Draft2:Green Button

The Green Button initiative is a standard for energy data access in the United States aimed at empowering consumers with their energy usage data. It allows utility customers to download their energy usage data in a standardized, consumer-friendly, and computer-friendly format. This initiative encourages transparency and helps consumers understand their energy consumption patterns better, potentially leading to energy savings.

It is an industry-led effort that enables electricity customers to download information about their household or building energy-use in a consumer- and computer-friendly format.^[1]

Official Site - greenbuttondata.org

DOE relevance

he Green Button concept was introduced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in response to a call from the White House for innovative ways to provide consumers with easy access to their personal energy data. It was officially launched in 2012.

DOE links

search for links on Energy.gov like:
- PG&E Demo
- NIST presentation

Connect

Green Button Connect (GBC) is an extension of the Green Button initiative, which itself is an effort to provide utility customers with easy and secure access to their energy usage data. It allows consumers to authorize third-party services to securely and automatically access their energy usage data without manually having to download and provide it each time. This is aimed at fostering innovation in energy management by enabling applications and services to use real-time or near-real-time data with the consumer's explicit permission.

Stakeholders

Department of Energy (DOE) initiated the Green Button concept as part of a broader push towards energy efficiency and consumer empowerment in energy usage.
Both residential and commercial consumers benefit from Green Button by gaining insights into their energy consumption, which can lead to better energy management and savings.
Utilities and energy providers are the primary implementers of the Green Button standard. The following companies have adopted or committed to adopting Green Button, providing their customers with access to energy usage data:

Utilities Committed to Implementing Green Button

Ameren Illinois
American Electric Power
Austin Energy
Baltimore Gas & Electric
Bangor Hydro Electric Company
CenterPoint Energy
Central Maine Power
Chattanooga EPB
Commonwealth Edison
Connecticut Light and Power
Consolidated Edison
Efficiency Vermont
Glendale Water and Power
JEA
Kootenai Electric Cooperative, Inc.
National Grid
NSTAR
Oncor
Pacific Power
PacifiCorp
PECO
Pepco Holdings Inc.
PG&E
PPL Electric Utilities
Public Service Company of New Hampshire
Reliant
Rocky Mountain Power
Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation
SDG&E
Southern California Edison
The United Illuminating Company
TNMP
TXU Energy
Virginia Dominion Power
Western Massachusetts Electric Company
Yankee Gas

Companies Currently Support or Pledging to Support Green Button Data

Aclara
Belkin
Building Energy Inc.
BuildingIQ
C3
Calico Energy Services
EcoDog
eMeter - A Siemens Business
EnergyAi
EnergySavvy
EnerNex
EnerNOC
FirstFuel
Gas and Power Technologies
Genability
High Energy Audits
Honest Buildings
HyperTek
iControl Networks
Itron
Lucid
Melon
OPower
Oracle
People Power
Performance Systems Development
PlotWatt
Power2Switch
Retroficiency
Schneider-Electric
Silver Spring Networks
Simple Energy
Smart Grid Labs
Smart Utility Systems
Snugg Home
SunRun
Tendril
Wattvision

Data standard

Green Button is based on the Energy Services Provider Interface (ESPI) data standard released by the North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) in the fall of 2011. The data standards development process was facilitated by the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel, a public private partnership that is facilitated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The ESPI standard consists of two components:

a common XML format for energy usage information and
a data exchange protocol which allows for the automatic transfer of data from a utility to a third party based on customer authorization.

All of the utilities that have committed to Green Button will implement the common XML data format in an easy to download manner.

History

Responding to a call by President Obama to help consumers take better control of their energy bills, six new utilities and electricity suppliers today committed to provide millions of households and businesses unprecedented access to their own energy use data with a simple click of an online “Green Button.” The new commitments will expand the provision of secure, easy-to understand, electronic information about energy use to a total of more than 30 million U.S. households and businesses.^[1]

External links

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 New Industry Commitments to Give Over 3 Million New Households and Businesses Tools to Shrink Their Energy Bills ^Link, May 2, 2012, OSTP

[WhitehouseMay2012-1] 1.0 ^1.1 New Industry Commitments to Give Over 3 Million New Households and Businesses Tools to Shrink Their Energy Bills ^Link, May 2, 2012, OSTP

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