SGN Natural Gas - NDM Meter Reading Procedures

NDM Meter Reading Procedures October 2016

Contents 1 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................... 3 2 Scope ........................................................................................................................................ 3 3 Acronyms .................................................................................................................................. 3 4 Definitions ................................................................................................................................. 4 5 Procedures ................................................................................................................................ 4 Appendix A - Provision of Meter Reads Template with meter inspections .................................... 10 Appendix B - Rejected Records Template .................................................................................... 11 Appendix C - SGN NDM Meter Reading Validation Process – Rejection Categories ........................ 12

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SGN Natural Gas – NDM Meter Reading Procedures

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[Public Draft]

Purpose The purpose of this procedure is to outline the process for the submission of valid NDM meter readings 1 and Meter Inspection notifications 2 to SGN Natural Gas by a Gas Supplier.

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Scope The procedure applies to all valid NDM meter readings submitted to SGN Natural Gas by a Gas Supplier on a monthly basis. The meter reading data provided by a Gas Supplier is utilised by SGN Natural Gas for the following Distribution Network Code Processes of:

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•

Meter reading validation during the SMP Confirmation process

•

Notional Read determination during the SMP Confirmation process

•

Annual Quantity determination process specifically where the Gas Supplier has only one valid meter read available (i.e. the registration period is less than 12 months)

•

NDM profiling processes

•

Provision of information to the appointed SoLR

Acronyms SGN GS SMP NDM RU AR SoLR EUC

1

2

3

-

SGN Natural Gas Limited Gas Supplier Supply Meter Point Non Daily Metered Registered User SGN Natural Gas Asset Register Supplier of Last Resort End User Category

As per the requirements of clauses M3 and M1.13 of the SGN Natural Gas Ltd. Distribution Network Code As per the requirements of clause 2.25 of the Gas Supplier licence

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SGN Natural Gas – NDM Meter Reading Procedures

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4 Definitions

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4.1.1

‘Gas Supplier’ means the current gas supplier registered on the SGN Natural Gas Asset Register at a Supply Meter Point (‘SMP’).

4.1.2

‘Meter Inspection’ means an inspection of a meter carried out by a Gas Supplier as per gas supplier’s licence condition 2.25.3

4.1.3

‘Registered User’ means the registered gas supplier at a SMP who has acceded to the SGN Natural Gas Distribution Network Code and is bound by its terms and conditions.

Procedures 5.1

Submitting NDM Meter Reads And Meter Inspection Data

5.1.1

As per section M3.10 of the SGN Natural Gas Distribution Network Code a GS is required to submit to SGN Natural Gas all valid NDM meter readings obtained by the GS.

5.1.2

GS should complete the ‘Provision of Meter Reads Template with meter inspections’ spreadsheet with all valid NDM meter readings obtained for a given month (See Appendix A).

5.1.3

GS should include in the template all valid NDM Meter readings including those readings submitted as part of the SMP Confirmation process and NDM meter readings taken for EUC3 classified SMPs in the month.

Note: For clarity the provision of information to SGN Natural Gas by the GS as set out in this procedure does not remove the GS obligations under the SGN Natural Gas Distribution Network Code with regards the provision of meter readings as part of the SMP Confirmation Process or the monthly meter readings for EUC3 classified SMPs (See clauses M3.17 and M3.13 of the SGN Natural Gas Distribution Network Code).

5.1.4

GS should populate the ’Meter Read Import From Supplier’ template as follows: •

Populate column A with ‘SMP Registration Number’ i.e. SMP Reference Number e.g. 123456

•

Populate column B with ‘Meter Serial Number’ e.g. S12345678

•

Populate column C with ‘Postcode’ e.g. BT1 1AB

•

Populate column D with ‘Meter Reading’ e.g. 12345

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If Meter Reading is not visible enter "FAULT" •

Populate column E with ‘Meter Read Date’ as DD/MM/YY format. e.g. 01/01/15

•

•

•

Populate column F with ‘Meter Read Type’ as follows: o

“A” - Actual meter readings taken by the GS

o

“C” - Actual meter readings taken by the Customer

o

“DB”, “P”, “Q” - Meter Readings received for prepayment meters recorded at the time of a top up by the customer

Populate column G ‘Meter Inspection conducted in accordance with GS Licence Condition 2.25.3 (Y/ N)’’ as follows: o

“Y” – indicates meter inspection has been completed

o

“N” – indicates meter inspection has not been completed

o

“Fault” – indicates meter inspection has been completed however a meter reading could not be recorded due to a meter index fault or deterioration.

Populate column H with Supplier Reference Number, e.g. 123.

5.1.5

Where a meter reading could not be recorded due to a meter fault or deterioration the GS should notify SGN Natural Gas of the issue via the Siteworks process.

5.1.6

GS should submit the meter readings to SGN Natural Gas by the last business day of the month following the month the meter reading was recorded e.g. on 31st May all valid meter readings taken between 1st and 30th April should be provided to SGN Natural Gas.

