Access to usage data is key benefit of smart meters

AUGUSTA, Maine - Central Maine Power Co. (CMP), a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, joined with utilities from across the country last week to discuss progress on the utility industry’s “Green Button” initiative. Green Button is an industry-led effort to provide electricity customers with easy access to standardized energy use data in a consumer-friendly and computer-friendly format. Customers may download the data into analytical apps that can help them use energy more efficiently.

 CMP is among the first utilities in the nation to enable Green Button functionality, which lets customers download their own hourly electricity usage data through CMP’s secure website. The service is available to any customer with a smart meter who is enrolled in CMP’s Energy Manager program. Energy Manager works with smart meters and allows a customer to see detailed data on their electricity use through a secure on-line system. The program also offers tips to manage energy use and allows customers to compare their own use with that of similar households.

 “Research has shown that people want to be able to monitor their energy use, and they expect their utility to provide information to help them control their electric bill,” says Jayme Holland, program manager at CMP. “Our smart meters and related technology are giving consumers the tools and information they need to better manage their energy use, and CMP is proud to be a part of this industry-wide effort.”

 At last week’s meeting in San Antonio, Texas, representatives from CMP and other utilities shared a broad range of experiences with Green Button, including the goals utilities hope to achieve from the program, how it integrates with other technologies, the products and services that use the data, and privacy and regulatory issues.

New price comparison tool available for CMP customers

In addition to Green Button data, CMP customers enrolled Energy Manager now have access to a new price comparison tool. The tool uses data recorded in Energy Manager to analyze up to a year of historical energy use. It distributes historical use into categories for standard flat-rate and time-of-use pricing for both the electricity delivery and supply portions of a customer’s bill. Then it shows the customer, based on historical patterns, which pricing option would be the least expensive.

More information on Energy Manager, Green Button, the Price Comparison Tool, and other smart meter benefits can be found at CMP’s web site at https://www.cmpco.com/YourAccount/UnderstandingYourBill/smartmeterbenefits.html. Apps that use Green Button data can be found at http://en.openei.org/apps/.