NSMP Business Requirements Work Stream Direct Load Control for Priority Appliances

Transcription

1 National Smart Metering Program NSMP Business Requirements Work Stream Direct Load Control for Priority Appliances Version number: Version 1.0 Status: Author: Final Dr Martin Gill Date published: 20 October 2010 File name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc

2 Table of Contents 1 DOCUMENT CONTROL VERSION CONTROL APPROVAL REFERENCES INTRODUCTION DIRECT LOAD CONTROL PRIORITY APPLIANCES CONNECTING THE PRIORITY APPLIANCE AS TAMPER DETECTION COST OF INSTALLATION FUTURE AVAILABILITY OF SMART APPLIANCES RECOMMENDATIONS APPENDIX A GLOSSARY File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 2 of 17

3 1 Document Control 1.1 Version Control Version Date Description Amended by /09/2009 First Draft Dr Martin Gill /02/2010 Update Dr Martin Gill /05/2010 Added status of developments Dr Martin Gill 0.4 9/06/2010 Minor modifications after June 2010 Dr Martin Gill /10/2010 Revised recommendations section endorsed by NSSC on 6 August 2010 and again on 25 August 2010 M. Gill update on diagrams: New figure 2 showing the single phase meter with ONE load control and one relay AS4755 only REQUIRES one mode, the other two are optional and will not be supported by most appliances The meter to the AS4755 appliance now shows ONE control wire with a statement that must select the mode at time of installation Update version 0.4 for release to SCO /10/2010 Baselined post NSSC approval on 20 October 2010 H. Koller H. Williams 1.2 Approval Authorised by Signature Date Program Director, NSMP 20 October 2010 File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 3 of 17

4 1.3 References The following documents are referred to in this document. Document Name Version Business Requirements Working Group Terms of Reference Version September 2009 ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE Minimum AMI Functionality Specification (Victoria) The National Smart Metering Program and the AS4755 Appliance Interface: Establishing a Direct Connection Prepared for the BRWG by Dr George Wilkenfeld Release 1.1 September 2008 Version 3 NSMP Smart Metering Infrastructure Functionality Specification Version 0.24 NSMP Home Area Network Research Study Version 0.7 File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 4 of 17

5 2 Introduction The Terms of Reference of the Businesses Requirements Working Group include: Item (n) recommend to the MCE how direct load control capability can be integrated into priority appliances - this analysis should be undertaken in conjunction with the existing appliance energy standards work currently being conducted by both the Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Committee of the National Framework for Energy Efficiency, and Standards Australia. This paper considers how functionality already included in the National Minimum Functional Specification meets the requirements for direct load control of Priority Appliances. It builds on an earlier paper which presented the possibilities offered by AS4755. (Note: The aim of AS4755 is to set standards for physical connections to the appliance and a minimum level of Demand response functionality.) 3 Direct Load Control 3.1 Priority Appliances Priority appliances are considered to be those which contribute to energy demand and offer scope for controlling or shifting their demand. Table 1 is taken from Dr George Wilkenfeld s paper, The National Smart Metering Program and the AS4755 Appliance Interface and presents the priority appliances for direct load control recommended by the Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Committee of the National Framework for Energy Efficiency: Table 1: Demand and Load-Shifting Characteristics of Appliances, and corresponding Demand Response Mode (DRM)(a) Electrical products covered by Potential to timeshift energy AS4755 (b) use Potential to impact on summer peak demand Potential to Impact on winter peak demand Refrigerative air conditioner Yes; DRM 1,2,3 Yes if heating; No (c) DRM 1,2,3 Pool pump Yes; DRM 1,2 Yes; DRM 1,2,3 Yes; DRM 4 Electric resistance water heater Yes; DRM 1,2,3 Yes; DRM 1,2,3 Yes; DRM 4 Heat pump water heater Yes; DRM 1,2,3 Yes; DRM 1,2,3 Yes; DRM 4 Solar-electric water heater Yes; DRM 1 Yes; DRM 1,4 (d) Yes; DRM 4 (a) DRM 1 = cycling on/off. DRM 2,3 = part load operation. DRM 4 = Forced on (b) The structure of AS4755 allows the development of interface standards for additional appliances. There has been preliminary discussion about possible coverage of Electric Vehicle Recharging Points. (c) Pre-cooling not compatible with Australian product types, patterns of AC use, dwelling thermal properties or with greenhouse gas reduction objectives. (d) DRM 4 can also be used to avoid late afternoon winter load by pre-heating. The three appliance types (air conditioners, pool pumps and water heaters) were selected because they contribute significantly to peak demand, are readily curtailable at times of peak demand, and/or (in the case of pool pumps and water heaters) can offer time-shifting or energy storage services when renewable energy availability is high or demand is low (See Table 1). Also, air conditioners, pool pumps and water heaters are permanently installed in the dwelling, so any inbuilt Demand Response (DR) capability will be retained at the site even if customers move. This is not the case with portable appliances such as whitegoods, where the scope for curtailment or timeshifting is much lower, and even if a DR capability is established, it may well be lost when the customer File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 5 of 17

