In July, we reconvened the Steering Group for Open Energy. The Steering Group comprises a wide range of industry leaders and subject matter experts spanning the commercial, regulatory and government landscapes. The Steering Group plays a critical role in Open Energy’s development, providing a sector perspective that ensures that Open Energy is designed for and with the energy industry.

Date: 22 July 2025 11:00-12:30 BST

Location: In person and online

Co-Chairs: Sara Vaughan & Gavin Starks

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims

  1. Highlight an issue which risks slowing down the progress to data sharing and the amount of value it could bring
  2. Alignment on approach and definitions
  3. Alignment on market architecture proposal

Summary:

Definitions, roles and responsibilities in the market around data sharing

  • It was noted that:
    • Inconsistent use of key terms such as “Schemes” and “Trust Frameworks,” have contributed to causing wider confusion across the industry, hindering decision-making and alignment. 
    • Future data sharing frameworks are likely to involve multiple, independently governed trust frameworks, making coordination and interoperability essential.
    • The forthcoming DEZNZ and Ofgem flexibility roadmap and response on Data Schemes are expected to acknowledge sector-wide fragmentation and coordination challenges, and may provide further clarity on roles, responsibilities, and implementation expectations.
  • It was discussed that, while some participants identified the absence of a central coordinating orchestrator as contributing to delays and duplicative costs, others questioned whether such a role is essential, proposing that clearer implementation responsibilities and project-level accountability might be sufficient. However, concerns were still raised around the “grey areas” of overlap or lack of clarity.
    • It was noted that:
      • Coordination is particularly important in the context of any move towards cross-sector as opposed to within sector alignment.
      • There is some apprehension around cross-sector coordination, which could be mitigated by exploring different pilot projects to see where the value drivers, risks and potential funding sources are, ensuring that practical problems are addressed.
  • It was agreed that:
    • Open Energy should explore initiating and/or support sector-wide dialogue to unify terminology and framework design.

The value question: market architecture proposal

  • It was noted that
    • Existing estimates, such as £20bn from the Smart Data Forum and £7bn delivered by Open Banking, suggest significant but potentially understated economic value.
    • There is intra-organisational disjointment, making it even harder to achieve inter-organisational collaboration.
  • It was discussed that:
    • Determining what is pre-competitive infrastructure (e.g. Schemes, Trust Frameworks) versus competitive innovation space, is key to unlocking participation from a wide range of actors.
    • A collectively developed model could help engage government stakeholders and clarify implementation pathways, moving the proposal from conceptual to operational.
  • It was agreed that a credible valuation of a joined up approach to data infrastructure is essential to building momentum, and that both top-down and bottom-up estimation approaches have limitations, and that Open Energy should continue to explore this proposal. 
  • However, it is currently not the right time to proceed with it, instead we should all consider what comes out of the Flexibility Roadmap publication, and the Government response on developing a data scheme in the energy sector (these were both published the day after the SG, on 23 July 2025, along with a Call for Evidence on improving the visibility of Distributed Energy Assets and a Consultation on the best way to engage consumers on consumer led flexibility).