering system itself, covered in smart meter security. The response does not set out costs to households, and no figures for consumer savings or bill impacts have been reported1.
What happens next
Secondary legislation on energy smart appliances is planned within the next year, subject to Parliamentary approval1. Compliance with the Retail Energy Code tariff data specification is required by mid to late 20261. Further consultation on points of detail is planned1. The government has not reported dates for the load control licence framework or for the Elexon governance modifications beyond the minded to position1. The wider process by which such proposals become rules is set out in energy consultations and how policy is made.