Industry-led Initiative Aims to Promote Energy Sustainability

Energy efficiency is one of the quickest ways to make the use of energy more sustainable. A new White House-inspired, industry-led sustainability initiative called Green Button has been launched to help consumers take control of their electricity bills, reduce them and protect the environment at the same time.

The objective of the Green Button Initiative is to reduce energy demand by simplifying access to information about household energy use. Participating utility companies are providing their customers with secure, easy access to their own energy usage data in a consumer-friendly and computer-friendly format, via a "Green Button" on utility websites.

Amongst the utilities and electricity suppliers supporting the initiative are American Electric Power, Austin Energy, Baltimore Gas and Electric, CenterPoint Energy, Commonwealth Edison, NSTAR, PECO, Reliant and Virginia Dominion Power.

"Green Button will arm millions of Americans with information they can use to lower their energy bills," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "Innovative tools like these are good for our economy, good for the health of our communities, and an essential part of our approach toward a secure and clean energy future that works for Americans."

Efficiency2.0, a utility customer engagement company that has joined the initiative, said that in addition to providing electricity customers their own usage data in a standardized, user-friendly format available with the simple click of a button, Green Button also serves as a valuable mechanism for utilities to build greater customer engagement.

"The Green Button signals the future of open source energy data innovation. It puts the power of energy information into the hands of the consumer, providing them a safe, secure way to understand their energy use and to shrink utility bills," said Tom Scaramellino, CEO of Efficiency 2.0.

In a statement made earlier this year in January, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said: "Providing consumers with easy access to data on their energy consumption can help give them the tools they need to make informed decisions about their energy use. Developing applications and services to help consumers understand and control their energy use is a field ripe for American innovation."

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