Why automate smart meter data?

When you first need smart meter data, you download it manually. Open the grid operator's web portal, select a time range, export CSV. For a single meter, that is manageable. But what about ten meters? Or a hundred? Across multiple grid operators?

This article takes an honest look at when manual data collection reaches its limits, what building your own automation costs, and when a managed service is the better choice.

The status quo: Manual data access

Most companies start with manual data access. The options are limited:

• Grid operator portals — Austrian grid operators each offer a web portal where consumption data can be viewed and downloaded as CSV. A separate login for each grid operator.
• Email requests — Some grid operators send data upon request via email.
• Excel analyses — The downloaded CSVs are manually merged into spreadsheets.

This approach has obvious drawbacks: It is time-consuming , error-prone , and not scalable . But for a pilot project with just a few meters, it can suffice — and that is exactly how many companies start.

When manual is no longer enough

The point at which manual data access becomes a problem arrives sooner than expected:

• Multiple meters — Starting at around 5-10 meters, the manual download and consolidation of data becomes a significant time commitment.
• Multiple grid operators — When meters are with different grid operators (which is common for a building portfolio), the effort multiplies: different portals, different data formats, separate credentials.
• Daily data — Anyone who needs not just monthly analyses but daily or even near-real-time data cannot manage this manually.
• System integration — When data needs to flow into an existing system (ERP, building management, custom software), manual entry is not an option.

Option 1: Build your own EDA connection

The obvious solution seems to be building your own connection to the EDA network. In practice, this means:

Initial effort

• Registration as an EDA market participant — A formal process with regulatory requirements.
• Communication infrastructure — Own servers with encrypted endpoints that implement the EDA standard.
• Ponton integration — Connection to the EDA network's communication platform.
• Consent management — Implementation of the CCM process for obtaining and managing consumer consents.

Ongoing effort

• Biannual EDA releases — Protocol specifications change twice a year. Each release must be implemented, tested, and deployed.
• Grid operator idiosyncrasies — Over 120 grid operators mean just as many potential edge cases. Response times, data formats, and behaviors vary.
• Monitoring — Communication endpoints must be available around the clock. Outages mean data loss.
• Maintenance and updates — Security patches, certificate renewals, infrastructure updates.

On top of this come the less obvious tasks: The received XML messages must be parsed, validated, and transformed into your own data structure . Incomplete time series — for example, due to meter failures or communication disruptions — must be detected and handled. And the status of consent requests and active data deliveries must be continuously monitored to ensure that only authorized data is processed.

Realistically, building your own EDA connection is an infrastructure project that requires several months of development time and permanently dedicated technical resources.

Option 2: Use a managed service

A managed service handles the entire EDA complexity and provides the data through simpler interfaces. Instead of your own EDA infrastructure, you use an API , webhooks , or CSV exports .

The advantages are clear:

• No infrastructure effort — No own communication endpoints, no monitoring of EDA infrastructure.
• Quick start — From the first API call to data delivery takes days instead of months.
• All grid operators covered — One interface for all Austrian grid operators, including all their idiosyncrasies.
• Protocol updates included — Biannual EDA releases are handled by the service provider.
• Standard protocols — REST API instead of industry-specific XML protocols. Integration in hours instead of weeks.

When to choose which option?

The honest answer is: it depends. Here is some guidance:

A managed service is the better choice when:

• Energy data is a building block in a larger product, not the core product itself
• The company has no specialized knowledge of the Austrian energy market
• The number of meters is manageable (up to several hundred)
• Fast time-to-market is more important than maximum control
• The technical resources for building and operating your own EDA infrastructure are not available

Building your own EDA connection can make sense when:

• Energy data is the company's core product
• Thousands or tens of thousands of meters need to be connected
• Maximum control over data processing is required
• The company already has energy market expertise and EDA experience
• Regulatory reasons require direct participation in the EDA network

An often underestimated factor is opportunity cost : Every month the development team invests in EDA infrastructure is a month not spent on actual product development. Especially for companies that use energy data as a component of a larger product, this time loss can outweigh the ongoing costs of a managed service.

For the vast majority of companies — energy service providers , building managers , energy consultants , software developers — a managed service is the more pragmatic path. It allows you to focus on the actual value proposition instead of building and maintaining infrastructure.

Summary

Automating smart meter data access is not a question of if, but when. Manual data access does not scale. The question is whether to build the automation yourself or buy it.

Both paths have their merits. What matters is the use case, the available resources, and whether energy data infrastructure is part of your core business or a tool on the way to your actual goal.