Question 1

What is Smart Meter Texas?

Accepted Answer

Smart Meter Texas (SMT) is the official Texas portal for accessing residential electricity meter data. It stores 15-minute interval readings for every meter in deregulated Texas, covering Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, and TNMP. Homeowners use it to see their real usage, and solar installers use it to size systems and compare plans.

Question 2

How do I access my own electricity usage data in Texas?

Accepted Answer

Your usage lives in Smart Meter Texas, the state portal that keeps a 15-minute record of your meter. The do-it-yourself path is to create an SMT account, request access to your meter, wait for the confirmation email, then download a CSV. It works, but it is slow and the raw file is hard to read. The faster path is to upload one electricity bill here. I pull your last 12 months of 15-minute readings in about 30 seconds, with no SMT account on your end, and show the power you used from the grid next to the excess power you sent back.

Question 3

I want to compare electricity plans using my actual usage. How do I do that?

Accepted Answer

Real 15-minute data beats a guess, especially for a solar home, because your savings depend on when you use power and how much you send back. Upload a bill here to pull and download your usage. Use those readings when comparing energy rates, solar credits, and delivery charges. The Browse Meter plans link opens our plan page separately; it does not transfer your readings from this tool. A plan that looks cheap at a flat 1,000 kWh can turn into a bad deal once your real solar pattern is included.

Question 4

How do I check if my solar buyback rate is fair?

Accepted Answer

Pull your real usage first, because the value of a buyback credit depends on how much excess power you actually send back. Use those readings to compare the credit each plan offers against its energy rate, fees, and delivery charges. This tool provides your usage data; it does not automatically calculate a personalized plan comparison. The buyback number on its own can be misleading. What matters is your total bill across the whole year, not one headline rate.

Question 5

Is it safe to share my meter data with Meter?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Smart Meter Texas runs on a formal data sharing agreement, so access is logged and tied to your specific meter. I only pull usage readings, never anything that lets me change your service or your bill, and you can revoke access in Smart Meter Texas at any time. I built this to help you see your own data clearly, not to lock you in.

Question 6

How do I get 15-minute interval data from Smart Meter Texas?

Accepted Answer

Traditionally you need to create an SMT account, request data access, download the CSV, and reformat it for your design tool. Meter's SMT Data Tool handles the data sharing agreement and retrieval for you — upload a bill and get 12 months of interval data in seconds, pre-formatted for Aurora, OpenSolar, or Solargraf.

Question 7

How do I import Smart Meter Texas data into Aurora Solar?

Accepted Answer

Upload a bill to Meter's SMT Data Tool, then click the Aurora export button. The file matches Aurora's interval data import spec — ready to drag and drop into your project.

Question 8

How do I import Smart Meter Texas data into OpenSolar?

Accepted Answer

Upload a bill to Meter's SMT Data Tool and click the OpenSolar export. The output matches OpenSolar's expected CSV format with 15-minute readings. No column mapping or reformatting needed.

Question 9

What is an ESI ID and how do I find it?

Accepted Answer

An ESI ID (Electric Service Identifier) is a 17-digit number assigned to every electricity meter in Texas. It appears on every electricity bill near the service address. Meter's SMT Data Tool extracts it automatically from an uploaded bill.

Question 10

Do I need a Smart Meter Texas login to pull interval data?

Accepted Answer

You don't need your own SMT account. Meter handles the data sharing agreement as an authorized Competitive Service Provider (CSP). Upload a customer's electricity bill and we handle the ESI extraction, agreement, and retrieval.

Question 11

Which Texas utilities (TDUs) are supported?

Accepted Answer

All Texas TDUs in Smart Meter Texas: Oncor (Dallas/Fort Worth), CenterPoint (Houston), AEP Texas (South and West Texas), TNMP (scattered territories), and Lubbock Power & Light.

Question 12

What is 15-minute interval data?

Accepted Answer

A granular record of electricity usage measured every 15 minutes by a smart meter. Each reading shows kWh consumed and, for solar homes, kWh exported to the grid. Installers use it to size systems accurately because it captures real usage patterns throughout the day.

Question 13

How long does it take to get Smart Meter Texas data?

Accepted Answer

About 30 seconds. Meter pulls 12 months of 15-minute readings and formats them for your design tool. The traditional SMT process — account creation, CSV download, reformatting — can take hours.

Question 14

Is this free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. No account, no cost, no usage limits.

What if pulling interval data
was easier than skipping it?

Drop a bill or enter meter info

15-min interval data in seconds

Export to your design tool

For homeowners: see your own usage and check your plan

Frequently asked questions

What if pulling interval datawas easier than skipping it?