The EU Data Act
Smart meters
This article looks at the EU Data Act and what it means for OEMs.
30.11.2023
News/Energy APIs
What is the EU Data Act?
The EU Data Act (regulation on harmonised rules on fair access to and use of data), proposed by the European Commission in February 2022, will play a significant role in Europe’s digital transformation going forward. The Data Act has now been adopted and is expected to be published in the next few days. As an EU Regulation, the provisions of the Data Act are binding and directly applicable in all Members States and will apply from 20 months from the date of entry into force.
The Data Act will provide a framework for data access and data sharing and aims to make more data available for companies and consumers, and to ensure fairness regarding the distribution and use of this data. According to the European Commission, the main objective of the Data Act is “to make Europe a leader in the data economy by harnessing the potential of the ever-increasing amount of industrial data, in order to benefit the European economy and society”. The Commission states that “the strategy for data focuses on putting people first in developing technology and defending and promoting European values and rights in the digital world” and emphasises that the Data Act is “a key pillar of the European strategy for data”.
An essential part of this act for the average citizen is regarding the data generated by Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as electric vehicles or smart home devices. IoT appliances are smart devices that can connect to the internet and independently communicate in real time with other devices or apps within the IoT network. When someone purchases an item from a store, they become the legal owner of that physical item. The situation with digital data from connected devices and who owns or uses it, however, has always been more complicated, and the new act aims to create clarity here.
- The new Data Act (Art. 3(1)) mandates that all connected products should be designed and manufactured in such a manner that the product data, including the relevant metadata, is, where relevant and technically feasible, by default directly accessible to the user easily, securely and free of charge in a comprehensive, structured, commonly used and machine-readable format – (i.e. not only accessible to the owner, but also to the one leasing the product, for instance). This particular obligation will apply from 32 months after the date of entry into force.
- It also stipulates (in Art. 4) that where data cannot be accessed directly by the user of the connected product or related service, data holders should make accessible the data to the user, free of charge and in real-time. This means that, after the date of application (~last quarter of 2025), the manufacturers of these devices must provide users with free access to the data produced by those devices.
- In addition, upon request by the user (or by a party acting on behalf of the user), that data should also be made available to third parties and such a request should be free of charge to the user (see Art. 5). The act also specifies the obligations of third parties receiving the data at the request of the user, e.g. they can only use it for the purposes and conditions agreed with the user and subject to relevant EU law on data protection (see Art. 6). However, making data available to third parties (data recipient under Art. 5) must not necessarily be for free, and the act provides conditions as well as rules regarding compensation (Art. 8 and 9).
Finally, while specific obligations for making available data in Union legal acts that entered into force on or before the date of entry into force of the Data Act will remain unaffected, these harmonised rules should impact the update of existing or new Union sector legislation.
What other enabling EU framework is out there?
In the meantime, recent EU legislation is already paving the way towards accessing and sharing of data from connected devices.
For instance, the recently revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED, Directive (EU) 2023/2413) not only mandates a Union target for 2030 of at least 42,5% of share from renewables in the gross final energy consumption. It also asks Member States to (Art. 20a(3)):
- ensure that manufacturers of domestic and industrial batteries enable real-time access to basic battery management system information to battery owners and users and third parties acting on their behalf.
- adopt measures to require that vehicle manufacturers make available in real-time in-vehicle data to EV owners and users as well as third parties acting on their behalf.
We can find similar provisions for instance in the proposed revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), asking Member States (Art. 14) to ensure that building owners, tenants and managers can have direct access to their buildings system’s data (inc. data from building automation and control systems, meters and charging points for e-mobility).
The recently proposed reform of the Electricity Market Design also asks Member States (Art. 7b) to allow transmission system operators and distribution system operators to use data from dedicated metering devices (submeters or embedded meters) for the observability and settlement of demand response and flexibility services.
