Balancing benefits of consumer access to their own consumption data with the costs anticipated by the various approaches was stressed by UTC comments filed in DOE’s request for information on data access, third party use, and privacy. UTC noted that the innovative deployment by energy utilities of smart meters and smart control systems will create a smart energy grid that will unlock the value of what has been called the Energy Information Economy. Smart energy grids will create an environment in which consumers will have greater abilities to manage their own energy usage and utilities will have new tools to affect grid-wide energy efficiencies never before possible. The key to all this is data. How to provide secure access to it for customers and their agents is the crux of this RFI’s questions and the focus of UTC’s responses. Read more »

(Washington, DC) Consumer privacy and access to consumption data are two key components to ensuring continued consumer support for smart grid deployments, participants said today during the Department of Energy's (DOE) Roundtable discussion on its Privacy and Data Access Request for Information (RFI). A group representing utilities, technology vendors and consumer advocates responded to a wide range of questions from DOE General Counsel, Scott Blake Harris. The bottom line consensus among the participants is that ensuring the privacy and security of consumer data is essential to consumer acceptance of the smart grid. Read more »