Pa. PUC Approves Implementation Standards For Utility Smart Meter Web Portals, Retail Supplier Access; Orders Implementation

The Pennsylvania PUC approved the technical implementation standards proposed by Electronic Data Exchange Working Group's (EDEWG) Web Portal Working Group (WPWG) for a standardized solution for the acquisition of historical interval usage (HIU) and billing quality interval use (BQIU) smart meter electricity data via a secure web portal.

The standards govern varying portal mechanisms including Single User Multiple Request (SU-MR), System-to-System 12 months of Historical Interval Usage (StS-HIU), and the System-to-System Rolling 10-day Billing Quality Interval Usage (StS-Rolling 10-Day).

Specifically, the latest standards include the StS Historical Interval Usage method for sharing smart meter data. This method utilizes a platform which allows an authorized user's IT systems to communicate directly with the web portal system of the EDC without requiring a user to manually log into the web portal itself and leverage the user interface. The requestor connects to the EDCs system exchanging data via XML transactions

Click here or an overview of the various mechanisms

The PUC extended the deadline for implementation of the Single User – Multiple Requests (SU-MR) functionality to November 3, 2016, which is the same as the existing deadline for implementation of the StS Rolling 10 Day and StS HIU functionalities

EDCs were directed to file compliance plans including estimated costs of implementation and a proposed cost recovery mechanism

The smart meter data access mechanism will be available to electric generation suppliers, and conservation service providers who have an Act 129 contract with an EDC

The PUC again declined to extend access via the mechanisms broadly to non-EGS third parties at this time, citing concerns about customer privacy, and the inapplicability of the current regulations governing EGS access and treatment to customer data to non-EGS parties

"[W]hile a third party may have customer authorization to gain access to that customer’s data, through customer portals or the third party’s own equipment, this Commission’s current regulations regarding data privacy would not apply to those entities," the PUC noted

While certain energy data companies asked the PUC to determine a process or pathway by which they could be granted, with customer authorization, access to the web portals, the PUC said that, "At this time, the Commission does not have enough information in order to implement such a request."

"Furthermore, we do not believe this proceeding to be the appropriate one for determining the manner in which a third party, with a customer’s consent, may utilize other avenues to access that customer’s data. As stated in our Sept. 15 Final Order, we reserve the right to revisit third party access at a future point in time," the PUC said

Docket M-2009-2092655