Last but not least, as part of the Action Plan on the Digitalisation of the Energy System, there is a focus on the need to enable an EU framework for data access and sharing, namely via so-called EU energy data space(s). In that regard, the Commission announced the creation of an expert group (“Data for Energy” working group) that will support them in the definition of high-level use cases for data sharing (in particular for flexibility services for energy markets and grids, and smart and bi-directional charging for EVs) and in defining the governance of EU energy data space(s).
What does this mean for OEMs/manufacturers?
The new Data Act ultimately means that the European Union is going to impose upon OEMs/manufacturers to make the data of their appliances available to the user for free in a machine-readable format (ie: an application programming interface or API to extract or share data). To enable access to the data, manufacturers will therefore need to build interfaces to give consumers (or companies) the opportunity to download or read this data. Some OEMs, such as SMA Solar, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, are ahead of the game and have already been working on building this infrastructure over the past year or two. Others, however, have not yet dedicated resources to implementing this and will need to follow suit in the year to come. With the last quarter of 2025 deadline set, the remaining OEMs will find themselves under pressure to switch their focus to ensure they are compliant with the new legislation on time.
How can re.alto help those requiring access to this data?
re.alto works with IoT connectivity and acts as a connector between OEMs and third parties. While there was previously a question of whether OEMS would choose to offer access to this data, it is now being dictated by legislation, and their compliance is therefore mandatory. That ultimately means that the IoT technology is emerging, and each OEM will have to make their data machine-readable and create a suitable interface to share this data by 2025 at the latest. But while compliance in ensuring data is machine-readable is compulsory, the EU has not imposed a standard by which all OEMs must comply when implementing this. That means that each OEM will create their own kind of interface, with the API for each device or brand potentially differing greatly from the next. The result will be a jungle of different interfaces/APIs to integrate with, making it incredibly complicated for third parties to access the various data they require when building their own energy-as-a-service products.
That is where re.alto comes in. This recent evolution in EU legislation supports our vision and aligns with the services and solutions we are offering our customers. If you are building energy-as-a-service products or applications and want to be able to access energy data from various OEMs or devices, we can give you access via a single, standardised API. re.alto can create a path through this jungle of APIs, so you can use one single interface to communicate with them all. Whether you want to add electric vehicles or heat pumps to your solution, we can act as a standard interface for all of the energy-related transactions and connections, thus simplifying access to energy data for third party use.
Conclusion
The new EU Data Act, as well as other recent pieces of EU legislation, is shaking up IoT connectivity and putting pressure on manufacturers/OEMs to make their data machine-readable and available to the public sector and ultimately the end consumer. Going forward, the strategies of OEMs will no longer play a role in whether they choose to make this data available – legislation now dictates that they must comply. While compliance is mandatory, the EU has not set any standard for the resulting infrastructure. This means that data will be available via many very different kinds of APIs and interfaces, resulting in connectivity being complicated. To simplify all of this for third party use, re.alto translates everything into one standard API connection, regardless of the kind of device or its brand.
If you are building energy-as-a-service apps or solutions and want to know more about how we can help you access the data you require in the simplest way possible, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
Meet Xenn: The Answer to Belgian Energy Questions
Smart meters
re.alto’s new product & an answer to Belgian energy issues
01.02.2023
News/Smart Meters
Energy has become an important topic for consumers in recent years with plenty of coverage in mainstream media across Europe. The subject is on everybody’s lips due to the energy crisis and the rising energy bills resulting from it. This is because prices have skyrocketed across the continent, and people are now looking for solutions to help them better understand their bills and ultimately reduce their costs. Our new product Xenn aims to help residentials in Belgium do just that. Xenn will launch in Flanders in March 2023 before progressively expanding to other regions.
