DH-400 Connection and disconnection processes
From the perspective of the Datahub, connections and disconnections are changes in the status of an accounting point, which are reported separately during agreement processes and during delivery, in connection with parties’ collection processes or modification work at the accounting point. Datahub forwards the supplier’s requests for status changes of the accounting point to the distribution system operator, and the DSO’s confirmation of the status change back to the supplier.
The deadlines for connection and disconnection requests depend on the overall process in which the action is performed. When a connection or disconnection occurs as part of a move-in or move-out process, no separate request is made. Instead, the DSO connects or disconnects the electricity at the accounting point as needed at the end of the agreement process, and the information exchange deadlines follow those of the agreement process. Therefore, for example, in move-in situations, it may be possible under certain conditions to get a same-day connection (more details in the agreement process description). The reconnection procedure varies by DSO. A connection request must always include a contact person and a phone number to ensure a safe connection.
The supplier must submit disconnection requests related to collection processes at least one week before the desired date. If the customer pays the overdue invoice, reconnection should be done as quickly as possible for good customer service. If the customer pays before the requested disconnection date, the disconnection request must be cancelled with a separate cancellation notification. If the customer pays on the requested disconnection date, the supplier must submit a connection request for the accounting point. This is because the DSO may not be able to cancel the disconnection on the same day for which it is scheduled. Datahub forwards the supplier’s connection request in real time to the DSO, who processes it according to its internal procedures. If the DSO is still able to cancel the disconnection based on the connection request, the DSO must respond to the original disconnection request with a disconnection notification indicating the status as ‘connected’. Additionally, the DSO must respond to the connection request. Otherwise the DSO must report the completed disconnection according to the standard process. This ensures that the original disconnection request is fully processed in all cases and that Datahub does not remain waiting for a disconnection notification if the disconnection is not carried out.
The DSO must not reconnect an accounting point before receiving a connection request from the supplier if the disconnection was made at the supplier’s request. If the supplier needs to inform the DSO that electricity must not be reconnected at a previously disconnected metering point, the supplier must submit a new disconnection request. The DSO must respond with a new disconnection notification for the actual disconnection date, even if it had already reported the disconnection to Datahub earlier for its own purposes.
When a DSO uses a connection or disconnection notification to change the status of an accounting point under construction to connected or disconnected, it must first update the accounting point’s attributes if any required information is missing. Datahub does not allow connection or disconnection if a mandatory attribute is missing.
As a rule, the DSO must report a completed connection or disconnection as soon as the information is available in its system, just like any other accounting point information update. If the action is performed manually, there may be a delay in updating the information in the DSO’s system and thus in Datahub. A delay of up to one week is allowed. Delays longer than one week in responding to connection or disconnection requests will be monitored by the Datahub operator. Connection and disconnection requests are not validated based on the current status in Datahub, as it may be temporarily incorrect due to this delay. The supplier can always send connection or disconnection requests based on the status in Datahub. The DSO has the correct status and can process the supplier’s requests accordingly. For example, if a supplier requests a disconnection due to collection, and the DSO manually disconnects the electricity in the morning, the customer may pay the invoice immediately after the power is cut. However, the supplier cannot see the correct status in Datahub because the DSO has not yet updated its system. Even if Datahub shows the status as ‘connected’, the supplier can still send a connection request, which the DSO can forward to a technician.
If the DSO cannot or does not want to connect the metering point as requested by the supplier, it must report the delay using a connection delay event no later than the next business day after the requested connection or disconnection date. Longer delays will be monitored by the Datahub operator. The reason for the delay can be included in the event description. If necessary, the delay notification can be sent multiple times. If the DSO cannot perform the disconnection on the requested date, the electricity delivered to the metering point must be included in the DSO’s balance. The DSO must notify the supplier of the delay via Datahub. If needed, the supplier can submit a new connection request with a new date, which cancels the previous one. Electricity delivery is again included in the supplier’s balance from the moment the DSO reconnects the metering point based on the supplier’s request. If the connection is reported late and outside the balance window, the consumed electricity is counted as losses in the metering grid area. The DSO may not always be able to estimate the correct date for the connection or disconnection. The DSO can report delays multiple times using the same event type.
