Metered Energy Usage & Utility Metered Energy Usage (Green Button - Connect My Data)
What is Energy Usage Analytics?
Energy Usage Analytics shows details about a site's gross energy usage (before solar & battery), a site's net energy usage (after solar & battery), and the net energy usage measured by the utility for billing purposes. This is useful for several reasons, such as:
- Comparing gross energy usage over time to see if a site's usage has increased, such as before and after commissioning.
- Visualizing the difference in energy usage before solar and battery to the energy usage after solar and battery.
- Comparing the readings from the installed project meter on site to the utility's own meter on site. This comparison is used to ensure your site is being billed correctly for its energy usage, as well as for troubleshooting misconfigured meters.
How does Monitor compare my project meter to my site's utility meter?
The actual site energy usage is retrieved via the metering equipment on site that was installed as part of project commissioning. The utility reported energy usage is retrieved directly from the utility via Energy Toolbase's Green Button - Connect My Data API integration with selected utilities. The comparison metrics are made by dividing the two data streams.
Comparison Metrics Example:
Last month, 50kWh of net energy usage was reported by the project meter on site.
Last month, 100kWh of net energy usage was reported by the utility's meter on site.
Utility Reported Measurement / Site Energy Usage After PV & ESS = 200%. This represents the deviation between meter readings.
Utility Reported Energy Usage After PV & ESS - Site Energy Usage After PV & ESS = 100kWh. This represents the number of kWh your site may have been overcharged.
Where can I see more details?
This data is available in more detail by scrolling to the Site Demand During Billing Period chart, which shows the actual usage and utility-reported usage on a 15-minute interval basis. In the below image you can see a divergence during the first half of the billing period, which resulted from the utility misreading their meter.
FAQ:
1. How often is utility reported data updated?
Generally, utility reported data is updated once per day with a data lag of 24 hours. However, a data lag of up to 3 days is normal.
2. My utility reported data does not match my site's energy usage. What should I do?
Contact your ETB Account Manager. They can work with you to make sure that your project's meter is configured correctly, as well as loop in personnel at your utility to get any issues with the utility's meter corrected.
3. What utilities are supported with this feature?
PG&E, SDG&E, SCE as well as associated CCA's are supported. Energy Toolbase is adding more utilities over time, so contact your account manager if you have specific utilities that you would like added to the list.
4: How do I get the Utility Reported Green Button Data automatically reported for my site?
Follow the guide to setting up Green Button Connect My Data in Monitor.