On January 28, 2009 the United States House of Representatives passed their version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which includes funding for smart grid projects and energy efficiency programs. Four and a half billion USD are included in the stimulus bill for “Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability”. These funds shall be available for expenses necessary for electricity delivery and energy reliability activities related to an effort “to modernize the electric grid, enhance security and reliability of the energy infrastructure and storage research, development, demonstration and deployment, and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply, and for implementation of programs authorized under title XIII of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007”. From the total amount, 100 million USD shall be used for worker training.

Amendments to title XIII include provisions for financial support to smart grid demonstration projects in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Data from smart grid demonstration projects and other sources will be made available to the public in a timely manner through the establishment and maintenance of a smart grid information clearinghouse. Business proprietary information and individual customer information will not be included in the publicly available information.

One of the requirements as a condition of receiving a grant under this section that has triggered many discussions in the PAC community is that grant recipients should utilize for their smart grid projects Internet-based or other open protocols and standards, if available and appropriate.