Mandatory smart gas meters: what changes for businesses and households in 2026

Key data

If you have a commercial premises, an industrial facility or simply pay a gas bill at your company, this regulation affects you directly. The Order TED/1122/2026, in force since October 27, 2026, requires replacing millions of analog gas meters with smart equipment featuring remote reading, remote shutoff and user access to daily consumption data.

The measure partially transposes Directive (EU) 2024/1788 and is justified by an updated cost-benefit analysis using energy prices following the invasion of Ukraine, which has significantly improved the profitability of the massive deployment of these devices.

What does this regulation establish?

Order TED/1122/2026 approves the mandatory implementation plan for smart meters in the natural gas network and sets the minimum specifications that these devices must meet. The key points are:

• Mandatory replacement: Conventional analog meters of consumers with annual consumption equal to or less than 50,000 kWh will be replaced with smart meters.
• Required minimum functionalities: bidirectional remote reading, fraud detection, remote supply shutoff and consumer access to daily consumption data.
• Calendar with intermediate milestones: Gas distributors must execute the deployment according to an already established calendar with intermediate compliance milestones.
• Extension to industrial and commercial: The remote metering obligation is extended to industrial and commercial consumers connected to pipelines up to 60 bar.
• Installation responsibility: Gas distributors assume installation and associated deployment costs.
• Regulatory transposition: Partially transposes Directive (EU) 2024/1788 on the internal market for natural gas.

Economic and operational impact

For gas distributors, this order represents a significant investment: they must finance and execute the massive replacement of meters at millions of supply points, respecting the calendar with intermediate milestones set by the regulation. Failure to meet these milestones could compromise their regulatory position.

For consuming companies (shops, industries, offices), the operational impact is twofold:

• They do not assume the direct cost of installing the new meter, which falls on the distributor.
• They must manage access to new daily consumption data, which opens the door to more precise energy management and detection of inefficiencies.
• Industrial and commercial consumers connected to pipelines up to 60 bar are additionally subject to the remote metering obligation.

For households and small businesses, the change is transparent in terms of cost, but means that the distributor will have access to real-time consumption data and can execute remote shutoffs, which modifies the relationship with the supplier.

The cost-benefit analysis supporting the regulation was updated with energy prices following the invasion of Ukraine, which improved the profitability of the deployment and justified the mandatory nature compared to earlier voluntary implementation models.

Who does it affect?

• Domestic natural gas consumers: all households with annual consumption equal to or less than 50,000 kWh will receive a new smart meter.
• Businesses and shops with gas supply: premises, offices, restaurants and any business with annual consumption equal to or less than 50,000 kWh.
• Industrial and commercial consumers: those connected to pipelines up to 60 bar are required to install remote metering, regardless of their annual consumption level.
• Natural gas distributors: they are the main parties obligated by the regulation; they must plan, finance and execute the deployment according to the regulatory calendar.
• Energy consumption data managers: the massive generation of daily consumption data affects the information systems of distributors and retailers.

Practical example

Imagine a restaurant chain with 15 locations distributed across several cities, each with an analog gas meter and annual consumption per location between 20,000 and 45,000 kWh. Since all are below the 50,000 kWh/year threshold, all 15 locations fall within the scope of Order TED/1122/2026.

The gas distributor must replace the 15 analog meters with smart equipment at no direct cost to the chain. Once installed, the operations manager can access daily consumption data for each location, identify which ones consume more during low-activity time slots and detect possible leaks or inefficiencies. If any of the locations is connected to a network up to 60 bar, it will additionally be subject to the industrial remote metering obligation.

The immediate impact for the company is not cost, but energy data management: it is advisable to designate someone responsible for monitoring this information and leveraging it to reduce the bill.

What should companies do now?

1. Verify the annual gas consumption of each supply point: if it is equal to or less than 50,000 kWh/year, that point falls within the scope of the regulation and will receive a smart meter.
2. Identify if any installation is connected to pipelines up to 60 bar: in that case, the remote metering obligation applies regardless of consumption level.
3. Contact the gas distributor: confirm the planned schedule for meter replacement at each supply point and coordinate access to the facilities.
4. Prepare internal systems to manage daily consumption data: the new meter generates information that can be integrated into energy management tools to reduce costs.
5. Review contracts with retailers: the availability of real-time data can open the door to indexed rates or more efficient energy products.
6. Designate an internal follow-up manager: someone to monitor the progress of the deployment and manage the relationship with the distributor during the replacement process.

Official source

View complete regulation at official source

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-22515