By Khalida Sarwari
Tech leaders gathered in Santa Clara today to announce the launch of a new online tool that will give people the power to track the amount of energy they use and save money on their utility bills.
The initiative, called the “Green Button,” is a tool that allows consumers to download their own electricity data from a utility website. The goal is to help consumers better manage their energy use and shrink their utility bills, industry leaders said at a launch event in Santa Clara this morning.
“That’s what this is really about – changing behaviors based on giving people information,” said Todd Inlander, a vice president at Southern California Edison.
The tool was developed by California’s three major utilities — PG&E, San Diego Gas and Electric, and Southern California Edison — after Aneesh Chopra, assistant to President Obama and U.S. Chief Technology Officer, challenged electricity providers in September to build a system that would enable consumers to track their energy usage.
The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology are providing technical assistance and up to $8 million in funding toward the new initiative.
“The Green Button will help us enable and inform consumers to control, value and change the way they interact with energy,” Ethan Sprague, director of business development and government affairs at SunRun, said.
The initiative is expected to also be implemented by utilities in other states.
Chopra attended the launch event today, along with CEOs and senior executives from smart grid, energy efficiency, and solar financing companies, who demonstrated software applications and tools that will soon be available to consumers.