re.alto was originally set up to facilitate energy data and services transactions and to empower businesses to manage their clients’ energy on a consumer level. We created the re.alto API marketplace to give people access to the data required for basic energy management. However, access to general data alone (such as market prices, weather forecasts etc) is only the first step in optimising a household’s energy management – access to household appliances and the knowledge of what they are doing in real-time is also required. Through re.alto Connect, we provide appliance data access without the need for additional hardware, giving our users and partners the freedom to create software energy solutions. The current standard is still to have everything physically wired up, often requiring a professional installer, which is not always feasible or reduces the likelihood of having viable business models. Why not simplify the situation and use the by design connectivity available on electricity assets such as photovoltaic systems, electric vehicles and heat pumps? re.alto Connect is “simply” using what is already available (think Internet of Things – objects or devices possessing the technology to be able to connect to other devices or systems that are also connected to a network). It opens the possibility for people to enjoy the benefits of energy services without needing to have all the professionally wired cables or solutions in their home. Our assetless solutions avoid complicated technical setups and serve as a backend platform used to help other parties develop energy services.
Thanks to re.alto, you can obtain close to real-time data via APIs for almost every energy-relevant asset. However, when it comes to head meters, the infrastructure does not exist, meaning that meter data has to be extracted by other means. Solutions differ depending on the country but are most of the time based on sensors, dongles and similar devices accessing meter data via different interfaces of the meter. These kinds of tools, along with various home controls, are all used to gain insight into the energy consumption of a household and therefore offer the opportunity to optimise energy management. Most of the solutions out there today are quite technical, however, such as displaying complicated graphs showing a household’s kw/h consumption, which does not speak to most people on the street. Consumers just want to understand their bills and don’t want to read complex visuals and complicated diagrams. Instead, they simply seek the most important information in a way they can quickly understand, such as in euros. Most of the tools used to gain insight into energy management are aimed at the technical enthusiast instead of the average consumer. Again, the majority of energy users simply want to know whether they are paying too much and where they could save money.
That is where our new product comes in. Powered by our Connect platform, Xenn is a novel kind of mobile application that answers a need in the Belgian market for which there was no adequate answer until now: The customer concern, echoed by the press, around the introduction of a capacity-based grid tariff and the incomprehensible evolution of advance payment in utility billing. The Connect platform gave us the opportunity to quickly respond to this need, and so Xenn was born. Xenn will initially focus on two main needs of the end consumer: budget control and capacity tariff optimisation, but as it is powered by re.alto Connect, it can and will easily expand to other devices and assets such as EV, HP and so forth, should the consumer need arise. Xenn will reinforce the evolution of Connect through first-hand end consumer feedback to ensure it remains truly consumer centric. We launched Xenn based on the traction and interest we observed around this topic and to show that there is a solution to this issue that can be brought to the Belgian market today. re.alto has set up the digital platform to run this solution on, and Xenn will perfectly demonstrate what our clients can do through our Connect platform. re.alto has built and provides the necessary infrastructure for a new product like Xenn to be a success.
For Xenn, users will simply attach a P1 dongle to the P1 port on their smart meter and then connect to their dongle via the user-friendly Xenn app and web portal. The dongle will read the data from the meter 24/7 and provide the consumer with easy-to-understand insight into their energy consumption at any time via the app. Xenn will include tariff information, giving the user insight into their costs, and will translate the technical gibberish into plain Flemish, thus simplifying energy and making it more comprehensible for the average consumer. With the capacity tariff in play, Xenn calculates the current costs of the user’s energy consumption, so that they can see how much the tariff will cost them and adjust their advance to avoid nasty surprises on the final invoice. Through the app, the consumer has easy access to the most important data relating to their consumption and invoices, and the app will also notify them about any peaks in consumption (and spikes in cost). In addition, the dashboard in the online portal provides further clarity about even the tiniest details for those with a thirst for more knowledge. In using Xenn, consumers can avoid surprises when it comes to bills, better monitor and manage their energy consumption and receive tips on how to save. In times of rising prices and new rates, everyone understandably has concerns and questions. Thanks to Xenn, the consumer gains more clarity and can take back control of their consumption and costs. In future, Xenn will be able to optimise the energy management of a household even further by providing the ability to steer certain devices or assets (ie: to start charging a car at an opportune moment), therefore making the most of the Internet of Things universe and enabling smarter consumption through connectivity.
