London, UK – 14 April, 2026: DLMS User Association (DLMS UA), a leading voice in interoperable and secure data exchange and the OpenADR Alliance, an open standards body, today announced a global liaison agreement to promote interoperable, standards-based energy data exchange at the grid edge. This agreement will support seamless data exchange between the widely trusted and adopted DLMS/COSEM standard for secure smart meter data exchange, and OpenADR’s secure, two-way signalling for demand response and distributed energy resources (DER), and flexibility services.

As utilities modernise their grid operations and scale DER and energy flexibility programs, clearly defined interfaces between regulated utility infrastructure and dynamic home and building energy management environments are becoming essential. By connecting a standardised data model with standardised flexibility signalling, this liaison provides a foundation for scalable, interoperable implementations while preserving architectural flexibility and market choice.

With the new agreement, DLMS UA and OpenADR can exchange technical information, review and comment on draft work, set-up ad-hoc technical task forces, and co-ordinate technical activities that advance practical, interoperable, standards-based solutions for flexibility services and consumer energy insights. Both organisations will remain independently governed, preserving their respective programs and certification schemes.

“This marks an important step toward strengthening interoperability at the grid edge,” comments Sergio Lazzarotto, President of the DLMS User Association. “DLMS/COSEM provides a robust, internationally recognised data model for smart metering. By establishing a clear and standardised mapping with OpenADR, we are defining a practical interface between revenue grade metering and flexibility markets. This will enable scalable, future-ready solutions while maintaining the rigour required for regulated and metrologically relevant applications.”

Rolf Bienert, Managing and Technical Director of the OpenADR Alliance, adds: “For the first time, this liaison will create a clear bridging option between smart metering systems and customer-owned flexibility resources. OpenADR strives to keep the customer in charge of the equipment they own and have paid for. We do however recognise the need to incorporate systems with larger consumption into a tighter control mechanism. Bridging DLMS and OpenADR strikes an excellent middle way to achieve both objectives.”

Under the agreement, DLMS UA and the OpenADR Alliance will focus on targeted work areas, including technical mapping, international standardisation pathways, certification co-ordination and practical solutions for industry adoption. Key areas will include:

  •  Developing a structured mapping between the COSEM and OpenADR data models to ensure consistent interpretation of relevant information across the utility-to-edge interface.
  •  Working towards the creation of one or several working group(s) within international standards development organisation (SDO) to publish and maintain the standardised mapping.
  •  Assessing the potential benefits of transporting DLMS/COSEM over OpenADR, including use cases involving data with metrological relevance.
  •  Co-ordinating certification processes, where appropriate, while ensuring that each organisation continues to manage its own certification programs independently.

About OpenADR Alliance

The OpenADR Alliance, a non-profit corporation created to foster the development, adoption, and compliance of OpenADR and related standards for flexibility, helps utilities manage the growing pool of distributed energy resources (DER), which includes renewable energy, energy storage, demand response and electric vehicle charging. The OpenADR standard supports communications to all DER resources to manage changes in load shape, energy inputs and power characteristics of DER assets. The EcoPort standard additionally enables smart appliances to be connected. More information can be found at http://www.openadr.org/

For more details, please contact:

Amanda Hassall, Origin Comms (PR for OpenADR Alliance); E: [email protected] or [email protected]; T: +44 (0) 7855 359889

About DLMS User Association

DLMS User Association is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to standardizing data models and formats for telecommunication-agnostic data exchange in energy and water sectors. DLMS UA develops and maintains the DLMS specifications – a globally recognized suite that defines the DLMS/COSEM data model, format and application layer, enabling secure and interoperable data exchange across energy and water metering and management systems. DLMS/COSEM is the only standardized, interoperable, evolutive, legally relevant data model, used in over 300 million devices worldwide and supported by a robust certification program.

For more information visit: https://www.dlms.com/ or follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dlms-user-association/