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Congress·In Committee·S. 3926

Sen. Welch Introduces E-Access Act to Give Consumers Control Over Energy Usage Data

E-Access Act

19 days ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

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Key Points

  • The bill directs the Department of Energy and FERC to jointly create national guidelines within 180 days so consumers can access their own electricity and natural gas usage data, including pricing, billing details, and account information.

    From policy text

    “Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act and subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary and the Commission shall jointly develop and issue guidelines that establish model data sharing standards and policies for States to provide electric consumers and gas consumers, and third-party designees of those electric consumers and gas consumers, with access to retail electric energy information and retail natural gas information.”
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  • Consumers could authorize third-party apps and services to receive their energy data, helping them track usage in real time and find ways to cut their bills. Utilities must make at least 24 months of historical data available electronically at no extra charge.

    From policy text

    “the retail electric energy information and retail natural gas information should be made available-- (i) in an electronic machine-readable form, without additional charge, in conformity with nationally recognized open standards and best practices; (ii) via a website or other electronic access authorized by the electric consumer or gas consumer, including at least 24 months of historical information; (iii) in as close to real-time as is reasonably practicable”
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  • The bill sets strict privacy and consumer consent requirements. Third parties can only access data with explicit customer permission, and utilities must use recognized privacy programs like the DataGuard Energy Data Privacy Program.

    From policy text

    “guidelines regarding consumer consent requirements to ensure that an electric consumer or gas consumer can conveniently and securely authorize a third-party designee to access the retail electric energy information or retail natural gas information of that electric consumer or gas consumer”
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  • It promotes fair competition on smart meter software platforms by requiring fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory terms and banning self-preferencing — meaning utilities can't unfairly favor their own apps over competitors' tools.
  • The bill authorizes $10 million for states that adopt compliant data-sharing policies and requires a report within one year evaluating the costs and benefits of using individual meter data to settle wholesale electricity market prices.

    From policy text

    “There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain available until expended.”
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Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Feb 26, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Feb 26, 2026

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

180 days after enactment

Federal guidelines for consumer energy data access are issued

The Department of Energy and FERC would publish the rules that states need to follow to set up data-sharing programs, defining how consumers get their utility data and what privacy protections apply.

1 year after enactment

Report on meter data for wholesale market settlement is released

Congress would learn whether using individual meter data to settle wholesale electricity prices could save consumers money and improve grid reliability, potentially leading to further reforms.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

E-Access Act

Bill NumberS 3926
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.