THE LINUX FOUNDATION PROJECTS

Next-Gen Customer Data Access: How CDS is Transforming Utility Connectivity

By | August 11, 2026

Next-Gen Customer Data Access: How CDS is Transforming Utility Connectivity

By Daniel Roesler, CDS Customer Data Working Group (WG3) Maintainer

Previously, the LF Energy Connected Data Specifications (CDS) project announced its Registration framework for revolutionizing how utilities and other central entities provide automated connectivity to the grid of the future.

Today, after multiple years of collaborative development, and taking lessons learned from over a decade of direct, front-line experience working with customers, utilities, and external service providers, I’m excited to announce the initial draft of the LF Energy CDS Customer Data specification (CDS-WG3-01)!

This specification marks a critical step forward for how the energy industry handles one of its most valuable and sensitive assets: customer data. It standardizes how utilities and other central grid entities provide secure, authorized, and streamlined access to customer account, usage, and billing data. It is also the first protocol that uses the CDS Registration framework as the basis for establishing connectivity.

Read the CDS Customer Data specification here: https://cds-customerdata.lfenergy.org/specs/cds-wg3-01/ 

What is the CDS Customer Data spec?

CDS-WG3-01 is an open, royalty-free specification that defines how utilities, ISOs, TSOs, munis, CCAs, and other central entities can offer standardized, machine-readable access to customer data. It extends the secure connectivity foundation laid by the CDS Registration specs (CDS-WG1-01 and CDS-WG1-02) and layers on customer-specific authorization scopes, consent flows, and comprehensive data APIs.

Rather than forcing utilities to build custom, proprietary portals or rely on unstructured file transfers, this specification provides a flexible, “right-sized” framework. Utilities can deploy servers that meet their exact operational needs, while external enterprise customers and their service providers get a consistent, predictable way to integrate and access the data they need.

Why we wrote the CDS Customer Data spec

I’ve spent over a decade navigating the labyrinth of utility customer data access. I’ve watched brilliant grid innovations like results-based energy efficiency programs, virtual power plant (VPP) pilots, EV infrastructure, and building energy management solutions stall, not because the technology wasn’t ready, but because getting the right data safely from the utility to the customers and project developers took months of manual coordination, improvised connections, and custom data pipelines. Proprietary dashboards, screen scraping, login credential sharing, never-ending email chains, rigid “all-or-nothing” data permissions, ad-hoc SFTP servers, and unstructured CSV exports aren’t just inefficient and insecure, they are frequently a deal breaker that is the deciding factor in whether a new technology or program is ultimately successful.

For example, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently granted a complaint from distributed resource aggregators about how inaccessible customer meter data was blocking them from participating in the PJM’s Open Access Transmission Tariff.

We wrote this specification to tackle this problem, replacing fragmented manual, insecure processes with automated, auditable, and scalable customer data exchange.

Who will find the CDS Customer Data spec useful

This specification is designed for anyone who needs secure, authorized access to utility customer data to drive real world outcomes:

  • Commercial & Industrial Customers: Large enterprises, facilities, and datacenters all need a reliable, automated feed of their own utility usage and billing data to keep their operations efficient.
  • Enterprise Energy Managers & Consultants: Accessing historical and ongoing usage, rate plans, and bill data to compile energy reports, project analysis, and ESG calculations.
  • Vendors & Solution Providers: Streamlining site assessments, program eligibility screening, and energy performance contracting by accessing the exact data fields needed for feasibility and measurement and verification (M&V).
  • VPP & DER Aggregators: Retrieving program eligibility, settlement data, and usage intervals to optimize grid flexibility and load management without live control signals.
  • Building Owners & Benchmarking Platforms: Accessing aggregated whole-building usage data to comply with municipal benchmarking mandates and pursue building energy efficiency certifications.
  • Researchers & Regulators: Leveraging local and regional aggregated datasets for academic study, policy analysis, and statewide reporting.

