This legislation, titled the "Access to Consumer Energy Information Act" or "E-Access Act," seeks to foster competition in digital energy management tools and significantly improve consumer access to electric energy and natural gas information. Its primary purpose is to enable the development and adoption of innovative products and services that assist consumers, organizations, and governments in managing their energy usage and enhancing electric grid reliability. The bill mandates the Secretary of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to jointly develop and issue guidelines for States. These guidelines will establish model data sharing standards and policies, ensuring electric and gas consumers, along with their authorized third-party designees, can access retail electric energy and natural gas information. This process requires consultation with various stakeholders, including State and local regulatory authorities, utilities, consumer groups, and federal agencies. The guidelines specify that energy usage and cost information must be made available electronically, in machine-readable form, without additional charge, and in conformity with nationally recognized open standards. This includes at least 24 months of historical data, provided as close to real-time as practicable, and at the highest level of specificity available from meters or grid edge computers. Crucially, the guidelines emphasize robust protections for information security and consumer privacy, utilizing programs like the Department of Energy's DataGuard Energy Data Privacy Program, and require standardized, user-friendly consent mechanisms for third-party access. Furthermore, the bill outlines requirements for utilities and electric meter software platforms. Utilities must offer reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms for third-party access, provide periodic certification of adherence to the Green Button Connect My Data standard, and ensure high system availability. Electric meter software platforms must operate under fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory terms for authorized users, transparently disclose performance, and address potential anti-competitive issues such as self-preferencing. Consumers retain the right to select, install, and operate applications of their choice on their electric meters. Finally, the legislation establishes a process for State energy offices to submit their data access policies for certification by the Secretary, with authorized appropriations to assist States in implementing these programs. It also requires the Secretary and FERC to submit a report evaluating the costs and benefits of electric utilities transmitting individual consumer meter data to wholesale electricity markets for price settlement, including analyses of advanced metering infrastructure, flexible demand, and potential anticompetitive impacts.