5.2 SGN Natural Gas Meter Reading Data Cleansing Process 5.2.1

SGN Natural Gas will assess the meter reading data provided by the GS in two stages: • •

5.2.2

During stage 1 of the process SGN Natural Gas will review the meter reading data provided by the GS for the following issues: • • • • •

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Stage 1 - Initial assessment of files received to identify obvious errors Stage 2 – SGN Natural Gas Asset Register Checks

SMP reference number is missing or contains an obvious error in file received from GS e.g. a six digit SMP reference number Meter Serial Number issues in file received from GS e.g. meter serial number is not included or is prefixed with ‘E6’ Postcode issues in file received from GS e.g. Postcode is missing or contains an obvious error Meter Reading issues in file received from GS e.g. meter reading is missing Duplicated records in file received from GS

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SGN Natural Gas – NDM Meter Reading Procedures 5.2.3

SGN Natural Gas will reject all NDM meter readings and associated Meter Inspection data which are determined to contain one of the issues during stage 1 of the process as outlined in clause 5.2.2 except for the following: • •

5.2.4

Postcode not provided or incomplete – the record will be included in the Rejection Report but the Meter Inspection will be accepted.

Duplicate records – see section 5.4.2.

During stage 2 of the process SGN Natural Gas will review the meter reading data provided by the GS against information currently held on the SGN Natural Gas Asset Register (AR) and assess the data to identify the following issues: • • • • • • •

5.2.5

[Public Draft]

SMP Reference Number does not match Meter Serial Number does not match SMP Isolated and the GS is not the RU GS is not the RU Invalid number of digits in meter reading provided by GS for meter type Multiple meter readings provided for the SMP Reference Number for the same meter reading date Postcode does not match

SGN Natural Gas will conduct investigations into the issues identified during stage 2 of the process as follows: Issue Type

Individual Investigation by SGN (Yes/No)

Serial Number does not match Asset Register

Yes

Postcode does not match Asset Register

Yes

Gas Supplier is not the Registered User

Yes

Incorrect Number of Digits

Yes

Meter Reading provided for isolated SMP

Yes

SMP does not match Asset Register

No – rejected

Multiple meter reads provided for the same read date

No – rejected

5.2.6

SGN Natural Gas will make a determination on whether to accept or reject the NDM meter reading and associated Meter Inspection notification based on the investigation completed during stage 2 of the process.

5.2.7

SGN Natural Gas will provide the GS with a file of rejected NDM meter reads and associated Meter Inspection notifications broken down by the issues as outlined for stage 1 and stage 2 of the process. The rejected meter reading will be issued to the GS on the ‘Rejected Records Template’ spreadsheet (See Appendix B).

5.2.8

SGN Natural Gas will aim to provide the file of rejected meter reading data to the GS within 15 business days from the last business day of the month in which the file was received from the GS.

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Note: For clarity the timescales set out in this paragraph are based on a best endeavours basis and only meter reading files provided to SGN Natural Gas by the GS by the last business day of the previous month will be analysed for the purpose of producing any rejected meter reading data within these timescales.

5.2.9

For any rejected meter readings where a meter inspection has been conducted the meter inspection may also be deemed as invalid and rejected by SGN Natural Gas. Details of the meter reading and meter inspection rejection categories are set out in Appendix C of this procedure.

5.2.10 GS will review all rejected NDM meter readings and resubmit any amended readings in a subsequent month’s data files.

Note: For clarity, although there are no set timescales for the return of information to SGN Natural Gas for meter readings submitted in any given month, the GS must ensure that the information has been validated and amended were appropriate before resubmission of a valid meter reading for a previously rejected record.

5.2.11 Any inaccuracies suspected in the AR following investigation by the GS should be submitted to SGN Natural Gas via the SGN Natural Gas Interface System 3. (See section 5.4 of the SMP Confirmation System User Manual for instructions on how to submit details of inaccuracies via the SGN Natural Gas Interface System.)

5.2.12 Any corrections accepted by SGN Natural Gas where previous Meter Inspection notifications had been advised and rejected as part of this process, SGN Natural Gas will reinstate the ‘Meter Inspection conducted’ flag on its system used for this purpose.

5.3 Rejected Records 5.3.1

The number of rejected records included in the file is the total number of records with issues identified post SGN Natural Gas investigation.

5.3.2

The rejected records file is split by category of issue identified as listed for stage 1 and stage 2 of the SGN Natural Gas process. It should be noted that multiple issues may be identified with a specific record therefore the record may be included in one or more categories within the same file.

5.3.3

Records identified with issues in stage 2 of the process will include notes on the outcome of investigation conducted by SGN Natural Gas where applicable to aid the GS with their review of the data.

5.3.4

The findings of the SGN Natural Gas investigations are based on the status of the SMP at the time the analysis is undertaken which is subject to change e.g. a SMP that was isolated could have subsequently been reconnected

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As per Clause 4.11 where the GS becomes aware of potential inaccuracies in the AR they should notify SGN Natural Gas of such inaccuracies.

