That's because smart meter data is classified as PII. I worked for decades at a utility and was a lead implementor of their smart grid rollout. We had worked with a company that had done machine learning on the meter data. They could tell the make and model of your furnace, your water heater, your refrigerator, your dishwasher, and were pretty good at determining what model of stove and clothes washer you had. All that, just from your meter data.
Now, we were using that data to identify furnaces and water heaters that were particularly energy inefficient and partner with local companies to provide discounted offers on new furnaces and new water heaters. Customers appreciated that, but a few were concerned how we knew they had an inefficient furnace and water heater.
That's part of why meter data is PII.
