{
  "id": 17839845,
  "title": "Control of Britain’s 39m smart meters passes to non-profit startup",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/control-of-britains-39m-smart-meters-passes-to-non-profit-startup",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-02T18:13:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Business",
    "slug": "guardian-business",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/nov/02/control-of-britains-39m-smart-meters-passes-to-non-profit-startup"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Control of Britain's 39 million smart meters has transferred to a non-profit organization following the termination of Smart DCC, a Capita subsidiary's 13-year license. Smart DCC, owned by the struggling outsourcing firm Capita, had overseen the creation of the first smart meter data network, plagued by costly delays and billing issues. The network, connecting the meters to millions of households, was reliant on a secure and resilient infrastructure. The takeover marks a shift from a commercial framework to a not-for-profit public-interest model, focusing on cost, transparency, and customer needs. The new operator, Smart Energy Code Company (SECCo), will take over management, with a board comprising industry veterans and Dame Gillian Guy, former chief executive of Citizens Advice. The rollout of smart meters, initially targeted for completion by 2020, has faced significant challenges, with three in 10 households still lacking a meter and an additional £1.7 billion needed to complete the project. The new system is expected to build upon the foundation laid by Smart DCC.",
  "summary": "The handover marks the end of a 13-year licence for Smart DCC, a subsidiary of Capita, after years of spiralling costs and delays Control over Great Britain’s 39m smart meters has passed to a non-profit startup after its former owner presided over more than a decade of spiralling costs and delays in the troubled network. The company owned by crisis-hit outsourcing firm Capita has promised a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}