For urgent connections or disconnections outside working hours or without remote control, the DSO usually charges a fee. The DSO bills either the supplier or the customer, depending on who requested the action. DSOs’ price lists are compiled in a standardized table in the Datahub service portal, allowing the supplier to inform the customer about potential costs. These situations often relate to move-in processes with tight schedules. With the DSO’s price list, it is easier to agree on the contract start date with the customer and inform them of any additional costs.
During delivery, the customer may also need a disconnection or connection, for example, during renovations. In such cases, the customer must contact the DSO. If the DSO is decommissioning an accounting point, it may be necessary to report the disconnection before the actual decommissioning. Once the disconnection is reported, the DSO can then report the status as ‘decommissioned’ by updating the accounting point information.
If disconnecting an accounting point also affects a production accounting point located at the same physical location, the DSO must report the disconnection for both accounting points.
The supplier can cancel a submitted connection request using a separate cancellation event.
Agreement handling in connection processes
New agreements can be made for an accounting point as soon as the accounting point information exists in Datahub. If a new sales and grid agreement is made for the accounting point when it is still in the ‘under construction’ state, but delivery cannot be started on the start date of the agreements, agreement start dates and the actual connection date differ from each other. In these cases, the accounting point connection notified by the DSO automatically changes the start dates of the sales and grid agreements valid on the connection date to correspond to the connection date in Datahub.
Datahub updates validities for sales and grid agreements involved in connection processes not only for new accounting points, but also for accounting points that have been set to the ‘under construction’ state at a later point, e.g., accounting points under maintenance or renovation, or accounting points that are without an agreement for a part of the year, such as market places or summer houses. The condition for when the agreement start date gets updated is that the agreement valid at the connection time begins during the period when the accounting point is ‘under construction’ and does not directly continue a previous agreement starting before the ‘under construction’ period. If the agreement has started before the accounting point went “under construction” or starts during the ‘under construction’ period and continues directly from a previous agreement or agreements that started before the ‘under construction’ period, the start date is not updated together with the connection. The agreement start reason does not matter, meaning that the same rules apply for move-ins and supplier and agreement changes. Different scenarios are described in the examples below.
If the connection changes the agreement start dates of the agreements on the accounting point, the supplier and DSO are notified of the new agreement start dates with notifications sent by Datahub. Based on the notifications, the supplier and DSO must update the agreement start dates to the connection date in their own systems. Agreement start date updates made by a market party in this case must not trigger any updates to Datahub. If no changes to agreement start dates are wanted in cases where Datahub would otherwise perform updates together with connection as described above, the accounting point must first be changed from the ‘under construction’ state to the ‘disconnected’ state and then be connected.
If another agreement exists before the updated agreement that would remain valid only during the accounting point’s ‘under construction’ period, Datahub cancels the previous agreement automatically and notifies the market party (supplier or DSO) about the cancellation by email (as described in the figure 3).
If the connection changes the validity period of an agreement on the accounting point, the validity period of any authorizations based on the validity of the agreement also changes accordingly.
Figures 1–2: The agreement valid at the connection time starts when the accounting point state is ‘under construction’ (new accounting point or old accounting point without agreement), in which case the agreement start date is updated to correspond to the connection date.
Figure 3: The agreement valid at the connection time starts when the accounting point is ‘under construction’, continuing an agreement that has also started during the ‘under construction’ period (new accounting point or old accounting point without agreement). The start date of the agreement valid at the connection time is updated to correspond to the connection date. The agreement valid only during the ‘under construction’ period is cancelled automatically and Datahub notifies the market party (supplier or DSO) about the agreement cancellation by email.
Figures 4–5: The agreement valid at the connection time has started before the accounting point is ‘under construction’ (old accounting point ‘under construction’, e.g., due to renovation), in which case the agreement start date is not updated together with the connection.
Figure 6: The agreement valid at the connection time starts during the time that the accounting point is ‘under construction’, directly continuing a previous agreement that has started before the ‘under construction’ period (old accounting point ‘under construction’, e.g., due to renovation). The agreement start date is not updated together with the connection.
Figure 7: The agreement valid at the connection time starts during the time that the accounting point is ‘under construction’, directly continuing a series of previous agreements that has started before the ‘under construction’ state (old accounting point ‘under construction’, e.g., due to renovation). The agreement start date is not updated together with the connection.
Connection and disconnection events