Customers of Essex Powerlines will soon be able to access The Green Button standard which allows homeowners and small businesses to track and control their energy use.
The app is intended to save money on monthly energy bills according to the province.
Energy minister Todd Smith joined Essex Powerlines officials Thursday morning to officially launch the Green Button app, which will be mandated to all regulated electricity and natural gas utilities in the province in 2023.
“It’s empowering to customers,” Smith says. “It provides that customer choice that people are wanting and of course everybody wants to drive down their energy bills so it’s a win-win all the way around.”
The Green Button standard, first implemented in London, Ont. will be available to local utility customers in April.
It gives access to energy consumption data and allows them to share with third parties. Smith says early adopters of the technology have saved upwards of 18 per cent on their monthly energy bills.
“It doesn’t matter where you are. You could be on vacation somewhere, you could be at the arena with the kids, you could be stuck at the office a little longer than you thought you would be,” Smith says users will be able to learn how to track hourly energy use and save money directly from their smartphone. “You can move your electricity usage up and down.”
Smith’s visit to Essex County came one day after the energy minister announced Ontario is looking into options for a new ultra-low overnight time-of-use electricity price plan.
Officials believe it could help shift workers and residential consumers that use more electricity at night save money while also supporting electric vehicle (EV) adoption by reducing overnight EV charging costs. It’s also seen as a way to encourage more people to get electric vehicles.
“As we march on in particular with the electrification of vehicles it will be a great opportunity that you can use the power overnight when it’s least required to power up your vehicle,” Essex County Warden Gary McNamara says adopting the Green Button standard gives residents an early advantage to control their costs before other regions in the province.
“It’s basically preparing us for the almost imminent future of how we should utilize electricity and how it spreads it out over the course of 24 hours.”
Green Button became available in 2012, but has not been mandatory. Everyone in Ontario will have access in 2023 when the province will become the first in Canada to mandate the standard.
McNamara adds, “We’re ahead of the curve and others will follow.”
