I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5073 
To enhance consumer access to electricity information and allow for the 
adoption of innovative products and services to help consumers manage 
their energy usage. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 10, 2014 
Mr. WELCH (for himself and Mr. CARTWRIGHT) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To enhance consumer access to electricity information and 
allow for the adoption of innovative products and services 
to help consumers manage their energy usage. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Access to Consumer 
Energy Information Act’’ or the ‘‘E-Access Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF SECRETARY. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec-
retary of Energy. 
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SEC. 3. CONSUMER ACCESS TO ELECTRIC ENERGY INFOR-
MATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall encourage 
and support the adoption of policies that allow electricity 
consumers access to their own electricity data. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY FOR STATE ENERGY PLANS.—Sec-
tion 362(d) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act 
(42 U.S.C. 6322(d)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (16), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 
the semicolon at the end; 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (17) as para-
graph (18); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (16) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(17) programs— 
‘‘(A) to enhance consumer access to and 
understanding of energy usage and price infor-
mation, including consumers’ own residential 
and commercial electricity information; and 
‘‘(B) to allow for the development and 
adoption of innovative products and services to 
assist consumers in managing energy consump-
tion and expenditures; and’’. 
(c) VOLUNTARY GUIDELINES FOR ELECTRIC CON-
SUMER ACCESS.— 
(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
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(A) RETAIL ELECTRIC ENERGY INFORMA-
TION.—The term ‘‘retail electric energy infor-
mation’’ means— 
(i) the electric energy consumption of 
an electric consumer over a defined time 
period; 
(ii) the retail electric energy prices or 
rates applied to the electricity usage for 
the defined time period described in clause 
(i) for the electric consumer; 
(iii) the estimated cost of service by 
the consumer, including (if smart meter 
usage information is available) the esti-
mated cost of service since the last billing 
cycle of the consumer; and 
(iv) in the case of nonresidential elec-
tric meters, any other electrical informa-
tion that the meter is programmed to 
record (such as demand measured in kilo-
watts, voltage, frequency, current, and 
power factor). 
(B) SMART
METER.—The term ‘‘smart 
meter’’ means the device used by an electric 
utility that— 
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(i)(I) measures electric energy con-
sumption by an electric consumer at the 
home or facility of the electric consumer in 
intervals of 1 hour or less; and 
(II) is capable of sending electric en-
ergy usage information through a commu-
nications network to the electric utility; or 
(ii) meets the guidelines issued under 
paragraph (2). 
(2) VOLUNTARY
GUIDELINES
FOR
ELECTRIC 
CONSUMER ACCESS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary 
shall issue voluntary guidelines that establish 
model standards for implementation of retail 
electric energy information access in States. 
(B) CONSULTATION.—Before issuing the 
voluntary guidelines, the Secretary shall— 
(i) consult with— 
(I) State and local regulatory au-
thorities, including the National Asso-
ciation of Regulatory Utility Commis-
sioners; 
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(II) other appropriate Federal 
agencies, including the National Insti-
tute of Standards and Technology; 
(III) consumer and privacy advo-
cacy groups; 
(IV) utilities; 
(V) the National Association of 
State Energy Officials; and 
(VI) other appropriate entities, 
including groups representing com-
mercial and residential building own-
ers and groups that represent demand 
response and electricity data devices 
and services; and 
(ii) provide notice and opportunity for 
comment. 
(C) STATE AND LOCAL REGULATORY AC-
TION.—In issuing the voluntary guidelines, the 
Secretary shall, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, be guided by actions taken by State and 
local regulatory authorities to ensure electric 
consumer access to retail electric energy infor-
mation, including actions taken after consider-
ation of the standard established under section 
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111(d)(17) of the Public Utility Regulatory 
Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2621(d)(17)). 
(D) CONTENTS.— 
(i) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
voluntary 
guidelines shall provide guidance on issues 
necessary to carry out this subsection, in-
cluding— 
(I) the timeliness and specificity 
of retail electric energy information; 
(II) appropriate nationally recog-
nized open standards for data; 
(III) the protection of data secu-
rity and electric consumer privacy, in-
cluding consumer consent require-
ments; and 
(IV) issues relating to access of 
electric energy information for owners 
and managers of multitenant commer-
cial and residential buildings. 
(ii) 
INCLUSIONS.—The 
voluntary 
guidelines shall include guidance that— 
(I) retail electric energy informa-
tion should be made available to elec-
tric consumers (and third-party des-
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ignees of the electric consumers) in 
the United States— 
(aa) in an electronic ma-
chine readable form, without ad-
ditional charge, in conformity 
with standards developed through 
a 
voluntary, 
consensus-based, 
multistakeholder process; 
(bb) in as close to real-time 
as is reasonably practicable; 
(cc) at the level of specificity 
that the data is transmitted by 
the meter or as is reasonably 
practicable; and 
(dd) in a manner that pro-
vides adequate protections for the 
security of the information and 
the privacy of the electric con-
sumer; 
(II) electric utilities should, when 
a smart meter is servicing a con-
sumer, communicate energy usage in-
formation to a device or network of an 
electric consumer or a device or net-
work of a third party authorized by 
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the consumer, and where feasible 
should provide to the consumer or 
third-party designee, at a minimum, 
access to usage information (not in-
cluding price information) of the con-
sumer directly from the smart meter 
in as close to real-time as is reason-
ably practicable; 
(III) retail electric energy infor-
mation should be provided by the elec-
tric utility of the consumer or such 
other entity as may be designated by 
the applicable electric retail regulatory 
authority; 
(IV) retail electric energy infor-
mation of the consumer should be 
made 
available 
to 
the 
consumer 
through a website or other electronic 
access authorized by the electric con-
sumer, for a period of at least 13 
months after the date on which the 
usage occurred; 
(V) consumer access to data, in-
cluding data provided to owners and 
managers of commercial and multi-
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family buildings with multiple tenants, 
should not interfere with or com-
promise the integrity, security, or pri-
vacy of the operations of a utility and 
the electric consumer; 
(VI) electric energy information 
relating to usage information gen-
erated by devices in or on the prop-
erty of the consumer that is trans-
mitted to the electric utility should be 
made available to the electric con-
sumer or the third-party agent des-
ignated by the electric consumer; and 
(VII) the same privacy and secu-
rity requirements applicable to the 
contracting utility should apply to 
third-party agents contracting with a 
utility to process the customer data of 
that utility. 
(E) REVISIONS.—The Secretary shall peri-
odically review and, as necessary, revise the vol-
untary guidelines to reflect changes in tech-
nology, privacy needs, and the market for elec-
tric energy and services. 
(d) VERIFICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—A State may submit to the 
Secretary a description of the data sharing policies 
of the State relating to consumer access to electric 
energy information for certification by the Secretary 
that the policies meet the voluntary guidelines issued 
under subsection (c)(2). 
(2) ASSISTANCE.—Subject to the availability of 
funds under paragraph (3), the Secretary shall make 
Federal amounts available to any State that has 
data sharing policies described in paragraph (1) that 
the Secretary certifies meets the voluntary guidelines 
issued under subsection (c)(2) to assist the State in 
implementing section 362(d)(17) of the Energy Pol-
icy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6322(d)(17)). 
(3) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this subsection $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2015, to 
remain available until expended. 
Æ 
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