> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nomos.energy/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Smart Meter Installation Partnerships

> Order smart meters (iMSys) for your customers on a predictable timeline through Nomos's wMSB partnerships, the precondition for dynamic pricing, §14a savings, and HEMS integrations.

A smart meter (an *intelligentes Messsystem*, or iMSys) is the precondition for almost every product you can offer beyond a flat-rate tariff. Getting one is the bottleneck: the grundzuständige Messstellenbetreiber (gMSB) is obliged to roll out to the §29 MsbG mandatory cohort first; for everyone else, going through a wettbewerblicher Messstellenbetreiber (wMSB) is the only path with a predictable timeline. Through Nomos's wMSB partnerships, your customers (mandatory cohort or not) reach an installed iMSys at a target lead time of around eight weeks.

## What a smart meter unlocks

* **Dynamic pricing.** The customer pays the actual hourly wholesale price they consumed at, not a smoothed annual average.
* **§14a EnWG savings.** Heat pumps and wallboxes can claim Module 1, 2, or 3. The VNB only meters and dims a controllable load if there's an iMSys behind it.
* **HEMS and EV-charger optimisation.** Live 15-minute consumption data instead of monthly estimates.
* **Hands-off readings.** The meter reports automatically; your ops team stops chasing customers for annual self-readings.

## How to order

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enable the smart-meter product on your plan">
    Ask Nomos support to enable a smart-meter product on the plan you'll be
    selling.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Order at checkout, or after the subscription exists">
    During checkout, include `{ type: "smart-meter" }` in the
    `product_orders` array on
    [Create a subscription](/api-reference/subscriptions/create-a-subscription).
    For an existing subscription, call
    [Create a smart meter order](/api-reference/smart-meter-orders/create-a-smart-meter-order)
    with the subscription ID in the body.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Track status">
    Poll
    [List smart meter orders](/api-reference/smart-meter-orders/list-smart-meter-orders)
    or [Retrieve a smart meter order](/api-reference/smart-meter-orders/retrieve-a-smart-meter-order)
    until the order reaches `activated`. Daily polling is plenty; meter
    orders move on the timescale of weeks.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  A heat-pump customer typically wants both: a smart meter to enable dynamic
  billing, and §14a Module 1 for the reduced grid fee. You can include both
  entries in a single `product_orders` array. See [§14a grid fee
  reductions](/guides/grid-fee-reductions).
</Tip>

Customers can also place the order from the [hosted customer portal](/guides/hosted-customer-portal), and your team can place one from the [dashboard](https://dashboard.nomos.energy). Both call the same endpoint under the hood.

## Status lifecycle

The happy path is `created → placed → check_submitted → check_reviewed → scheduled → installed → activated`. Once the order reaches `activated`, dynamic prices are real and you can start showing them to the customer.

* `created`: Order accepted; metering details are being collected before the order goes to the wMSB.
* `placed`: Order is with the wMSB partner.
* `check_submitted`: The smart meter check for the location has been submitted.
* `check_reviewed`: The wMSB has reviewed the check and confirmed they will install.
* `scheduled`: An installation appointment is set; `appointment_at` carries the date.
* `installed`: The meter is in place; `installed_at` carries the timestamp.
* `activated`: The meter is live and reporting; dynamic pricing and automatic readings are now possible.
* `cancelled`: Terminal. `cancelled_reason` tells you whether a smart meter was already present (`pre_existing`) or the order was cancelled on request (`customer_request`).

A temporarily blocked order keeps reporting the milestone it is parked on; `blocked_at` and `blocked_reason` explain why it is not progressing.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How long does installation take?">
    Around eight weeks end to end through a Nomos wMSB partner, though it
    depends on the customer's region, meter access, and the wMSB's local
    capacity.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I retry a cancelled order?">
    Not directly. A subscription can have at most one meter order ever; once
    `cancelled`, a second `POST /meter-orders` returns `409 CONFLICT`. Email
    [support@nomos.energy](mailto:support@nomos.energy) to retry.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are there webhooks for meter orders?">
    See [Smart Meter Order webhooks](/webhooks/events/meter_order-created) for
    the full set of events emitted as an order moves through its lifecycle.
    Daily polling on the list endpoint remains fine as a fallback; meter orders
    move on the timescale of weeks.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if the customer already has a smart meter?">
    No new installation is needed. The order reports `cancelled` with
    `cancelled_reason` set to `pre_existing`, and moves to `activated` once the
    existing meter is registered to the new contract.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>