Central Management Systems

What is CMS?

CMS, also known as telemanagement, are the next step in remote dynamic street lighting control. Using a CMS, the operator can choose exactly when to switch each individual street light on or off and/or by how much to reduce the lamp power. This allows any number of switching events and/or dimming levels. Currently, only a single dimming level can be accommodated without a CMS. There are also other benefits such as lamp monitoring etc.

Equivalent Meters

An Equivalent Meter is the hardware and software that is used to calculate Half Hourly electricity consumption values associated with Unmetered Apparatus. The specification for an Equivalent Meter is contained within  BSCP520 Unmetered Supplies Registered in SMRS (.pdf, 235Kb) .

Equivalent Meters are of two types:

• Passive Meters – allocate the Unmetered consumption across the half hourly periods by a mathematical relationship of annual burning hours to the daily time of sunrise and sunset; and
• Dynamic Meters – allocate the Unmetered Consumption across the Half Hourly periods by reference to the operation of a number of photoelectric cells (PECU Arrays) or by using actual switching times reported by a Central Management System (CMS). Where the switching times are reported by CMS the Equivalent Meter can be defined to be two distinct parts: the CMS (i.e. the system that is used to report switching times) and the Meter Administrator (MA) System (i.e. the system that is used to calculate the consumption). The definition of the file that is used to transfer data from the CMS System to the MA System is defined in BSCP520.

CMS Capable Equivalent Meters

CMS forms part of the Meter Administrator’s Equivalent Meter. Where the switching times are reported by a CMS, the Equivalent Meter can be defined as two distinct parts: the CMS (i.e. the system that reports switching times and/or power levels) and the Meter Administrator (MA) System (i.e. the system used to calculate the consumption). An Equivalent Meter that can facilitate CMS is called a CMS Capable Equivalent Meter.

An interested party must apply to ELEXON to gain approval for an Equivalent Meter, either for a new CMS or a new CMS Capable Equivalent Meter.

We will provide applicants with a test specification and will agree a test schedule and give expected timescales for the approval process. The testing will be carried out by an ELEXON appointed Equivalent Meter Test Agent (currently ELEXON). This will be agreed between ELEXON and the applicant.

Download the test specification:

Once testing of the system(s) is complete, results will be presented to the Unmetered Supply User Group (UMSUG) for recommendation for approval. The application will then be presented to the Supplier Volume Allocation Group (SVG) for approval.

For a new CMS Capable Equivalent Meter, ELEXON will be required to test the complete system (i.e. MA system and CMS). However, in the case where the CMS and / or the MA system is tested and approved with another CMS / MA system, this will be taken into account in the testing (which may lead to a reduction in testing / no testing required by ELEXON). All new Equivalent Meters must be presented to the SVG for approval, even in the case where the CMS and MA System that they comprise have been approved with other CMS / MA Systems.

Listed below are the currently approved Equivalent Meters. For ease of reference, they are divided into approved Equivalent Meters that include CMS (CMS Capable) and those that do not include CMS (Non-CMS Capable):

 Approved Ballasts for 0-10 volt or Digital Control