Awesome features of the CDS Customer Data spec

The CDS Customer Data spec isn’t just another data protocol. It’s designed specifically for real-world deployment, regulatory alignment, and developer usability:

  • Pre-Defined Regulatory “Scenarios”: We’ve baked in ready-made sets of requirements that regulators can directly reference or mandate. This dramatically reduces the back-and-forth between stakeholders and policymakers, accelerating deployment and ensuring compliance.
  • Granular, Use-Case Specific Scopes: Utilities can limit access to exactly what’s requested, with no need to over-provision access. A heat pump contractor might only need a customer’s rate plan, a researcher might only need one-time historical usage, and an accounting firm might only need ongoing bill amounts due. Customers can authorize only what’s necessary, and nothing more.
  • Streamlined, Transparent Consent: The spec defines a comprehensive authorization flow that makes customer consent simple, secure, and transparent. It removes the friction that often kills conversion for app integrations while keeping privacy front and center.
  • Aggregated Data Formats for Research & Benchmarking: Specialized APIs and data structures streamline bulk data access for academic research, government reporting, and whole-building energy benchmarking, complete with clear metadata on aggregation methods and privacy thresholds.
  • App & AI-Friendly APIs: From account metadata and meter numbers to usage intervals and bill sections, the spec organizes customer data into well-documented, machine-readable endpoints that developers and automated systems can integrate with seamlessly.

AI-Ready, without compromise

Modern energy management and grid optimization rely on AI and machine learning to process vast amounts of structured data. By building on OAuth 2.0 and the CDS Registration framework, the CDS Customer Data spec provides the exact ingredients AI systems need: consistent data schemas, automated credential management, granular permission controls, and predictable API behaviors. This means AI tools can securely discover, authenticate, and ingest utility data at scale, without overwhelming utility IT systems or compromising customer privacy.

Next Steps & How to Get Involved

We’re publishing this draft to invite industry feedback, technical validation, and early pilot partnerships. Whether you’re a utility looking to modernize your data access programs, an external vendor building energy apps, a researcher, or a policymaker, your input will shape how this protocol evolves.

Here’s how you can get involved:

We’re actively seeking utilities and central grid entities to partner with for technical proofs of concept, field trials, and scaled deployments. If you want to put CDS Customer Data to work in your environment, please reach out!

Finally, I want to thank every contributor, reviewer, and industry partner who helped turn years of real-world data access pain points into a concrete, open standard.

FAQ

How does CDS Customer Data relate to CDS Registration?

CDS Customer Data (CDS-WG3-01) extends the CDS Registration framework (CDS-WG1-01 and CDS-WG1-02). It uses the CDS Registration specs for secure connectivity, client onboarding, and credential management, then layers on customer data specific authorization scopes, consent flows, data schemas, and APIs.

Who is this specification for?

Utilities, CCAs, vendors, regulators, energy service providers, VPP/DER aggregators, building benchmarking platforms, academic researchers, and any central or external entity that needs secure, authorized utility customer data exchange.

How do I contribute to the CDS Customer Data specifications?

Join the mailing list, review the drafts, and submit feedback or pull requests through the GitHub repo.

Who maintains CDS Customer Data?

The specifications are maintained under the CDS Customer Data Working Group (WG3), hosted at LF Energy.

What does the release cadence look like?

CDS-WG3-01 is currently published as a draft specification, open for industry feedback and pilot partnerships ahead of further revisions and final adoption.

How can my organization get involved in a pilot?

Reach out directly to the WG3 mailing list. We are actively seeking utility partners for proofs of concept, field trials, and scaled deployments.

About CDS Customer Data

CDS Customer Data (CDS-WG3-01) is an open specification hosted at LF Energy that standardizes secure, authorized access to utility customer data. Built on the foundational CDS Registration framework, it provides utilities with a flexible, scalable way to share account, usage, and billing data, while giving external customers and service providers a predictable, automated path to integration. Designed for real-world deployment, it supports granular access controls, streamlined customer consent, aggregated datasets, and AI-ready data formats, all under an open, royalty-free, industry-driven governance model.

< Back To All Blog Posts