Wake Forest, NC— Wake Electric has joined leading utilities across the country by providing the “Green Button” on its website. In fact, Wake Electric is the first and only utility in North Carolina to offer the Green Button data interface. With the click of a button, Wake Electric members can now view their electricity usage quickly and easily fromwww.wemc.com.
This information is provided in a standardized format that electric utilities across the country are also using – encouraging awareness of energy use and allowing third parties to develop applications giving Wake Electric members the information and tools to more effectively manage their energy costs. Also, sharing detailed energy usage data with other family members may help Wake Electric’s members decide together how to better manage their electric usage.
By using the Green Button, Wake Electric members will be able to view an overall summary of their electricity usage over the past 13 months and provide their electricity usage data to third parties in a standardized format.
For example, members can share their detailed electric usage data with a home improvement sales associate when choosing new appliances or with a solar panel contractor who may be proposing an optimal installation for a member’s home. This detailed information on electricity usage may help energy experts help you make better choices for your home. The Green Button allows members that have an interest in analyzing the statistics to determine how energy efficient their homes are currently.
Members that wish to take the Green Button one step further can provide their energy use data to a third party application (app) that is designed to help people make choices about how much energy they use. These Green Button compatible apps are designed to take detailed personal usage data and show customers ways to save energy and lower their bill. The Open Energy Info (EI) non-profit website maintains a list of currently active Green Button apps you can use at http://en.openei.org/apps/?keyword=Green%20Button%20Apps.
While members are free to share their usage data with whomever they choose, Wake Electric urges its members to download the data and then send it to the third party. Never give anyone your password to access your account directly.
Wake Electric members can download their data by visiting https://wemc.smarthub.coop/.
After a member selects his or her report criteria within SmartHub, the members’ usage data will be downloaded in a zipped XML file format. When the files are extracted, members can open the XML file. Note that the exact steps of the download may vary depending on the member’s Web browser and download settings.
Wake Electric is a non-profit electric utility serving over 37,000 members in parts of Franklin, Durham, Granville, Johnston, Vance, Nash, and Wake counties. Visitwww.wemc.com for more information.
For more information about the Green Button, go to www.greenbuttondata.org/.