The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero opened a consultation on 14 October 2026 on a legal framework that would let energy consumers share their own data securely with authorised third parties. It runs until 8 January 2027.
What is proposed
The government proposes to use powers in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 to make regulations through secondary legislation. These would require relevant data holders to make specified datasets available, securely, to authorised services when a consumer chooses to share their data.
The 78-page consultation document discusses three groups of data:
- consumer consumption and metering data;
- tariff data;
- data on behind-the-meter assets, such as batteries or heat pumps.
It also asks about which organisations should take part, consumer protections and redress, accreditation for third parties, governance and how the scheme would be funded.
Why
The government’s argument is that data on how people use energy, the tariffs they are on and the equipment they own could power services such as tariff comparison, smart charging of electric vehicles and batteries, flexibility payments and tailored efficiency advice. It points to Open Banking as an example of trusted data sharing helping consumers find better products.
Analysis done for the government in March 2026 estimated that a smart data regime could add £9.5 billion in net social value to the UK between 2028 and 2043, with annual GDP contributions reaching £2.1 billion by 2043. These are modelled estimates, not outcomes.
How it fits with existing work
The consultation says several building blocks already exist or are in development, including a Consumer Consent Service, the Smart Data Repository and Flexibility Market Asset Registration programmes, and Ofgem’s work on asset visibility. The framework is meant to fill remaining gaps in who must share what, and what rights consumers have, rather than duplicate them.
What it means
Nothing changes for households yet: this is a proposal and the final design depends on responses. If it goes ahead, the practical effect would be that data from a smart meter or a home battery could be passed, with the customer’s permission, to services offering time-of-use tariffs or demand flexibility rewards, under accredited and regulated conditions.