The Targets Framework, the smart meter installation obligations under which energy suppliers were set annual domestic installation targets, concluded at the end of 20251. It ran from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 20251. Under it, suppliers were required to have delivered smart meters to 74.5% of relevant domestic premises in Great Britain by the end of 2025, at which point the framework came to an end2.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) consulted on a replacement framework between 8 August and 3 October 2025, receiving 64 responses1. The government response, published on 10 March 2026, set out the decisions taken1. The government said it would introduce an obligation on suppliers to take all reasonable steps to complete the domestic rollout by installing smart meters in all remaining domestic premises by the end of 2030, replacing the concluded Targets Framework1. Suppliers would also be required to submit annual deployment plans to Ofgem, with annual milestones for new installations and pre-emptive replacements binding and without tolerances from January 20271. The first deployment plan is to be submitted by 30 June 20262.
"This will replace the current Targets Framework for domestic meters, which concluded at the end of 2025."
Separately, Ofgem consulted on new Guaranteed Standards of Performance for smart metering, opening on 28 March 2025 and closing on 9 May 20254. The proposals covered four new standards: installation appointment availability within six weeks of a request; compensation where an installation fails due to a fault within the supplier's control; an initial assessment of a reported operational issue within five working days; and compensation where a smart meter is not operating in smart mode for over 90 days due to an issue within the supplier's control4. The standard payment was recently raised from £30 to £40 in line with inflation4. Ofgem published its Final Decision on 30 January 2026, and the government response states the Guaranteed Standards of Performance referred to as GSOPs 1-3 have been in place since 23 February 20261.
| Measure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Targets Framework period | 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2025 | 1 |
| Coverage required by end 2025 | 74.5% of relevant domestic premises | 2 |
| Proposed completion date | End of 2030 | 1 |
| First deployment plan due | 30 June 2026 | 2 |
| Binding annual milestones | From 1 January 2027 | 1 |
| Standard payment | Raised from £30 to £40 | 4 |
Why it matters for households
The end of the Targets Framework changes the mechanism by which suppliers are pushed to fit smart meters, from annual installation targets to a proposed single completion obligation for 2030, backed by annual deployment plans and binding milestones from January 20271. For a household still without a smart meter, the practical effect is that the duty described in the sources is to install smart meters in all remaining domestic premises by the end of 2030, rather than to hit a percentage each year1. The sources do not report what interim obligations apply to individual households before then.
For homes that already have a smart meter, the relevant change is the operational side. There were 3.5 million smart meters operating in traditional mode across Great Britain at the end of March 2025, representing 9% of all smart meters2. A meter in traditional mode cannot be read remotely and has to be read manually, and the consumer cannot access energy information across the home area network, including updated tariff information on a consumer device2. The government response states suppliers will be required to take all reasonable steps to ensure meters in traditional mode are working in smart mode again no later than 90 days from when the supplier is first aware1. Ofgem's proposed standard would provide compensation where a meter is not operating in smart mode for over 90 days due to an issue within the supplier's control4.
The communications network underpinning smart meters is also changing. The smart meter network primarily uses long range radio in the north of Great Britain and 2G/3G cellular in the central and south regions, with 4G being introduced across all regions since July 20255. The 2G and 3G mobile services are due to be switched off by the end of 20331. The government response states suppliers will be required to take all reasonable steps to pre-emptively replace smart metering assets so they continue to communicate when they would otherwise stop as a result of wide area network services ending1. In 2026 the DCC will launch a Virtual WAN service so that, with consumer consent, broadband can be used to connect homes without WAN coverage to the national communications network for smart metering1. The sources do not report how many homes lack WAN coverage.
What happens next
The government response states the annual milestones for new installations and pre-emptive replacements will be binding and without tolerances from January 2027, and that the first deployment plan is to be submitted by 30 June 20261. The time in which Ofgem will have the option to reject a deployment plan is to be reduced from 40 days to 28 days1. A consultation on proposals to drive new smart meter installations in the non-domestic sector followed in October 2025 and closed on 16 January 20261. Non-domestic meters are not in scope of the 2030 obligation2.
Sources5 cited
- Smart metering policy framework post 2025: government response (accessible webpage) - GOV.UK, gov.uk
- Smart Metering Policy Framework – Post 2025: consultation, assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
- Smart metering policy framework post 2025: Consultation document - GOV.UK, gov.uk
- Smart meter Guaranteed Standards: Supplier Guaranteed Standards of Performance, ofgem.gov.uk
- What is a smart meter? - Which?, which.co.uk