Aclara, a supplier of smart infrastructure solutions (SIS) to electric, gas and water utilities around the world, announces that its SGM1400 SMETS2 (smart metering equipment technical specifications: second version) has been awarded Commercial Product Assurance (CPA) certification by the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

This development represents a significant milestone for Aclara in the UK, as the CPA certification allows energy suppliers to install SGM1400 meters in large scale deployments that are part of the UK's national smart meter rollout program. This initiative aims to install approximately 53 million smart electric and gas meters in more than 30 million homes and businesses in Wales, Scotland and England by the end of 2020. Aclara developed the SGM1400 electric meter specifically to support large-scale smart meter deployment in this program.

(Image: Aclara)

"The CPA certification of our SGM1400 SMETS2 electric meter is a major achievement in supporting Aclara's growth in the UK, which has put in place one of the world's most important smart metering initiatives," said Allan Connolly, president and CEO of Aclara. "We are excited about this milestone and believe it proves to our customers that we are focused on delivering innovative, high quality solutions to help them with this national rollout program to upgrade energy supply and tackle climate change."

The NCSC defines a set of CPA development, verification, and deployment security requirements to which the meter must comply. To obtain CPA certification, the SGM1400 meter underwent extensive auditing and testing through an accredited test laboratory. It was also subjected to a build standard review. Aclara chose global cyber security and risk mitigation expert NCC Group to fulfill this CPA obligation.

(Image: Aclara)

One of only three smart electric meters to receive this certification, the Aclara SGM1400 is also compliant for the measuring instrument directive, ZigBee and for device language message specification.

"CPA certification is a fundamental requirement for achieving SMETS2 compliance and enables Aclara's customers to deploy meters in the UK's National Smart Metering Implementation Program. The SGM1400 is now a fully certified UK SMETS2 product that can be deployed in volume to fulfill an energy supplier's SMETS2 rollout obligations," said Jason Subirana, vice-president, international, Aclara.

Smart meters offer numerous advantages to both utilities and their customers. Data provided by smart meters puts consumers in control of their energy use, providing near real-time information that helps them better manage their energy consumption, save money on their energy bills, and also reduce carbon emissions.