NDM Meter Reading Procedures. October 2016

Transcription

1 NDM Meter Reading Procedures October 2016

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

3 NDM Meter Reading Procedures 1 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 by a Gas Supplier. 2 Scope The procedure applies to all valid NDM meter readings submitted to by a Gas Supplier on a monthly basis. The meter reading data provided by a Gas Supplier is utilised by for the following Distribution Network Code Processes of: 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 3 Acronyms SGN GS SMP NDM RU AR SoLR EUC - Limited - Gas Supplier - Supply Meter Point - Non Daily Metered - Registered User - Asset Register - Supplier of Last Resort - End User Category 1 As per the requirements of clauses M3 and M1.13 of the Ltd. Distribution Network Code 2 As per the requirements of clause 2.25 of the Gas Supplier licence 3 20 th October 2016

4 NDM Meter Reading Procedures 4 Definitions Gas Supplier means the current gas supplier registered on the Asset Register at a Supply Meter Point ( SMP ) Meter Inspection means an inspection of a meter carried out by a Gas Supplier as per gas supplier s licence condition 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. 5 Procedures 5.1 Submitting NDM Meter Reads And Meter Inspection Data As per section M3.10 of the Distribution Network Code a GS is required to submit to all valid NDM meter readings obtained by the GS 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) 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 by the GS as set out in this procedure does not remove the GS obligations under the 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) 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 Populate column B with Meter Serial Number e.g. S Populate column C with Postcode e.g. BT1 1AB Populate column D with Meter Reading e.g th October 2016

5 NDM Meter Reading Procedures 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 (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 Where a meter reading could not be recorded due to a meter fault or deterioration the GS should notify of the issue via the Siteworks process GS should submit the meter readings to 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. 5.2 Meter Reading Data Cleansing Process will assess the meter reading data provided by the GS in two stages: Stage 1 - Initial assessment of files received to identify obvious errors Stage 2 Asset Register Checks During stage 1 of the process will review the meter reading data provided by the GS for the following issues: 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 5 20 th October 2016

6 NDM Meter Reading Procedures 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 except for the following: 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 During stage 2 of the process will review the meter reading data provided by the GS against information currently held on the Asset Register (AR) and assess the data to identify the following issues: 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 will conduct investigations into the issues identified during stage 2 of the process as follows: Issue Type Serial Number does not match Asset Register Postcode does not match Asset Register Gas Supplier is not the Registered User Incorrect Number of Digits Meter Reading provided for isolated SMP SMP does not match Asset Register Multiple meter reads provided for the same read date Individual Investigation by SGN (Yes/No) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No rejected No rejected 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 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) 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 th October 2016

7 NDM Meter Reading Procedures Note: For clarity the timescales set out in this paragraph are based on a best endeavours basis and only meter reading files provided to 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 For any rejected meter readings where a meter inspection has been conducted the meter inspection may also be deemed as invalid and rejected by. Details of the meter reading and meter inspection rejection categories are set out in Appendix C of this procedure 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 Any inaccuracies suspected in the AR following investigation by the GS should be submitted to via the 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 Interface System.) Any corrections accepted by where previous Meter Inspection notifications had been advised and rejected as part of this process, will reinstate the Meter Inspection conducted flag on its system used for this purpose. 5.3 Rejected Records The number of rejected records included in the file is the total number of records with issues identified post investigation The rejected records file is split by category of issue identified as listed for stage 1 and stage 2 of the 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 Records identified with issues in stage 2 of the process will include notes on the outcome of investigation conducted by where applicable to aid the GS with their review of the data The findings of the 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 3 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 th October 2016

8 NDM Meter Reading Procedures 5.4 Actions Required By Gas Supplier For Rejected Records 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 Meter Serial Number E6 prefix Stage 1 Meter Serial Number not provided Stage 1 Postcode not provided Stage 1 Postcode Error (e.g. BT1) Stage 1 Meter Read not provided Stage 1 Meter Read Date Error Stage 1 Duplicated Records Stage 1 Include omitted data before re-submission to Remove prefix before re-submission to Include omitted data before re-submission to Include omitted data before re-submission to Amend incorrect data before re-submission to Include omitted data before re-submission to Amend incorrect data before re-submission to Included for Informational purposes only. Review and remove from file before resubmission to 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 More than one different meter read provided for SMP for same meter read date Stage 2 Stage 2 Review data and update GS systems Review and remove from file before submission to Postcode Mismatch Stage 2 Review data and update GS systems Duplicate Records 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 th October 2016

9 NDM Meter Reading Procedures GS should review and remove any duplicated records from their files before submission to SGN Natural Gas Postcode Errors Where a Postcode Error is identified and investigation determines that neither the GS nor currently hold the correct Postcode the following process will apply: GS should liaise with their customer to obtain the correct Postcode with the customer and advise of the Postcode via the Interface System; or alternatively if verification of the record is not possible the Postcode obtained by 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: If the meter serial number submitted by the GS has an E6 prefix and the equivalent is not recorded on the Asset Register the record will be rejected and the GS should remove the E6 prefix before re-submission to. If the meter serial number submitted by the GS has an E6 prefix and the equivalent is recorded on the Asset Register the record will be accepted for validation by. 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 th October 2016

10 Distribution Code modification Rules Appendix A - Provision of Meter Reads Template with meter inspections A B C D E F G H Meter Reading (if Meter Reading is not visible enter FAULT ) Meter Read Type ( A =Actual, C =Customer) Meter Inspection as per Licence Cond (Yes / No) Meter Serial Supplier SMP Reference Number Number Postcode Meter Read Date Reference S BT27AF /08/2016 A YES th 20 th October 2016

11 Distribution Code modification Rules Appendix B - Rejected Records Template A B C D E F G H SMP Reference Number Meter Serial Number Postcode Meter Reading (if Meter Reading is not visible enter FAULT ) Meter Read Date Meter Reading Type ( A =Actual, C =Customer) Meter Inspection as per Licence Cond (Yes / No) Supplier Reference 11 8 th 20 th October 2016

12 Distribution Code modification Rules Appendix C - SGN NDM Meter Reading Validation Process Rejection Categories 4 Invalid Records Categories Included in Rejection Report to Gas Suppliers Meter Inspection to be rejected by 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 4 As agreed at GMOG - Wednesday 10th August th 20 th October 2016