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SGN Natural Gas – NDM Meter Reading Procedures

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5.4 Actions Required By Gas Supplier For Rejected Records 5.4.1

Upon receipt of the Rejected Records file the GS should undertake the following actions:

Issue Identified

Stage of Analysis

GS Action Required

SMP Reference Number not provided

Stage 1

Include omitted data before re-submission to SGN Natural Gas

Meter Serial Number ‘E6 prefix’

Stage 1

Remove prefix before re-submission to SGN Natural Gas

Meter Serial Number not provided

Stage 1

Include omitted data before re-submission to SGN Natural Gas

Postcode not provided

Stage 1

Include omitted data before re-submission to SGN Natural Gas

Postcode Error (e.g. BT1)

Stage 1

Amend incorrect data before re-submission to SGN Natural Gas

Meter Read not provided

Stage 1

Include omitted data before re-submission to SGN Natural Gas

Meter Read Date Error

Stage 1

Duplicated Records

Stage 1

Invalid SMP Reference Number

Stage 2

Review data and update GS systems

Invalid Meter Serial Number

Stage 2

Review data and update GS systems

SMP Isolated

Stage 2

Review data and update GS systems

Not Registered User

Stage 2

Review data and update GS systems

Invalid Number of Digits in Read Provided

by Gas Supplier

Stage 2

Review data and update GS systems

More than one different meter read provided for SMP for same meter read date

Stage 2

Review and remove from file before submission to SGN Natural Gas

Postcode Mismatch

Stage 2

Review data and update GS systems

5.4.2

Amend incorrect data before re-submission to SGN Natural Gas Included for Informational purposes only.

Review and remove from file before resubmission to SGN Natural Gas

Duplicate Records SGN Natural Gas will accept one copy of any duplicated records submitted by the GS if it is a valid record. The remaining duplicated records will be listed in the rejected file returned to GS on the Duplicate Records sheet.

GS is not expected to do anything further with the duplicated records; the records have been included in the rejected file for informational purposes only.

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GS should review and remove any duplicated records from their files before submission to SGN Natural Gas. 5.4.3

Postcode Errors Where a Postcode Error is identified and SGN Natural Gas investigation determines that neither the GS nor SGN Natural Gas currently hold the correct Postcode the following process will apply:

5.4.4

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GS should liaise with their customer to obtain the correct Postcode with the customer and advise SGN Natural Gas of the Postcode via the SGN Natural Gas Interface System; or alternatively

•

if verification of the record is not possible the Postcode obtained by SGN Natural Gas as part of validation checks from the Royal Mail address database should be used by SGN Natural Gas and the GS to update the record on both the AR and the GS system.

E6 Prefix on a Meter Serial Number Where an E6 prefix on a meter serial number is identified the following process will apply:

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If the meter serial number submitted by the GS has an E6 prefix and the equivalent is not recorded on the SGN Natural Gas Asset Register the record will be rejected and the GS should remove the E6 prefix before re-submission to SGN Natural Gas.

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If the meter serial number submitted by the GS has an E6 prefix and the equivalent is recorded on the SGN Natural Gas Asset Register the record will be accepted for validation by SGN Natural Gas. SGN Natural Gas will then update the record on the AR to remove the E6 prefix and notify the GS via daily reports issued. Upon receipt of this notification via the daily reports the GS should also remove the E6 prefix from their records.

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SGN Natural Gas – Distribution Code modification Rules

[Public Draft]

Appendix A - Provision of Meter Reads Template with meter inspections A

B

SMP Reference Number

Meter Serial Number

123456

S1234567

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8th

C

D

E

Meter Reading

F

Meter Read Type

Postcode

(if Meter Reading is not visible enter “FAULT”)

Meter Read Date

(“A”=Actual, “C”=Customer)

BT27AF

12345

12/08/2016

A

G

H

Meter Inspection as per Licence Cond 2.25.3 (Yes / No)

Supplier Reference

YES

123

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SGN Natural Gas – Distribution Code modification Rules

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Appendix B - Rejected Records Template A

SMP Reference Number

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8th

B

Meter Serial Number

C

D

E

Meter Reading

Postcode

(if Meter Reading is not visible enter “FAULT”)

Meter Read Date

F

G

Meter Reading Type

Meter Inspection as per Licence Cond 2.25.3

(“A”=Actual, “C”=Customer)

(Yes / No)

H

Supplier Reference

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Appendix C - SGN NDM Meter Reading Validation Process – Rejection Categories4 Included in Rejection Report to Gas Suppliers

Meter Inspection to be rejected

by SGN Natural Gas

No SMP

Yes

Yes

No Meter Serial Number

Yes

Yes

Meter Read Issues

Yes

Yes

Invalid SMP No Match SGN Asset

Yes

Yes

Invalid Meter Serial Number

Yes

Yes

SMP Isolated - Registered User withdrawal confirmed

Yes

Yes

Invalid No. Digits in Read

Yes

Yes

Multiple Reads for same SMP same date

Yes

Yes

Not Registered User

Yes

Yes

Duplicate Records

Yes

No

Postcode not provided or incomplete

Yes

No

Postcode Mismatches

No

No

Invalid Records Categories

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As agreed at GMOG - Wednesday 10th August 2016

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