Changes to the Retail Energy Code (REC) legal text, that are required to support MHHS implementation, are being delivered under the governance of the Marketwide Half Hourly Settlement (MHHS) Programme. This is alongside the drafting required for other industry codes. This activity is known as MHHS Code Drafting and the REC MHHS Programme has dedicated expert resource leading the associated REC drafting. Code Drafting has been developed and consulted on with industry in tranches, throughout 2023 and 2024.

The Cross Code Advisory Group (CCAG) is the decision-making body, within MHHS Programme governance, that oversees the coordination, consultation and agreement of the Code Drafting. The CCAG is supported by a subgroup – the Code Drafting Working Group (CDWG). The CDWG is open to all industry stakeholders and facilitates discussion on the approach to Code Drafting. REC stakeholders have been encouraged to attend CDWG meetings to highlight any specific queries or comments relating to MHHS code changes that require wider industry discussion.

Where issues have been identified through MHHS consultations that do not relate to the MHHS arrangements, then the REC MHHS team and the REC Code Manager work together to ensure this feedback is collated and considered under REC business as usual activity.

Baselined Code Drafting

The MHHS Code Drafting for the Retail Energy Code, as well as the Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC) and the Distribution, Connection and Use of System Agreement (DCUSA), was approved and baselined at the Cross-Code Advisory Group (CCAG) on 21 August 2024. 

The impacted REC Schedules and documents are listed below:

• Schedule 1 – Interpretations and Definitions
• Schedule 9 – Qualification and Maintenance
• Schedule 12 – Data Access
• Schedule 14 – Metering Operations
• Schedule 15 – Metering Accreditation
• Schedule 19 – Market Exit and Supplier of Last Resort
• Schedule 23 – Registration Services
• Schedule 24 – Switching Data Management
• Schedule 27 – RMP Lifecycle
• Schedule 28 – Related Metering Points
• Schedule 29 – Address Management
• Schedule 30 – Resolution of Consumer Facing Switching and Billing Issues
• New Schedule XX – MHHS Migration
• Consolidated Metering Code of Practice
• EES Service Definition
• EES API Interface Specification
• ERDS Service Definition
• EMDS Standards Definition Document

The Data Specification impacts to Market Messages and Data Items are in the following formats:

• Energy Market Data Specification (BACPAC)
• Energy Market Data Specification (HTML)

These files contain all Market Message and Data Item updates and not just those which are REC-owned. Code Body ownership is clearly indicated for each Scenario Variant and Data Item.

Code documents that are impacted, known as Code Artefacts, and visibility of their development, are available on the Code Artefacts page on the MHHS Programme website. The full set of approved Code Artefacts, including those listed above, are published on the Finalisation of Code Artefacts page of the MHHS website. 

For further information on the wider MHHS Code Drafting activity, including the Code Drafting plan, go to the Code Governance pages on the MHHS Programme website.

What Happens Now?

Ofgem will raise a REC Change Proposal as part of the Significant Code Review (SCR) in September 2024. The progression of that Change Proposal will enable the MHHS Code Drafting text to move from MHHS Programme governance, to Code Body governance. The Change Proposal will follow the REC change process, under a directed timetable as permitted under the SCR governance. Progress of that Change Proposal can be monitored, once raised, via the Change Register.