EDI-Net collected evidence that municipalities are restricted from or have limited access to smart metering data recorded in their buildings. Even in countries where metering roll-out is well progressed near-time utilisation of sub-hourly data is, in practice, often not possible to help achieve energy efficiency improvements. The barriers include, for instance:

• In Spain, sub-hourly metering data is only made available at the end of the month in one file.
• In the UK, “transparent procedures” on data exchange could not be enforced with complaints to settlement bodies.
• In Germany, interoperability with energy management systems is being limited.
• In France, getting permission to access metering data by more than one Local Authority department proves difficult.

Current activities on the European smart meter roll out do not take into consideration the effects on institutional organisation such as municipalities which are often provided with energy from multiple sources. Technical and procedural requirements are to be strengthened or introduced to enable cities to “lead by example” and fully utilise smart metering data:

• Clarify interoperability standards and strengthen the requirement
• Enforce the online interface for data and introduce requirement for an API
• Introduce and standardise requirements on physical interface Strengthen right to out-of-court dispute settlement
• Introduce obligation for smart meter operators to announce installation of smart meters
• Introduce obligation smart meter operators are required to reconnect any existing AMR
• encourage municipalities to have the provision of an API as part of the renegotiation of energy and water contracts