6 moves house (when they take their whitegoods with them). The next customer may not have the appliances or the HAN components required to re-establish the capability. The ability to defer energy consumption allows utilities to utilize generation and distribution assets more effectively. Present hot water programs give utilities access to large amounts of controllable load. Government incentive programs are leading to a reduction in the number of electric storage hot water services, reducing the total amount of controlled load available to the network operator. These considerations provide a stimulus to finding alternative methods for controlling additional load on the network through the Smart Meter deployment. One of the largest contributors to the rapid rise in peak demand is domestic air-conditioner ownership, leading to a strong desire to implement a means of controlling this load. When combined with pool pumps (and water heaters) there is a potential to reduce reliance on expensive short term peaking assets. This paper does not currently consider Plug in Electric Vehicles (PEV). It is acknowledged with the potential growth of PEV this load should also be considered in any discussion about Direct Load Control. 3.2 Connecting the Priority Appliance In the ideal world a consumer would purchase a new Smart Appliance and when it is plugged into the home for the first time it would automatically identify itself and register with the home network. There are currently a number of barriers to this ideal vision, most significantly the lack of a global (or even National Australian) standard for home networking. Without a single standard appliance manufacturers would be required to offer a number of different solutions incurring additional development expense and complication for the consumer determining which solution is supported in their distribution area. The other barrier is that security concerns mean that only trusted appliances can share information with the Smart Meter, so the consumer will still be required to contact the utility to authorize the Smart Appliance. A number of Australian distribution businesses have successfully trialled demand reduction programs targeting two of the priority appliances, namely air-conditioners and pool pumps. Demand reduction for pool pumps is handled in a very similar manner to that employed for hot water services today, the pool pump is simply turned on during the hours of least demand ensuring that it runs for a predefined number of hours per day. Demand reduction is achieved by ensuring that the pool pump is turned off during peak hours. For air-conditioners it is not desirable to offer a simple all on or off selection. Instead these programs reduce the demand presented by air-conditioners by cycling the air-conditioner compressor whilst leaving the fan in the unit unaffected. A simple means of achieving this is depicted in Figure 1. The trialled systems have used broadcast messaging and require an external interface to be fitted to the airconditioner. The Smart Meter Communications Networks (SMCN) necessary to support SMI offers the opportunity to expand these programs. File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 6 of 17

7 Figure 1: Direct Control of a/c compressor Direct Interface to the Meter The National Smart Metering Infrastructure Functional Specification provides two methods of directly controlling priority appliances. The first is through an integrated load control contactor (rated at 31.5A) and the second supports external load control contactors via integrated 2A relays (supplied voltage free). The functionality of the contactor and relays is described in Section 7.6 Load Management through a controlled load contactor or relay (MCE recommended function 8 & 14 dedicated load control) of the SMI Minimum Functionality Specification. Figure 2 shows the configuration for single phase single element meters (note that a similar single phase two elements and three phase configuration is also described in the SMI Functionality Specification). Figure 2: Single Phase Metering Configurations shown in the SMI Functionality Specification The 31.5A contactor can be utilised for direct control of appliances, able to turn power to the appliance on or off. It is important to note that this requires mains wiring to connect the appliance to the Smart Meter. This solution is suitable for existing dedicated load control circuits or for new installations as it is generally considered too expensive to rewire an existing premise to connect loads back to the Smart Meter. Figure 3: Direct Load Control using a Dedicated Circuit Direct Load Control via an integrated dedicated circuit (Function 8/14) turns off power to the whole circuit. For example while large air-conditioning units require their own dedicated power circuit it is not possible to simply connect this wire to the meter s direct load control circuit, as this would turn off the whole air- File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 7 of 17

