Customer Education and Participation

Notice: MI Power Grid meetings and all other MPSC workgroup meetings will be conducted via teleconference only until further notice. Please find remote access information for upcoming meetings on our calendar of events.

MI Power Grid Customer Engagement Stamp Michigan's energy system is shifting, and energy customers will be integral in supporting the transition. Customer engagement and education has become an important aspect in the transition to a clean energy future. Additionally, access to energy data and information is necessary to fully leverage customer engagement and education. As a result, the February 18, 2021 Commission order in Case Number U-20959 integrated the Customer Data Access and Privacy topic into the Customer Education and Participation workgroup. This will allow a more thorough exploration into providing safe access to customer energy data, balance the availability of that data with customer privacy, and promote customer engagement with the transition to clean energy. This workgroup will be divided into two focus areas that will build upon each other: Customer Education and Participation, and Customer Data Access and Privacy.

Customer Education and Participation

The Customer Education and Participation section of the workgroup will focus on prior utility learnings while leveraging new technologies to improve customer outreach, satisfaction, and empowerment to achieve both internal and statewide clean energy goals. This effort will focus on identifying and breaking down barriers that impact low-income and other vulnerable customer classes in their ability to participate in utility program offerings.

Next Steps

Per Commission order for Case Number U-20959 the workgroup will:

Engage with utility customers, utilities, and other stakeholders to identify areas of focus for customer outreach and education, including:
- Better integration of multiple rate offerings (demand response, time-based pricing, electric vehicles, energy waste reduction or energy efficiency, etc.)
- Shadow billing
- Low-income assistance
Identify opportunities for MPSC outreach/education activities.
Explore targeting customers who could benefit from specific rate offerings.

Customer Data Access and Privacy

Customers increasingly need access to their energy usage information to better understand and manage their energy decisions. Customers may choose to share this energy usage information with third parties who can assist them with their energy management opportunities. Customer data privacy continues to be foundational to any data sharing that takes place between the utilities and customers and their third parties. The Customer Data Access and Privacy section of this workgroup will explore how additional access to energy data by customers and third parties can allow ratepayers to be more active, responsive, and dynamic participants in the energy system while appropriately maintaining data privacy safeguards.

Previous Customer Data Access and Privacy Activity

MPSC Service Quality Rules require all utilities to adopt data privacy tariffs (U-17102 and R 460.153)
MPSC Customer Data Access workshop held in March 2019 followed by Data Accessibility Staff Report issued on April 15, 2019
MPSC approved data privacy tariffs for all rate-regulated utilities (U-18485)
Consumers Energy Data Access and Privacy Policy (including "Customer Usage Access" information), DTE Energy Data Access and Privacy Policy (Including "Energy Usage Data" information)

Next Steps

Per Commission order for Case Number U-20959 the workgroup will:

Look at how third parties are proposing to utilize available energy data and how that information can be accessed by customers and third parties in a way that facilitates the usability of that data
Review regulatory, technical, and other barriers associated with data access and utilization
Explore best practices for facilitating customer's direct access to or sharing of energy data to third parties
Discuss how the privacy of customers' personally identifiable and energy usage information can be best protected while still providing customers and third parties access to energy data
Explore the needs of municipalities accessing customer energy use data

Staff Report

On January 20, 2022, the Commission issued an order extending the deadline for the final report from February 25, 2022 to March 25, 2022. No later than March 25, 2022, a report will be filed to the docket summarizing efforts, providing recommendations for the Commission's consideration, and identifying potential next steps.

Final Report: MI Power Grid Customer Education and Participation Workgroup