SAN RAMON, CA / ACCESS Newswire / April 14, 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 signaling for demand response and distributed energy resources (DER), and flexibility services.
As utilities modernize 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 standardized data model with standardized flexibility signaling, 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 organizations 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 recognized data model for smart metering. By establishing a clear and standardized 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 rigor 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 recognize 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 standardization 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 organization (SDO) to publish and maintain the standardized 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 organization continues to manage its own certification programs independently.
Ends
For more details, please contact:
Lynn Collins, (DLMS User Association)
Email: [email protected]
Amanda Hassall, Origin Comms (PR for OpenADR Alliance)
E: [email protected] or [email protected]
SOURCE: OpenADR Alliance