8 conditioner, including the fan needed to circulate air. So while simple, dedicated load control is limited because of the need to run separate wiring, it only offers very coarse control of appliances (on or off) and meters only offer one Dedicated Load Control circuit, so it is not possible to connect different appliance types, such as an air-conditioner and hot-water service as they would operate at different times. The inclusion of voltage free relays (as shown in Figure 2) supports an alternative load control option. In the simplest form a control wire is connected from the meter to the appliance and carries a simple on/off signal. The relays required in the smart meter are lower cost than the dedicated load control contactor, since the meter is only required to switch low voltages and currents. The control wire should also be less expensive than mains wiring (this does not consider installation costs which are discussed in Section 3.5). For this system to work each appliance must be able to interpret the signals being sent on the control wire. Figure 4 depicts this solution with an external box interpreting simple on and off commands to switch power to the appliance. More comprehensive control is possible if the interface is built into the appliance, which will be explored further under the section covering the AS4755 interface. Figure 4: Appliance Control using separate control wire Home Area Network Interface The National Smart Metering Infrastructure Functionality Specification requires the meter to support a Home Area Network (HAN) using an Open Standard (MCE Function 16). As such the meter will already contain a modem capable of supporting communications around customer premises. The HAN will enable appliances fitted with a similar modem to communicate with the smart meter. The Smart Metering Infrastructure supports communications with devices located on the HAN, offering utilities the ability to control the demand of priority appliances. Figure 5: Scope of the SMI showing the HAN As shown in Figure 5 devices on the HAN are not provided as part of the SMI. The provision and installation of these devices falls to the Customer. This is not to say that the Customer will have to File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 8 of 17

9 purchase the devices, they could be offered to the customer as an incentive to allow external control of their appliances. Controlling appliances via the HAN offers a solution which comes very close to the ideal vision presented in Section 3.2. The appliances are attached to the mains but control is via the HAN. This is depicted in the following figure. File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 9 of 17 Figure 6: Connecting Appliances to the HAN At this stage the National SMI has not agreed on a technology implementing the HAN, however the HAN Research Study states Ideally the standard should support the transmission of information over both power-line and Radio Frequency (RF) physical layers. Both physical layers should be specified but only one will be implemented in the Minimum Functionality. It is worthwhile exploring the two physical media Wired or Wireless Interfaces. Wired HAN Interface The existing mains wiring can be used to provide the physical connection between the device and the Smart Meter, so called Power-Line Communications (PLC). A PLC modem in the meter is able to send signals along the power cable to modems located in appliances, without the need for separate wiring. It is a safe assumption that priority appliances are attached to the power cable making this an attractive option. There are a large number of PLC standards arguably with no clear leader in the direct load control market. Another potential issue is that the PLC modem must have access to mains wiring (so that it can detect the signals) which limits where the modem can be located in the appliance (this is discussed further under the section covering AS4755). Wireless HAN Interface Wireless interfaces have the advantage that they do not require any wiring between the device and the Smart Meter. The most common form of wireless communications is Radio Frequency (RF). An RF modem in the meter is able to send signals to RF modems located in appliances. Widespread acceptance of this solution comes from everyday use of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices. The Victorian AMI has specified that all meters will contain a HAN based on the ZigBee RF standard with the Smart Energy Profile. The ZigBee Smart Energy Profile already provides support for load control. 3.3 AS4755 Australian Standard AS4755 offers an interface on priority appliances enabling a controller to adjust the demand of the device. The standard does not detail the communications between the controller and the appliance, it provides a simple interface located on the appliance. While simple the interface provides a sufficiently rich set of commands to provide required load control. In essence the AS4755 appliance interface is a terminal block with 4 screw terminals. An external controller is required to apply a signal on one of the terminals in order to initiate load curtailment. The

