Karl Mutchnik: Focus on the Consumer

This posted to smartgrid@ostp.gov by Karl Mutchnik, Trane

Q1-2: All home energy usage data shall be the property of the consumer. Access to this energy data is to be provided to the electricity service provider for limited uses to be enumerated, but to include, and possibly be limited to, billing and load management. The data on a specific property shall not be disclosed to a third party, unless so required by law without the written permission of the consumer. Aggregated data which thoroughly masks the usage and load profile of each property, can be used by the service provider for studies and other legitimate purposes.

Data on use of energy within the property shall be the sole property of the rate payer and control of the connected loads on the rate payer's side of the meter shall be the exclusive right of the rate payer. The rate payer may permit the electricity provider or another third party to have access to this information and the controls of the connected load. In return, the rate payer should expect to receive some valuable consideration or service.

Q3: First, it should be noted that there is no reason to presume that the smart meter will be the "primary gateway" for the data described in question 1.

Second, it is important to note that the consumer may wish to have third-party service providers other than electric utilities on a permission basis with that permission limited to specific data sets or data classes. The consumer may choose, for example, to alert an electrician or other service provider if the electrical consumption over a period of hours was unreasonably high.

Third, the question presumes a single gateway solution: the smart meter. Other gateways or communication mechanisms need to be accommodated which may or may not interface with the meter and which should have access to the data accumulated in the smart meter and communicated to the utility. The right of the consumer to direct that data to any service provider or providers should be sacrosanct.

Finally, and most importantly, the question should be inverted and converted into a basic requirement for any smart grid system; that is that the primary gateway for the data described in question 1. shall be required to provide consumers [rate payers] and their designated third-party suppliers of electricity or other services full access to the data in question in real time.