Facilitating Customer Data Access

All of the local processing examples given until now have related to preventing the customer’s consumption data being exported from the house unnecessarily.

However, enabling consumers to readily access their data is key to providing the information they need to better manage their energy use. An in-house display (IHD) giving near real-time feedback on energy use can help here. Consumers may also want to access historical data, or to provide their granular consumption data to a third party. The data could be used to provide advice on improving energy efficiency and reducing energy bills.

The assumption should be that this data belongs to the customer, and that is should be shared only with the informed consent of the customer. Furthermore there should not be a presumption that it is only the customer’s energy supplier who should process this data for the customer.

Data Export Applet

A “data export applet” could be installed in the smart meter system, designed to export data to a destination selected by the customer. This could be the energy supplier, a third-party energy services company, or a web browser.

As with other applets, the data would be encrypted using a key only shared with the intended recipient.

Here is one example of how energy consumption data could be exported from a meter, and processed securely within a web browser under the control of the customer:

  • The customer signs up to a data processing website, provides a meter ID, and selects a username and password.
  • A data access applet is deployed to the smart meter system.
  • The customer logs onto the data processing website with their username and password with a request to process the smart meter data.
  • A message is sent through the WAN from the website to the data access applet, requesting the data.
  • The applet fetches the data, encrypts it with a one-time cryptographic key and sends it to the data processing website.
  • The applet also generates a one-time PIN code which is displayed on the in-house display.
  • The customer types the PIN code into the web browser where it is sent to the website and used to decrypt the energy data.
  • The website processes the data and displays it to the customer.
  • When the customer logs off the data is deleted from the website’s server.

Many variations on this theme are possible.