Update: As of January 2025, Xenn is no longer available. However, it remains an interesting use case and showcases not only the capabilities of the re.alto connectivity platform, but also the potential for the smarter energy solutions of the future.
Near Real-Time Data: What & Why
Smart meters
Near real-time data: what is it & why is it useful?
23.01.2022
Smart Meters/Energy APIs
A look at near real-time data and some of the use cases relating to it.
With the aftermath of the energy crisis still having an effect on us all, any relief that companies can offer their customers when it comes to their energy bills will be welcome. The right energy solution can alleviate some of the pain caused by the energy crisis and cost-of-living crisis. re.alto can save your customers money by determining their energy usage and enabling them to consume more intelligently. Access to near real-time data enables consumers and energy companies to both act and react and is therefore essential for successful energy management. Analysing this data greatly increases the capacity to create value for the consumer and to build more extensive energy services. Knowing what devices are consuming in real-time ultimately enables consumers to make data-driven decisions and provides utilities with the ability to personalise their services for a more customer-centric model, a potential that is yet to be fully realised in the energy sector. So, what exactly is real-time data and which use cases can be applied here?
Real-time data refers to the elapsed time between when the data was generated and when it was transmitted for analysis. Real-time means the time interval is instantaneous, meaning the data needs to be streamed continuously from its point of origin. The energy industry relies heavily on data to maintain its standard operations, but energy data is rarely analysed in real-time or near real-time. Instead, it is normal to see up to hourly intervals for wholesale electricity pricing, and smart meters generally match this settlement infrastructure. There are then further delays before this data is transmitted back to the utility. This means that utilities are often reliant on data that is days old, making it challenging to efficiently balance supply and demand. A monthly, weekly or daily frequency is well-suited to most of the systems within the energy sector, but such frequencies are insufficient for active energy management. Monitoring data in real-time, on the other hand, enables consumers to better recognise and manage spikes in their consumption at certain times of the day. This means they can identify peak hours and make smarter decisions in order to optimise their consumption and reach their energy saving targets. Utilities can use this data to incentivise off-peak consumption. In peak shaving use cases, analysing consumption data in near real-time provides consumers with the opportunity to reduce their consumption during peak periods and positively influence their energy bills.
Head meter data is the digital representation of a household’s total consumption and is therefore essential to any sort of household optimisation when it comes to energy. The main issue, however, as mentioned above, is that the energy sector itself only requires smart meter data to settle electricity bills faster, meaning the industry does not require this data in real-time. When it comes to energy management, however, this data is only useful when it is very granular and provided in real-time or near real-time. re.alto recognises that there are many benefits to having access to smart meter readings in near real-time, especially when it comes to optimisation. The data can be applied to various use cases such as dynamic rates consumption, self-consumption, capacity tariff optimisation and peak-shaving. It enables the optimisation of a household in that the energy consumption in a home can be aligned with the energy production from the PV panels on the roof of the house, for example, to reduce the amount of excess energy injected back into the grid. To ensure that a household’s own installations consume most of the energy produced at home, it is necessary to know what is happening in near real-time. Or if you have a capacity tariff, this data can help you avoid peak consumption and reduce your bill by making you aware of exactly what you are consuming in real-time and in ensuring you do not increase consumption all at once, for example by cooking dinner and charging your EV at the same time. Spreading electricity consumption throughout the day can potentially reduce energy costs at a time when every saving helps.
Great financial benefits lie in knowing in real-time exactly what your devices are doing and in possessing the ability to actively steer those devices. That is why we are developing the solutions to do just that. We obtain data via APIs for almost every energy-relevant asset, however, when it comes to head meters, the infrastructure does not currently exist, meaning the data has to be extracted in a different way. There are various methods of doing this in different countries in the European market, but the end game is ultimately the same: Obtaining data from smart meters in order to optimise energy management. That is why we are launching a new product focussed around capturing near real-time data from smart meters. Watch this space!