Sponsors (2)
The bill broadens consumer, developer, and state access to standardized energy data—boosting competition, bill management, and grid programs—but shifts costs, compliance burdens, and heightened privacy/security risks onto utilities, manufacturers, ratepayers, and smaller/rural providers unless funding and safeguards keep pace.
Middle-class families, low-income individuals, and small businesses gain electronic, machine-readable access to 24 months of billing and near‑real‑time meter data and can authorize third‑party energy apps, improving ability to track and reduce energy bills and use competitive energy‑management tools.
Utilities, device makers, and app developers benefit from clearer technical definitions and interoperable standards (e.g., Green Button), reducing legal uncertainty and making data exchange and third‑party integration easier.
State energy offices and regulators get harmonized terms and DOE certification pathways plus potential federal assistance to implement data‑access programs, lowering state implementation costs and improving coordination.
Middle-class families and low‑income households face increased privacy and security risks if deployments or enforcement are weak, potentially exposing household usage patterns and program‑eligibility data.
Utilities, meter manufacturers, and software providers will incur upfront compliance and upgrade costs (meters, IT systems, certification) that may be passed through to ratepayers or taxpayers.
Smaller utilities and rural communities may struggle to meet availability and certification requirements (e.g., 99% availability), creating disproportionate compliance burdens and slower rollout in those areas.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Requires DOE and FERC to issue model standards so consumers and their designees can access retail electric and natural gas usage and billing data; adds state-plan duties to promote digital energy-management competition.
Official title: Promote competition in the area of digital energy management tools, enhance consumer access to electric energy and natural gas information, allow for the development and adoption of innovative products and services to help consumers, organizations, and governments manage their energy usage and improve electric grid reliability, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 26, 2026 by Peter Welch · Last progress February 26, 2026
Requires the Department of Energy and FERC to create model standards and policies so electric and natural gas consumers (and authorized third parties) can access detailed, retail-level energy and gas usage, billing, and customer information. It also amends state energy plan rules to require programs that promote competition in digital energy-management tools and increase consumer access to utility meter and billing data to support energy-efficiency and demand-response services.