The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) published the government response to its Smart Metering Policy Framework Post 2025 consultation on 10 March 2026, setting out final decisions on supplier obligations for smart meters in England, Scotland and Wales1. The consultation ran from 9am on 8 August 2025 to 11:59pm on 3 October 2025 and received 64 responses from energy suppliers, delivery partners, trade bodies, consumer groups and members of the public1.
The framework replaces the Targets Framework for domestic meters, under which suppliers were set annual installation targets from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 20252. Under the confirmed decisions, suppliers must take all reasonable steps to ensure smart meters in traditional mode are working in smart mode again as soon as possible and no later than 90 days from the date the supplier is first aware1. Suppliers must also 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 (WAN) services ending, such as the switch-off of 2G and 3G mobile services by the end of 2033, and the DCC must issue a Statement of Availability of Communication Services setting out the relevant end dates2.
A further obligation requires suppliers to take all reasonable steps to complete the domestic rollout by installing smart meters in all remaining domestic premises by the end of 20301. Suppliers must submit annual deployment plans to Ofgem covering their domestic installation, operational and replacement obligations, with annual milestones for new installations and pre-emptive replacements binding and without tolerances from January 20271. The time in which Ofgem may reject a deployment plan falls from 40 days to 28 days2.
Separately, the first three smart meter Guaranteed Standards of Performance (GSOPs), covering installation timeliness, installation quality and issue resolution, have been in place since 23 February 20262. Ofgem announced in its Final Decision Document in January 2026 that it would bring GSOPs 1 to 3 in straight away2. A decision on GSOP 4, covering resolution of non-communicating meters, is expected later this year3.
"We will strengthen the existing Operational Licence Condition which requires energy suppliers to take all reasonable steps to ensure smart meters operate in smart mode, by requiring suppliers to take all reasonable steps to ensure smart meters in traditional mode are back working in smart mode for consumers as soon as possible and no later than 90 days from the date energy suppliers are first aware."
On the installed base, Smart DCC reports more than 37 million smart meters installed in over 22 million homes and small businesses across Britain, which combined with advanced meters represents 70% of all meters according to the most recent DESNZ statistics3. It reports 550k 4G Communications Hubs installed and a reduction in non-communicating meters from 2.5% to 2.1% over the past year3. A Virtual WAN service, which would use broadband with consumer consent to connect homes without WAN coverage, is due for launch later this year3.
| Decision | Detail |
|---|---|
| Non-communicating meters | Suppliers to take all reasonable steps to restore smart mode within 90 days of first becoming aware1 |
| Pre-emptive replacement | Replace assets before WAN services end, including 2G and 3G switch-off by end of 20332 |
| Rollout completion | All remaining domestic premises by the end of 20301 |
| Deployment plans | Annual plans to Ofgem; milestones binding without tolerances from January 20271 |
Why it matters for households
The 90-day duty gives a defined clock on how long a meter can sit in traditional mode, meaning manual readings and estimated bills, once the supplier knows about it. The pre-emptive replacement obligation is aimed at the 2G and 3G switch-off, so meters that rely on those networks are meant to be swapped before they stop communicating rather than after. For a household, a working smart meter is what feeds near-real time consumption data to an in-home display and what allows access to time-of-day tariffs and demand flexibility payments; a meter in traditional mode does none of that. The binding milestones from January 2027 shift the accountability onto annual plans filed with Ofgem, rather than the previous annual installation targets. The government response cites evidence of sustained savings of 3% for electricity and 2.2% for gas credit among consumers using smart meters and in-home displays2.
What happens next
A decision on GSOP 4, covering resolution of non-communicating meters, is expected later this year3. Annual milestones for new installations and pre-emptive replacements become binding from January 20271. The DCC's Virtual WAN service is due for launch later this year3. A separate consultation on driving new smart meter installations in the non-domestic sector closed on 16 January 2026; its outcome has not been reported in these sources2.