Energy utility data.

Senator Stern's energy data governance legislation establishes new frameworks for managing utility customer information while creating explicit consumer rights over their energy usage data. The bill creates a Data Access Governance Committee comprising utility representatives, consumer advocates, industry experts, and academic specialists to develop recommendations on data usage guidelines, operations protocols, and access standards by January 2027.

The legislation institutes a Customer Energy Utility Data Bill of Rights, jointly administered by the Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission. This framework grants customers ownership of their utility data, including billing information and real-time usage metrics, along with rights to securely share data with third parties, receive notification of data transfers, and access 24 months of historical records. The bill requires utilities to enable customer participation in demand response programs through their chosen service providers while maintaining California Consumer Privacy Act protections.

Under the new provisions, the Energy Commission may partner with gas and electrical utilities serving over 50,000 California connections to implement data programs through consolidated access platforms. The bill classifies violations of Public Utilities Commission orders as criminal offenses, while allowing local agencies to levy fees covering any new program costs rather than requiring state reimbursement.