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Energy Ogre Needs Access to Smart Meter Texas

by Stuart Percle

Table of Contents

What is Smart Meter Texas (SMT)?

Smart Meter Texas is a service managed by the four major utilities in Texas. They keep track of your electricity consumption and provide a portal to view how much electricity you have used in the past.

They also protect your data, which means they need you to authorize sharing it with Energy Ogre. 

Here is a sample snippet of the email you will receive from Energy Ogre:

Why does Energy Ogre need authorization to access Smart Meter Texas?

We've already been using Smart Meter Texas to obtain electricity consumption data, but they have since changed their process. To protect your data, Smart Meter Texas now requires Energy Ogre members to reauthorize our access every 12 months.

This authorization provides us with the most precise data available in order to get you the absolute best deal for your home each and every contract.

I got an email from Energy Ogre asking me to click a link.

Occasionally, SMT will need you to reauthorize Energy Ogre. When that occurs, we will send you an email with a confirmation link forwarded from SMT. We need you to click on the link.

What happens if I don't click the link? 

 If you don't click the link, we stop getting the data to save you money.

Why can't Energy Ogre click it? 

Our ogres can't click the button because we don't own your data. So we can't give that permission, only you can.

Tell me more about how usage works. 

The electricity you use is tracked by your electric meter, which sends your readings to your utility for billing. We call these readings "usage," and it is the flour with which Energy Ogre bakes our bread, so to speak.

We use your data to create a constantly updating model of your future electricity needs. This helps us pick the electricity plan that makes the most sense and saves you the most money.

The meter tracks how much electricity you used every 15 minutes, leading to a time/value sequence of data every day of the year. This, along with data about the weather and your home and a whole lot of math, is how we forecast your electricity needs.

How secure is my personal information with Energy Ogre?

Energy Ogre guarantees the complete security of all the information provided to us. If you look at the address bar in your browser while you are signing up, there should be a green padlock icon.

This icon confirms that the connection between your computer and Energy Ogre's servers is secure.  It also means that every bit of information you enter in your browser is first encrypted on your computer before it is sent to us, so even if anyone intercepts it, it would be unreadable.

We use these same security measures when enrolling you with retail electricity providers, which is the only time we will ever share your information.

FAQ from Smart Meter Texas

Below is information directly from Smart Meter Texas regarding this authorization.

What will my authorization do?

Your authorization will allow Energy Ogre LLC to access, download, and use your electricity consumption, meter, and premise information through Smart Meter Texas. Without your authorization, Smart Meter Texas will not provide Energy Ogre LLC access to your information.

What is Smart Meter Texas?

Smart Meter Texas provides customers, retail electric providers, and other entities that have been authorized by the customer access to the customer's electricity consumption, meter, and premise information. Smart Meter Texas is jointly owned and managed by AEP Texas Inc., CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric LLC, Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, and Texas-New Mexico Power Company.

How long will this authorization last?

The authorization requested by Energy Ogre LLC is for 12 months. The maximum period of time that Smart Meter Texas may allow access to your electricity information is 12 months for residential and small commercial customers and up to 36 months for larger commercial customers. The length of your agreement with Energy Ogre LLC may differ from the period of time Energy Ogre LLC has requested to access your electricity information through Smart Meter Texas. You should review any agreement you may have with Energy Ogre LLC to determine if there is a difference between the two periods of time.

Will I receive a reminder about when this authorization will expire?

Yes. Smart Meter Texas will send you an email 30 days before the authorization expires and another email 15 days before it expires. You can (but do not have to) renew Energy Ogre LLC's access to your electricity consumption, meter, and premise information through these renewal emails. However, you should review any agreement you may have with Energy Ogre LLC because its expiration date may differ from the expiration date of your authorization allowing Energy Ogre LLC to access your information through Smart Meter Texas. Any separate agreement with Energy Ogre LLC may not end if you choose not to renew the authorization for Energy Ogre LLC to access your information through Smart Meter Texas.

If I confirm the authorization now, can I change it later?

Yes, you may end your authorization at any time by either 

  1. Directing Energy Ogre LLC to end its access to your electricity information through Smart Meter Texas, or
  2. Creating an account on Smart Meter Texas and following the steps necessary to end the authorization. The steps can be found in the Smart Meter Texas User Guide.   

Please note: Energy Ogre LLC's access to new electricity information will end the first day after your authorization ends. However, for 45 days after your authorization ends, Energy Ogre LLC may continue to have access to your prior electricity information for the dates your authorization was active. Energy Ogre LLC will not have access to any new data for dates after the authorization ends. 