10 three signal options (the fourth wire is a Signal Common used to by all signals) enables the controller to allow the device to continue running, but using lower power (think of a microwave oven being run on medium power instead of full power). The advantage of reducing the peak demand is that consumer acceptance is likely to be higher given that the appliance will continue to run. Figure 7: AS4755 Control Signals Before the AS4755 interface can be used there are two vital components: firstly external hardware is required to control the appliance (Shown in Figure 7 as the AS4755 Controller) and secondly communications is required to the AS4755 Controller. This is shown in Figure 8: Figure 8: Components required to utilize the AS4755 interface on Appliances As previously mentioned the Smart Meter already contains a communications link back to the utility control centre so here we consider several means of connecting the smart meter to the AS4755 equipped Appliance. Figure 9: Direct Connection between Smart Meter and AS4755 Appliance Interface The attraction of the solution shown in Figure 9 is that no additional interface module is required between the meter and the AS4755 equipped device. Another advantage is that the meter will store all the required load switching schedules (as detailed in Section 7.6 of the SMI F.S.). There are a number of disadvantages to this solution: File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 10 of 17

11 the smart meter must include the relays 1 to interface to AS4755; a dedicated control wire 2 must be installed between the meter and each appliance; and AS4755 has been designed assuming that only one appliance can be connected to each relay limiting the number of appliances can be controlled by the meter. Figure 10: Use of the HAN to connect Smart Meter and AS4755 Appliance Figure 10 shows an appliance connected to the Smart Meter via a HAN Device. The HAN Device is required to interpret commands sent from the Smart Meter and apply the appropriate signal to the Appliance. There are a number of advantages to this solution; significantly a larger number of different Priority Appliances can be included in a demand response program (the Victorian AMI Specification states that the HAN must support up to 16 devices). It is also possible to include different device types operating at different times (and potentially with different levels of demand reduction). What is unclear is how many of the load control options specified in Section 7.6 of the SMI F.S. will be supported by the HAN device. One advantage for control of devices via the HAN is the simplicity of including customer options for participation in the planned Demand Reduction. Via another device on the HAN, typically assumed to be an In Home Display the customer might offer the ability to opt out of the current demand reduction period (for example after 5 days of extremely hot weather the customer may want to run their air-conditioner at full capacity). It is assumed that giving customers the ability to opt out (or opt in) will provide greater customer acceptance. It must be stated that AS4755 considers providing the customer the ability to override demand reduction commands. Power for HAN devices Even for HANs utilizing RF communications the HAN Device should be mains powered to avoid the need for battery maintenance. Two methods are considered: the AS4755 standard allows the Appliance to supply power to the HAN Device, unfortunately this option is not being offered by most appliance manufacturers. In the second option the HAN Device must be able to directly access mains power, the potential disadvantage is that the mains connection may compromise isolation barriers provided in the Appliance to meet safety requirements. This is in addition to any issues associated with physically fitting the HAN device to the appliance. For HANs utilizing PLC communications the HAN Device must be directly connected to the mains wiring. It therefore has similar issues to that stated for the RF HAN interface, including that the HAN Device must be designed to ensure that it does not compromise any isolation barriers used in the appliances to meet safety requirements. 1 Several of meter configurations described in the SMI F.S. include voltage free 2A relays suitable for this application 2 Point of clarification: It is not necessary to support all three signal modes at each appliance File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 11 of 17

