But he also says scrapping smart meter requirements that enabled them would be a mistake. HAN technologies, which allow customers to monitor their energy usage in real-time, did not gain traction with customers, Jewell said. But the latest proposal would scrap that expectation, based on a previous 2018 settlement with utilities that eliminated the requirement for electric companies to allow new customers to install Home Area Networks (HAN). ![]() The PUC had previously adopted rules that provided for real-time access to customer data, according to Michael Jewell, a consultant who filed comments for ERCOT demand response provider Enel X and for the Solar Energy Industries Association. although ultimately we believe the Commission should make additional changes to assure improved access to real-time data." Reed said PUC staff has added "important language to assure that customers can share data and programs with third-parties. The commission's proposal "is much improved from its previous version, although it still falls short of assuring that Texas consumers who have paid for and will continue to pay for smart meters through rates have sufficient access to real-time or near real-time data to better control their energy use," Cyrus Reed, conservation director of Sierra Club's Texas chapter, told Utility Dive in an email.Īn earlier version of the proposed rule had set a limit on the number of on-demand meter reads utilities were required to execute, but that cap has been eliminated, according to Reed. But they also say the rule does not fully empower customers. The data sharing provisions, however, would impact all utilities in the state.Īdvocates for demand side management technologies say the rulemaking in front of Texas regulators is better than past iterations, which had proposed greater limits on real-time data access. ![]() The PUC staff's recommendation would allow utilities outside of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas ( ERCOT) to recover costs related to smart meters.But utilities say the technologies capable of utilizing real-time access have not been widely adopted, and real-time requirements would be more costly to consumers. Demand response providers had pressed for greater data access to give customers more control over their energy usage.The Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUC) on April 20 approved new smart meter rules that utilize on-demand data reads as opposed to real-time information sharing with home appliances and systems that can respond to price and electric usage.Update: The Public Utilities Commission of Texas on April 20 adopted smart meter rules that remove the requirement for electric utilities to offer home area network features and set minimum capabilities for on-demand reads of customers' advanced meter data.
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