Date: 19 February 2026 10:00-11:30 GMT

Location: Online

Co-Chairs: Charlotte Hillenbrand (IB1), Alex Hughes (Portsmouth Water), Andy Johnston (Scottish Water) 

Secretariat: Icebreaker One 

Meeting Aims

1. Review the feasibility of the Q2 outcomes 
2. Prioritise Q2 use cases

Summary

• It was agreed that:
  • Breakout group outputs indicate that initial focus is expected to fall on Water Situation Reports and Smart Metering use cases.
  • Recruitment for the next Change Champion cohort will begin in Q2, adopting the new six month model.
• It was noted that:
  • Alignment on Stream’s long‑term ambition to 2030 will require a clearer narrative and a shared understanding of data‑maturity expectations.
  • There is a need for earlier visibility of future expectations, including DEFRA’s emerging monitoring direction, and Stream could provide a coordinated route for this.
  • Q2 planning includes further development of CReDO, water‑efficiency workshops, and refreshed ecosystem communications
    • Use case and dataset activities will require higher member engagement than ecosystem‑level work.
• It was discussed that:
  • Water Situation Reports present a clear opportunity to move from PDF‑based reporting to consistent, reusable datasets aligned with EA‑sourced information.
  • Smart Metering requires alignment on core data items and consideration of processing‑scale challenges, reflecting varied rollout maturity across companies.
  • DWMP, WRMP and WINEP remain important but carry higher complexity due to predefined reporting formats and the need to reconcile published plans with underlying datasets.
  • Members emphasised ensuring new datasets are interoperable and sensitive to internal organisational capacity and timelines.

Next meeting: Thursday 2 April 2026 10:00-11:30 GMT

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat. 

These are confidential to the Advisory Group Members.

Date: 30 September 2025 14:30-16:00 BST

Location: In person and online

Co-Chairs: Sara Vaughan & Gavin Starks

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting Aims 

1. Introduction to the Cunliffe Review in preparation for aligning on responses in the next meeting 
2. Conduct vote to endorse setting up Data Standards Water Quality Monitoring 
3. Conduct vote to confirm endorsement by members of the Innovate UK bid 

Summary:

• It was noted that:
  • Elexon is progressing the Smart Meter Data Repository, coordinating with RECCo on its work on consumer consent alignment, with differing timelines expected for delivery.
  • DESNZ and Ofgem are expected to publish a vision document in Q1 2025. A question remains around how much it integrates and is influenced by the ongoing work in Open Energy.
  • The joint SIF bid with Arup, SSE, and NGED aims to develop a core use case that improves LAEP data sharing for high energy demand users, with a methodology to develop data schemes compatible with any trust framework.
• It was discussed that selecting and progressing specific use cases is necessary to test and shape the overall architecture, inform technical and legal standards, and support regulatory alignment, mirroring the iterative approach taken in Open Banking.
• It was discussed that while there is significant activity underway across the sector, there remains a degree of caution as to whether this activity is delivering tangible outcomes. This caution stems from several factors:
  • That current efforts require greater coordination and orchestration across the various market actors and initiatives to ensure alignment and avoid duplication. There is a need for an “orchestration layer”.
  • There is a question around who the delivery agents are, and how delivery can be ensured.
  • There is a need for clearer prioritisation and a stronger demonstration of commercial value.
  • There is a question around who is the master arbiter, who takes the ultimate decisions, e.g. on questions of definition?
• It was noted that the goals for Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 have been set, including:
  • A webinar addressing language challenges that is scheduled on 23rd October from 2-3pm
  • Two SIF bids to be submitted in early Q1 2025: ‘SIF ADA’ and ‘Market Architecture’
• It was discussed that key implementation decisions over the next 6-12 months will significantly shape the future architecture of the UK energy data ecosystem.