12 Status of the AS4755 standard At the time of writing compliance with AS 4755 (specifically Part.3.1) by suppliers of air conditioners is not mandatory. There is proposal to mandate the inclusion of AS4755 into all air conditioners sold in Australia after October The Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Committee has commissioned a regulation impact assessment (RIA) on the proposed mandate. It is expected that the RIA will be released for public consultation by mid 2010, and is subject to the usual E3 processes. Note that AS4755 is actually described in a series of standards. AS 4755: Framework for demand response capabilities and supporting technologies for electrical products, Published April 2007 AS : Demand response capabilities and supporting technologies for electrical products, Part 3.1: Interaction of demand response enabling devices and electrical products Operational instructions and connections for airconditioners Published December Other standards are in preparation: AS : Intends to provide demand response for swimming pool pump controllers AS : Intends to provide demand response for electric, solar-electric and heat pump water heaters. The RIA currently in preparation will include air-conditioners, pool pumps and hot water heaters, It has been confirmed that there are already a number of large ducted (central) and split system airconditioning units offering an optional AS4755 interface. It has also been reported that there are no split system air-conditioners (around 2kW capacity) available with the AS4755 interface, however appliance manufacturers are preparing to expedite development of these products in anticipation of the mandate in Tamper detection There is nothing new about offering consumers lower tariffs in exchange for utility control of appliance demand, this is what off-peak hot-water services currently do in Australia today. Similar programs have also been run in California, where consumers are offered a different tariff depending on the amount of cycling that they will allow the utility to perform on their air-conditioner. Unfortunately rumours abound that on hot days some Californian consumers have discovered that wrapping the antenna fitted to their airconditioner in aluminium foil prevents the air-conditioner receiving the cycling commands allowing them to enjoy full use of their air-conditioner at a reduced tariff. Running a dedicated mains circuit means that the consumer must adjust mains wiring. In most installations the dedicated circuit is connected to the meter under a sealed terminal cover. The terminal cover is protected with a visual meter seal, the removal of which is easily detected during the quarterly meter read. Running a long low voltage cable is considered more susceptible to tamper, especially when carrying AS4755 signals. The reason is that while the connection to the meter might be located under the terminal cover the attachment point to the Priority Appliance is certainly unprotected. By disconnecting the wire the Appliance will not receive or respond to signals sent from the meter. Additional hardware would be required in the meter in order to detect that the wiring has been modified. There is an argument being presented that communications via the HAN is reliable since the HAN Device will acknowledge the message. While this is certainly true for a totally integrated product it is not the case for connection via the AS4755 interface. In the extreme we consider purchasing a HAN Device but not installing it in the AS4755 equipped appliance: While powered on it will acknowledge all messages from the HAN, but is unable to send the command to the Priority Appliance. It is possible for the HAN Device to include additional circuitry to validate that it is at least connected to something, but even this is not tamper proof. File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 12 of 17

