Green Button provides a unified, industry-standard data format, which can be used to analyze and manage a consumer’s energy usage. The introduction of Green Button industry-standard data across Ontario utilities will provide the foundation for developing new tools and applications for customers to analyze and monitor their energy usage to reduce costs.

Below are just a few of the benefits of Green Button data:

• Improve energy efficiency – Consumers can use Green Button data to identify and compare their energy usage to improve their home or business efficiency.
• Reduce energy costs – By learning their usage patterns and habits, consumers can make informed choices about how much energy they use and when.
• When consumers use energy during off-peak hours (also known as peak-shaving) and invest in energy-efficient appliances, it saves money and can help reduce strain on the grid.
• Energy conservation – Consumers can use their data to conserve energy to help reduce their carbon footprint and protect the environment.
• Green Button tools to understand large volumes of energy data will help pave the way for future innovations in the energy sector.

Green Button Data for Residential Customers:

Many customers already view their energy data through their My Account online portal on the GrandBridge Energy website. With Green Button, third-party apps can analyze the data and provide insights to help customers understand their energy use and make informed decisions to help reduce costs.

With CMD, data is shared on an ongoing basis, letting third parties provide insights and alerts on usage trends and changes.

Green Button Data for Businesses:

Green Button provides a standardized format for customers with many properties across multiple utilities so that the data they receive from each utility is in a similar format. Green Button third parties in the commercial sector can analyze large volumes of data across multiple facilities to provide energy management advice.

With CMD, data is shared on an ongoing basis. This allows third parties to provide insights and alerts on usage trends and changes and monitor the impact of energy efficiency measures taken.

Green Button will also make it easier for facilities to complete mandatory government reporting requirements.

Customers can view and download their Green Button data in one of the following ways:

Option A: From My Account portal:

• Log in to the My Account portal.
• Once logged in, click the Green Button logo on the main dashboard screen.
• Select the Download My Data tab.
• Follow the prompts to select the data you would like to download.
• Click Download.
• An XML file containing your selected data will be downloaded.
• This file can be shared with a third party or uploaded to a Green Button app for viewing.

Option B: Direct link for customers who haven’t registered for the My Account portal:

• Click on the direct link to the GrandBridge Energy Green Button Portal.
• Enter your required account information to validate that you are the account owner. (Note: You will need to have a recent bill handy)
• Select the Download My Data tab.
• Follow the prompts to select the data you would like to download.
• Click Download
  An XML file containing your selected data will be downloaded.
• This file can be shared with a third party or uploaded to a Green Button app for viewing.

When you download your data, it will be in an industry-standard XML format. Please note that XML files are designed to be read and analyzed by computer applications, not humans.

When you download your data, you may send it to a third-party vendor or upload it to an application for analysis. As Green Button data becomes widely available across Ontario, more third-party solutions and applications will be developed and made available to analyze the data.

Sharing your data starts on the third-party vendor’s website.

• Go to the authorized third-party vendor’s Green Button registration web page.
• Complete the third-party vendor data-sharing authorization request form.
• You will be redirected to GrandBridge Energy’s Green Button Portal on the authorized third-party vendor’s website to authenticate, verify the data-sharing Information, review the terms and conditions, and approve data sharing.
• GrandBridge Energy will then exchange a security token with the authorized third-party vendor, allowing secure, automated data sharing.

Data can be shared with authorized third-party vendors that have registered with and been approved by GrandBridge Energy to use Connect My Data.

When authorizing a third-party vendor to access your data, you will select the type of data you want to share with them and for which account (if you have multiple accounts). You can choose your Energy Usage Data, Billing Data and/or Account Information to be shared. Your utility provider will share the type of data you have selected and authorized for that account.

Energy Usage Data includes:

• Historical usage up to a maximum of two (2) years and/or ongoing meter readings of your meters
• Hourly interval data
• Net metering data

Utility Bill Data includes:

• Billing periods
• Energy charges and adjustments
  Account
• Information includes:
  • Customer Name
  • Service address

When authorizing a third-party vendor to access your data, you select the duration and frequency for which you would like to share your data.

Yes, you can stop sharing your data with a third-party vendor anytime. To do so, go to the Data Shares tab within the GrandBridge Energy Green Button Portal, select the vendor you want to stop sharing your data with, and click Revoke.

GrandBridge Energy has been certified by the Green Button Alliance. This is the industry standard to ensure compliance with data sharing and security standards. Third-party vendors must also be certified by the Green Button Alliance and authorized as registered vendors. Before you authorize a third-party vendor, carefully read the terms and conditions on their website so that you understand how they will use, share or retain your data.

When authorizing a third-party vendor to access your data, you select the duration and frequency for which you would like to share your data.

Customers must initiate Connect My Data (data sharing) through the authorized third-party vendor’s website. The customer will be redirected to GrandBridge Energy’s Green Button portal from the third-party vendor website to authenticate and complete the Connect My Data authorization process.

The customer selects the duration for which the data will be shared with an authorized third-party vendor and the frequency at which the data will be shared. The customer can revoke access at any time.

Customers must make their authorizations online through one of the authorization methods. The customer must also authenticate with GrandBridge Energy before the security token can be exchanged with the utility and data can be shared.

• Ontario Energy Board – Green Button
• Green Button Alliance (GBA)