Millions of energy users in the north-west of England will get a better service after a deal between utility Electricity North West and UK energy tech company Procode.

The agreement, which runs for at least five years, will see the Electricity North West smart meter estate migrated to Procode’s IDA intelligent data adapter, starting in November.

Created by teams in Procode’s Smart Innovation Superhub near Southampton, the resilient IDA will provide Electricity North West with a comprehensive overview of its smart meter estate. It will also let the power network operator respond better during outages by checking the energisation of homes remotely, improving customer service. The IDA (procode.technology/technology/intelligent-data-adapter) has the capacity to process thousands of messages per second, so will help Electricity North West better respond during storms and prioritise where supply should be restored.

The partnership marks a milestone in the sector’s move to a more secure, cloud-based infrastructure and the first time ENW has adopted software-as-a-service (SaaS) for its smart infrastructure. It also underlines Procode’s emergence as a driver of technological innovation among distribution network operators.

“The partnership is an exciting next step for Procode as we build on our reputation for smart energy tech and expand into new markets and new geographies,” said Ian Burgess, managing director of Procode (procode.technology). “We are delighted to be working with Electricity North West to provide even better levels of customer service and maintain their position as a leader in the adoption of cutting-edge tech.”

Paul Killilea, Electricity North West (www.enwl.co.uk) director, added: “We are the most digitised distribution network operator. We adopt digital processes to make us more efficient and improve customer service. Procode’s IDA gives us a state-of-the art communication gateway with smart meters that allows us to deliver improved services for customers when managing power outages and making investment decisions supporting low carbon technologies such as electric vehicles and solar panels.”