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SB 2478

State Grand Jury Act; reinstate and expand scope.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Brice Wiggins

The bill would require utilities to provide secure, timely access to whole-building and aggregated usage data to building owners, tenants, and authorized agents for benchmarking an

Died In Committee
#judiciary #divisiona
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Bill Summary · SB 2478

Summary — SB 2478 (Utility Data Access Act)

Status: Died In Committee (bill introduced in 2025).
Primary sponsor: Sen. Mattie Hunter.

Purpose / Intent

SB 2478, titled the Utility Data Access Act, would require the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to establish procedures to give building owners, tenants, and authorized agents easier, secure access to whole‑building utility consumption data (electric, gas, district energy, water, and certain fuel deliveries). The bill’s stated goals include enabling energy and water efficiency improvements, facilitating benchmarking, unlocking federal incentives, reducing costs for consumers, and supporting market growth for energy services.

Key provisions

  • Data retention
    • Utilities must retain all consumption data for at least 2 years.
    • Qualified utilities must retain monthly billing consumption data for at least 15 years.
  • Data access and sharing
    • An account holder may request that the utility transmit that account’s covered usage data to any entity the account holder designates.
    • Qualified data recipients for a qualified building/property may request aggregated usage data (tenant and owner meters combined with unique identifiers removed).
    • Utilities must deliver requested data on a schedule set by the ICC, and delivery/request processes must be “convenient and secure.”
    • Requires provisions for how data is provided, timelines, entry into benchmarking tools (e.g., ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager or ICC‑approved alternatives), and handling of account‑holder authorizations.
  • Liability and protections
    • Utilities are held harmless for third‑party misuse of data shared under the Act, except where the utility failed to follow the Act’s processes or was grossly negligent. No cause of action may be brought against the utility for subsequent misuse by third parties (subject to exceptions above).
  • Cost recovery and funding
    • Before seeking cost recovery from ratepayers, a qualified utility must demonstrate good‑faith efforts to obtain federal, State, or other funding.
    • The bill provides for funding the ICC to implement the Act and authorizes the ICC to retain outside consultants experienced in benchmarking and utility data access.
  • Definitions & thresholds
    • Sets definitions for account holder/customer, covered usage data, aggregated usage data, data recipient, and utility size thresholds (large, medium) and other technical terms used throughout the Act.

Who would be affected

  • Utilities (large/medium/qualified) — obligations on retention, data delivery, potential cost‑recovery processes.
  • Building owners, tenants, condominium/cooperative boards, and authorized agents — improved ability to obtain whole‑building or aggregated usage data for benchmarking and efficiency projects.
  • Illinois Commerce Commission — rulemaking, stakeholder processes, administration, and potential contracting for technical assistance.
  • Third‑party service providers and benchmarking platforms — possible increase in demand for energy‑management services.

Legislative timeline / procedure

  • Filed and first read in early February 2025 (sponsor: Sen. Mattie Hunter).
  • Referred through multiple committees (Assignments; Energy & Public Utilities; Local Government; Judiciary Division A) with various committee deadlines set.
  • Read first time April 3, 2025.
  • Final status in the provided record: Died In Committee.

Notes / limitations

  • The text contains technical definitions and threshold criteria for “qualified” accounts, buildings, and utilities; implementating details (data formats, security standards, timelines) would be established by ICC rulemaking under the bill.
  • Liability protections limit suits against utilities for downstream misuse, but carve out exceptions for failure to follow procedures or gross negligence.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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