Some technological shifts are announced with press conferences, news headlines, and emotional LinkedIn posts in capital letters. Others sneak in through the back door, invisible to most—but with the potential to change everything. PRODAT's expanded role in the EDIEL system for information exchange in the energy industry is precisely such a change. One that happens quietly – but has repercussions in everything from invoicing to climate reporting. At EG Mestro, we have already made the change, so you won't notice anything at all. But let's still ask the eternal question: if a communication protocol is replaced in the back end of the electricity market, and no one notices... has it really happened?
A technological shift is currently underway in the energy industry. It is a narrow, quiet, and seemingly internal shift—but one with major consequences. For decades, EDIEL has been the underlying language that governs how electricity companies, property owners, and system suppliers communicate with each other. But now PRODAT is taking on a key role in communication, primarily by taking over authorization management. This is not about a new app or an AI agent with a charming name – it's about infrastructure. The cornerstones of how information travels, connects, is shared, and is understood. And it changes more than you think.
But who are we trying to fool? This doesn't sound like fun. EDIEL, UTILTS, PRODAT – it sounds more like something a person with eczema on their hands would ask for at the pharmacy than something that belongs in a digitalized energy market. But behind these cryptic names lies something really cool.
EDIEL is not actually a system, but a collective name for the standards that govern the exchange of information in the Nordic energy market – a bit like a common set of rules that allows different players to talk to each other without everything crashing. UTILTS is one of these “languages” – a specific template for how time series data, i.e. energy data over time, should be structured. Think of an Excel spreadsheet with very specific rules for how each cell should be filled in. It has been robust, but also inflexible.
So while UTILTS continues to be used for time series data, PRODAT is now taking on an expanded role, including handling authorizations – which opens up new opportunities for automation, transparency, and control.
No, it's not glamorous. But it's the foundation for the entire energy industry to take the next digital step.
EDIEL, UTILTS, and why you haven't heard of them
If you haven't worked directly with electricity grid communication, it's quite reasonable that you've never heard of EDIEL or UTILTS. That doesn't mean they haven't affected you. On the contrary. Every time energy data has been sent from an electricity network company to a property owner, from a broker to an electricity supplier, it has often been done via this regulatory framework. You could say that EDIEL has been the energy market's equivalent of diplomatic interpreters – discreet, accurate, irreplaceable.
The information sent according to these rules forms the basis for things that affect the ventilation in your office building, the electricity consumption in your rental property, and the cost allocation on your electricity bill. When data flows smoothly from network companies to property owners, the operations technician can optimize the indoor climate. The finance department can make accurate energy budgets. And tenants don't have to pay for someone else's hot tub in the basement.
So even though EDIEL has never appeared in any app, it has affected everything from operational accuracy to your monthly costs. When it works, you don't notice it – but when it doesn't, the entire property's energy management can start to falter.
PRODAT is playing an increasingly important role in this – not least because the old language is no longer sufficient. Just as when the office's fluffy hipster ironically continues to type away on his grandmother's typewriter from the 1960s – there has been a certain charm to it; technically, it has worked, but it has made it impossible to communicate with the rest of the office. No Wi-Fi, no cloud services, no automatic printing. Just equal parts charisma and frustration.
What is PRODAT – and why is the change happening?
PRODAT is an international standard for the exchange of customer and facility information within the energy market. In practice, this means that information about, for example, electrical facilities, metering points, consumption, contractual parties, and network areas will have a new, clearer structure. And in the electricity market, we like structure! It makes the information more useful – and significantly easier to share and interpret between different systems.
And no – PRODAT is not a Swedish invention. It is an international standard that is already in use in our neighboring countries. Norway, Finland, and Denmark have all introduced national electricity hubs where this type of information exchange is commonplace. In Sweden, we still have a decentralized system, which makes formats such as PRODAT absolutely crucial for data to be sent, received, and understood. So even though the change itself is happening here and now in Sweden, the direction is both Nordic and necessary. If we are to be able to play on the same field as the rest of the electricity market, we must speak the same language.
You could say that energy data is finally coming of age. From teenage-like systems with sloppily packed Excel sheets to proper data models with clear interfaces. In short, PRODAT is a step from Friday night fun in the basement to taking a seat in the boardroom – a prerequisite for energy work, just like sustainability work, to be taken seriously by more than just those already converted.
Think of it as switching from fax to API, or from Morse code to 4G. The old way worked, but it was built for a simpler time. Today, property owners and energy companies not only need access to data – they need it to be traceable, interpretable and ready to use in smart platforms, climate calculations and strategic decisions. For anyone who has set their sights on a future where AI and intelligent agents become indispensable in energy work, the shift to PRODAT is not only logical – it is necessary.
PRODAT and proxy management – a welcome end to paper handling
One of the most significant improvements with the new PRODAT management system is proxy management. Anyone who has ever had to deal with complicated manual processes knows that this has been a time-consuming part of energy work – for network companies, for us, and not least for our customers.
Now things are changing. With the new structure, property owners can view, manage, and update their powers of attorney directly with the network companies – in the same place where they give us access to their facilities, they can also withdraw it. Full transparency. Fewer manual steps. And significantly less confusion.
It may not be the kind of digitalisation that gets tech journalists writing columns – but in everyday life, it makes a big difference. And that's exactly where the change is most noticeable.
What PRODAT means for property owners, energy companies, and system suppliers
If you are a system administrator, integrator, or property owner with ambitions to digitize your energy management, you will soon notice that the world is changing. The flow of information is becoming clearer, data quality is improving, and opportunities are growing. PRODAT makes it easier to synchronize energy data with financial systems, ESG reports, and other strategic tools.
But if you work further away from the actual data collection—perhaps with sustainability reporting, financing, or strategic analysis—the goal is actually for you not to notice anything at all. And that is precisely the point. PRODAT is part of reducing hassle, minimizing the risk of incorrect values, and creating a more streamlined experience for an industry that has had to settle for less-than-ideal tools for far too long.
PRODAT – The silent technological shift that is changing the playing field
PRODAT is not a Hollywood premiere. In many cases, it is not even a push notification. But it is a reminder that real change often happens long before it is noticed in annual reports and sustainability reports. It is when the infrastructure is replaced that it becomes possible to think in new ways – and act smarter.
And speaking of working without being noticed: we at EG Mestro have already adapted to the new standard. Despite short notice and high technical requirements, our PRODAT-compatible system is in place, tested and approved. For our customers, this means that everything just keeps working – stably, securely, and without disruption. Do you know if your network company or energy monitoring platform has done the same? Because it is when the infrastructure is replaced that it becomes possible to think in new ways – and act smarter. And we all need that.
So even if you didn't hear the tree fall, the ground beneath your feet is now different. And if you're wise, you'll start planning what to build on it. We believe it will be something fantastic!
