Bill
HR 7741
The act creates a federal framework to give consumers secure, machine-readable access to their energy data and enables third-party access to spur competitive, innovative digital en
Session: 119th Congress | Introduced February 26, 2026 | Jurisdiction: United States
Authors/Sponsors: Rep. Mullin (primary) with Reps. Levin and Casten; co-sponsors include Sean Casten, Mike Levin, Kevin Mullin
Purpose and intent
- The bill aims to promote competition in digital energy management tools, expand consumer access to electric and natural gas information, and enable development and adoption of innovative products and services to help consumers, organizations, and governments manage energy use and improve electric grid reliability.
- It seeks to empower consumers with timely, machine-readable energy data and to establish policy guidance for data access, privacy, and interoperability.
Key provisions and changes
1) Definitions (Section 2)
- Establishes precise terms for the bill, including:
- Commission: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
- Covered wholesale electricity market: markets regulated by FERC
- Electric Consumer, Electric Meter Software Platform, Grid Edge Computer, Grid Edge Consumer Insight
- Electric Utility, Gas Utility, Gas Consumer
- Green Button Connect My Data (GB CMD) standard and Grid Edge concepts
- Retail Electric Energy Information and Retail Natural Gas Information (data elements, including customer info and program eligibility)
- Secretary of Energy; State Energy Office; and related terms
2) Consumer Access to Information (Section 3)
- Amends existing EPCA section 362(d) to add a new program (paras. 18-19) focused on:
- Promoting competition in digital energy management tools
- Enhancing access to electric and natural gas usage and cost information for consumers
- Facilitating development/adoption of innovative energy management products and services
- Increasing adoption of measured, performance-based energy efficiency and demand response programs
3) Guidelines for Data Access (Section 3(b))
- Joint development by the Secretary and the Commission of model data sharing standards and policies within 180 days of enactment.
- Consultation requirements with federal/state/regulatory bodies, privacy advocates, utilities, and stakeholder groups; opportunity for public comment.
- Guidelines to cover:
- How retail electric energy information and retail natural gas information should be made available to consumers or third-party designees
- Timeliness, specificity, and format (machine-readable, open standards)
- Real-time or near-real-time access, historical data (minimum 24 months)
- Data security and privacy protections (reference to DOE DataGuard program)
- Open data standards for data exchange; customer consent processes; terms for third-party designees
- Access terms: nondiscriminatory, reasonable, right to due process, and process for disputes
- Provisions to ensure fair treatment of platform providers and prevent anti-competitive practices or self-preferencing
- Consumer right to install/use applications on meters and platform compatibility
- Differential privacy or other privacy-preserving methods for public release of aggregated data
- Annual review every 3 years to update guidelines for evolving tech, privacy needs, and market conditions
4) State Certification and Implementation (Section 3(c))
- States may submit their policies to the Secretary for certification that they meet guidelines.
- The Secretary may provide funding (subject to appropriations) to assist states in implementing programs described in the act.
- Authorization of appropriations: $10 million for fiscal year 2026, open-ended availability.
5) Report on Meter Data and Market Settlement (Section 3(d))
- Requires a joint report within 1 year of enactment evaluating costs/benefits of transmitting individual electric meter data to covered wholesale markets for market settlement.
- Report contents to include:
- Penetration of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI)
- Gaps in access to meter data for settlement and demand-side programs
- Case studies on regions using meter data for settlement
- Potential anticompetitive impacts of restricting access
- Economic analyses of metering costs, on-the-ground reprogramming costs, and benefits to reliability, choice, and technology availability
- Estimates of costs to utilities, ISOs/RTOs, and overall reliability impacts
Potential impacts
Timelines
- Guidelines development: within 180 days post-enactment, with stakeholder consultation.
- State certification and assistance: ongoing, contingent on appropriations; funding authorized for FY2026.
- Biennial to triennial revisions: guidelines updated at least every 3 years.
- Meter data settlement report: due within 1 year of enactment.
Overall, the E-Access Act would establish a federal framework to standardize and accelerate consumer access to energy usage data, promote open and secure data sharing with third parties, and support competitive innovation in digital energy management tools while safeguarding privacy and grid reliability.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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