This bill, the E-Access Act, sets federal guidance to give electricity and natural gas customers better access to their usage and billing data. The Secretary of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must issue model data-sharing guidelines within 180 days. The guidelines cover things like using the Green Button Connect My Data standard, making data available in machine-readable form, keeping at least 24 months of history, providing data as close to real-time as practical, and protecting consumer privacy and security. The bill defines terms such as grid edge computer, electric meter software platform, retail electric energy information, and retail natural gas information. It also requires regular reviews of the guidance every 3 years and allows states to seek certification that their policies meet the guidance. The bill authorizes $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 to help certified states implement these programs. The Secretary and the Commission must also report within 1 year on the costs and benefits of using individual meter data to settle wholesale electricity markets and include many specific analyses in that report.
If you are an electric or gas customer, the bill aims to make your usage and billing data easier to get and share. You (or someone you choose) could access machine-readable data, see at least 24 months of past usage, and get data as close to real-time as practical. The bill calls for clear consent rules so you can authorize third-party apps or services to get your data. It also says utilities should let customers install and run approved applications on meters, subject to reasonable technical rules, and that privacy and security protections should be used.
The bill authorizes $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 to help states implement certified programs. The bill also requires a report that will estimate other costs and benefits (for example, costs to reprogram meters or to settle markets using meter data). No publicly available information on total federal costs beyond the $10,000,000 is provided in the bill text.
The bill seeks to promote competition for digital energy tools, improve consumer access to energy information, enable new products and services to help manage energy use, and support grid reliability. It directs agencies to use recognized data and privacy standards and to prevent unfair practices by meter software platform owners.
No publicly available information.