Is there a penalty or fee if I end, reject, or do not confirm this authorization request?

Smart Meter Texas does not assess a penalty or fee if you end, reject, or do not confirm this authorization request. However, Energy Ogre LLC may charge a fee if you have an agreement with it for specific services, so you should ask Energy Ogre LLC if you have questions about any early termination fees.

Do I need to set up an account on Smart Meter Texas?

No, you do not need to set up an account on Smart Meter Texas unless you wish to end the authorization for Energy Ogre LLC to access your electricity information through Option 2 explained above, or otherwise would like to access your information yourself through Smart Meter Texas. 

How do I set up an account on Smart Meter Texas?

You can set up an account on Smart Meter Texas by going to www.smartmetertexas.com. You will need the name of your current retail electric provider or their certificate number, ESI ID number, and meter number to register an account. To find that information, check your electricity bill or contact your retail electric provider. If you need help setting up an account on Smart Meter Texas, you can contact the Smart Meter Texas customer support help desk at [1-888-616-5859].

Is my agreement or contract with Smart Meter Texas?

No, any agreement or contract with Energy Ogre LLC for specific services is a private party agreement between you and Energy Ogre LLC.

Who do I contact if I have a problem with my agreement with Energy Ogre LLC?

You can call Energy Ogre LLC. Smart Meter Texas cannot resolve disputes between you and Energy Ogre LLC. Energy Ogre LLC may not be under the authority of the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

I want to authorize Energy Ogre LLC to access my electricity consumption, meter, and premise information through Smart Meter Texas. How do I confirm this request for authorization?

By clicking the CONFIRM button in the email from Energy Ogre, you can confirm that you have authorized Energy Ogre LLC to access your electricity information through Smart Meter Texas for 12 months, and you agree to the Smart Meter Texas Terms and Conditions. 

I do not want to authorize Energy Ogre LLC to access my electricity consumption, meter, and premise information through Smart Meter Texas. How do I reject this request for authorization?

By clicking the DO NOT CONFIRM button above, you can reject the request to confirm your authorization. Rejecting the request lets Smart Meter Texas know that you do not authorize Energy Ogre LLC to have access to your electricity information through Smart Meter Texas or do not agree to the Terms and Conditions. If you change your mind after clicking the DO NOT CONFIRM button, you will need to contact Energy Ogre LLC and request that it contact Smart Meter Texas to send you a new request for authorization.

What if I did not authorize Energy Ogre LLC to access my electricity consumption, meter, and premise information through Smart Meter Texas, or otherwise believe this email is spam?

If you did not authorize Energy Ogre LLC to access your electricity information through Smart Meter Texas or otherwise believe this request is spam, you might report it by clicking the DID NOT REQUEST button in the email from Energy Ogre.

What happens if I do not take any action? 

If you do not take any action before the expiration date of the email, the request will expire, and Energy Ogre LLC will not have access to your electricity consumption, meter, and premise information.  To allow Energy Ogre LLC access to your electricity information after this request expires, you will need to contact Energy Ogre LLC and request that it contact Smart Meter Texas to send you a new request for authorization.

Notice from Smart Meter Texas:

Energy Ogre LLC may not be regulated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT). Any disagreements about any contract or agreement you may have with Energy Ogre LLC, including how Energy Ogre LLC uses your electricity information, are private disputes between you and Energy Ogre LLC that may require legal action on your part. Energy Ogre LLC is required to follow the Smart Meter Texas Terms and Conditions. If Energy Ogre LLC violates the Smart Meter Texas Terms and Conditions, Smart Meter Texas may only revoke Energy Ogre LLC's access to your data but cannot assist you with any additional remedies. If you authorize access to your electricity information, you should understand how Energy Ogre LLC will use, collect, store, share, sell, and/or otherwise disclose your information. Please contact Energy Ogre LLC to obtain additional information regarding these issues. The authorization requested by Energy Ogre LLC is for 12 months. The length of your contract or agreement with Energy Ogre LLC for specific services may differ from the period of time Energy Ogre LLC has requested to access your electricity information through Smart Meter Texas. You should review any contract or agreement you may have entered into with Energy Ogre LLC to determine if there is any difference between the two periods of time. If you do not agree to provide access to your electricity information to Energy Ogre LLC, please select the "Do Not Confirm" action button below. Smart Meter Texas does not assess a penalty or fee if you end, reject, or do not confirm this authorization request. However, if you have a contract with Energy Ogre LLC and select the "Do Not Confirm" action button below (which denies access to your electricity information), this action may result in early termination of your contract with Energy Ogre LLC and costs to you. Please consult your contract and Energy Ogre LLC for details.

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