13 It is highlighted that the meter is able to measure electrical demand, as such it can be used to validate that a particular demand reduction has occurred. While possible there are some challenges including: The meter is measuring total household load, of which only a percentage is controlled; Depending on the type of appliance, cycling may still use the same peak power, but for shorter time periods; and the settings on the device may affect the actual demand (as an extreme example consider the unfortunate situation in which the appliance is only turned on when the system initiates demand reduction, as a result while the appliance is operating correctly, the meter will still measure an increase in electrical demand). 3.5 Cost of Installation Technology that provides control of priority appliances whilst minimising changes to fixed wiring within consumers premises will provide a significant cost saving. As such the cost to install the system must be considered when determining the viability of the solution. Direct Load Control using a dedicated circuit is a well proven technology but requires separate mains wiring to be run from the appliance back to the meter. It is only suitable for appliances that the customer will accept complete on or off load cycling (for example storage hot water services). It is not particularly suitable for connecting many existing priority appliances in the home as it requires the installation of a new dedicated circuit (for example to connect an existing pool-pump). While at first the simplicity of adding a direct AS4755 connection appears attractive there is the complexity of installation. For a new appliance being installed with its own dedicated circuit (as required for most new air-conditioners) the cost to run the required control cable is minimal, however for existing appliances or those which do not need a dedicated circuit (e.g. pool-pumps) further costs are incurred. The most logical place for the cable to be connected to the meter is under the meter terminal cover. In all states, other than NSW, this requires the distribution business to perform a site visit adding to the installation costs. Connecting Priority Appliances via the HAN theoretically incurs the lowest additional cost. This assumes that the HAN Device can be purchased at minimal cost. Once the purchase price and costs of installing the device into the Priority Appliance are included it is estimated that the total cost would be similar to the distributor site visit to connect a dedicated wire. While it avoids the need for a separate control wire it may incur the cost of HAN repeaters to ensure that the Priority Appliance receives the signal (for example a pool-pump located in a tin shed somewhere in the domestic backyard is unlikely to reliably receive RF signals without the use of repeaters). Returning to the original vision, the Smart Appliance with integrated HAN interface avoids the need for special installation. This leaves only the issue of ensuring reliable HAN communications from the Smart Meter to the appliance (e.g. wrapping the aerial in foil as discussed in the Tamper section). 3.6 Future Availability of Smart Appliances The dedicated load control circuit is well understood and is already available in many jurisdictions. Ripple control systems enable the remote switching of a large number of loads in both NSW and Queensland (and a small number in South Australia). The expansion of these systems to provide more flexible (real time) control of loads might not be possible (especially in NSW where the infrastructure is nearing the end of its economic life). With the Victorian AMI Rollout well underway there is a growing number of meters capable of supporting control of devices via the HAN 3 (the Victorian deployment uses ZigBee). By 2013 in excess of 2million meters will support this option. Demand reduction is an active area of research and development. It is anticipated that in the next years significant advances in the number and type of devices available for load control will occur. The enabler for control of these devices will be communications to the home. Under the NSMP it is anticipated 3 It should be stated that the Victorian AMI Specification does not support the 2A voltage free relays allowed in the SMI F.S. File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 13 of 17

14 that the Smart Meter Communications Network will provide the connectivity, however this is not the only possibility. The announcement of the National Broadband Network (NBN) highlights that other communications links to appliances in the home may become available. There is a move in some jurisdictions to mandate the inclusion of demand reduction for new installations. As an example the Queensland government is considering mandating that all new pool pumps must operate outside peak hours (see Installing the fixed wiring to support load control at the time of construction provides a cost effective means of growing the capacity of demand reduction within consumers premises, As part of President Obama s stimulus package funding has been provided to a number of appliance manufacturers to assist them in the development of smart appliances capable of being controlled via the HAN. An update will be provided as more information becomes available. As outlined in Section 0 there is currently no requirement to provide appliances with the AS4755 standard. Despite this some air-conditioner manufacturers are offering solutions with the capability. It is also highlighted that many large ducted air-conditioners are compatible with Programming Communicating Thermostats which are being developed in overseas markets to provide load control via the HAN. 4 Recommendations Under its terms of reference the NSSC is to prepare a guidelines paper for MCE describing how the recommended national minimum functionality requirements for smart metering infrastructure (SMI F.S.) will support direct load control in priority consumer appliances. The recommended minimum SMI functionality is to be developed in collaboration with the Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Committee of the National Framework for Energy Efficiency and Standards Australia. The BRWG has reviewed the proposed Australian Standard AS4755 intended to offer an interface on priority appliances enabling a controller to adjust the demand of the device. This interface standard describes four load control commands for an appliance (e.g. an air conditioner) which are: Turn on, Run at 50% capacity, Run at 75% capacity or Turn off. In the AS4755 standard the 50% and 75% modes are optional. The NSSC notes that currently AS 4755 (specifically Part.3.1) is not mandatory. There is a proposal to mandate the inclusion of AS4755 into all air conditioners sold in Australia after October The Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Committee has commissioned a regulation impact assessment (RIA) on the proposed mandate which is expected to be released for public consultation by mid Discussions with representatives from both the E3 Committee and Standards Australia lead the NSSC to understand that the AS4755 standard will eventually consist of separate standards for swimming pool pump controllers and electric, solar-electric and heat pump water heaters. The NSSC wishes to advise the MCE that the recommended minimum SMI functionality will support direct load control in priority appliances either by turning power to an appliance off and on or via a direct connection to the AS4755 interface. There will be three methods available for the connection of consumer appliances for direct load control via a smart meter: Via a Dedicated Load Control Circuit (an optional feature in the SMI F.S. that allows one appliance to be controlled by running a wire from the smart meter to the appliance) Via a voltage free relay (optional feature in SMI F.S. that allows one appliance to be controlled by running a wire from the smart meter to the appliance) Via the Home Area Network (HAN) (mandatory capability in SMI F.S. that will allow more than one appliance to be controlled via the home area network established by the smart meter) The dedicated load control circuit and voltage free relay option will provide a cost effective option for legacy load control appliances (predominantly hot water heaters) to be transferred from existing ripple File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 14 of 17

