Case Study: Department of Energy and Climate Change achieves fast, accurate GB smart meter HAN coverage estimates with Ordnance Survey

Department of Energy and Climate Change - Customer Case Study

DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) needed to predict 868MHz smart meter Home Area Network (HAN) coverage across Great Britain to inform transmitter power decisions and meet an imminent consultation milestone, but lacked detailed data on property sizes and building density. OS supplied spatial datasets under the Public Sector Mapping Agreement — including OS MasterMap Topography Layer, OS MasterMap Building Height Layer and AddressBase Premium — to fill those data gaps and support coverage estimation.

OS delivered a commissioned, tabular spatial dataset that calculated premises dimensions and bands (height, density percentile, multi‑occupancy, building classification, length/area ratios, etc.) and applied propagation-distance filters to model HAN reach at different transmit powers and receiver sensitivities. Using OS’s data, DECC was able to estimate national and local HAN coverage, quantify the benefits of alternative transmitter powers, reach a timely decision on the 868MHz HAN implementation, and avoid many person-months of additional work.

Department of Energy and Climate Change

Kristy Revell

868mhz Solution Lead