15 control and time switches to smart meters. Connection of existing devices can be achieved during the smart meter installation without the need for further site visits. The HAN is expected to provide a cost effective mechanism for direct load control for a wide range of new consumer appliances that are not currently suitable for direct load control. The NSSC notes that a recommendation to MCE on a HAN Interface Standard will be made in May File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 15 of 17

16 Appendix A Glossary The following acronyms are in the NSMP Glossary. ACOSS AEMC AEMO AER AMI AS B2B BPRG BPPWG BRDRG BRWG CATS COAG DNSP DRET EEEC ENA ERAA ESC FRC FRMP HAN IEC IHD LNSP MCE MDA MDF MDFF MOU MRG MSATS MTWG NCRE Australian Council of Social Services Australian Energy Market Commission Australian Energy Market Operator Australian Energy Regulator Advanced Metering Infrastructure (Victorian smart metering program) Australian Standard Business to Business B2B Procedures Reference Group (established under the IEC) Business Processes and Procedures Working Group (established under the NSSC) Business Requirements Definition Reference Group (established under the AMI program) Business Requirements Working Group (established under the NSSC) Consumer Administration and Transfer Solution Council of Australian Governments Distribution Network Service Provider Commonwealth Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism (also referred to as RET) Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Committee Energy Networks Association Energy Retailers Association of Australia Essential Services Commission Full Retail Contestability Financially Responsible Market Participant Home Area Network Information Exchange Committee (established under section 7.2A.2 of the Rules) In-home Display Local Network Service Provider Ministerial Council on Energy (established under the COAG) Metering Data Agent Metering Data File Metering Data File Format Memorandum of Understanding Metrology Reference Group (established under the RMEC) Market Settlement and Transfer Solution Metering Technology Working Group (established under the AMI program) National Consumer Roundtable on Energy File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 16 of 17

17 NECF NEL NEM NEMMCO NEO NER NSMP NSSC NT OMRV PDRG PwC PTWG RET RIS RFP RMEC RP RPWG RWG SCO SM SMCN SME SMI SMMS SMWG SWIS TFWG TOR TRWG WA WAIMO WEM WIGS WG National Energy Consumer Framework National Electricity Law National Electricity Market which excludes Western Australia and Northern Territory National Electricity Market Management Company National Electricity Objective (as set out in section 7 of the NEL) National Electricity Rules National Smart Metering Program National Stakeholder Steering Committee (National Smart Metering Program) Northern Territory Operating Model Requirements Version (Victorian AMI Program) Business Process & Data Reference Group (established under the RMEC) PricewaterhouseCoopers Pilots and Trials Working Group (established under the NSSC) Commonwealth Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism Regulatory Impact Statement Request for Proposal Retail Market Executive Committee (an advisory committee to AEMO) Responsible Person Retail Policy Working Group (established under the MCE) Regulation Working Group (established under the NSSC) Standing Council of Officials (as established under the MCE) Smart Metering Smart Metering Communication Network Subject Matter Expert Smart Metering Infrastructure Smart Metering Management System Smart Metering Working Group (established under the SCO) South Western Interconnected System in Western Australia Testing Framework Reference Group Terms of Reference Technical and Regulatory Working Group (established under the AMI Program) Western Australia Western Australian Independent Market Operator Wholesale Electricity Market (Western Australia) Wholesale Inter-connector Generator and Sample Working Group File Name: NSMP Direct Load Control Priority Appliances v1.0.doc Page 17 of 17