The provincial government says Ontario will become the first province in Canada to mandate a standardized system that allows people to monitor their electricity and natural gas usage.
Energy Minister Todd Smith says nearly all regulated Ontario electricity and natural gas utilities will be required to enact the Green Button standard in 24 months.
Smith said “Green Button is part of our commitment to give consumers more choice when it comes to their energy use and will enable easy and quick access to their consumption data through smartphone or computer apps so they can find customized tips to reduce energy use or switch electricity price plans to save money.”
It lets customers download their natural gas and hourly electricity data and authorize its transfer to apps that can analyze it and provide tips to reduce consumption and save money.
This builds on progress made by London Hydro and Festival Hydro, which voluntarily offer Green Button to their customers, which gave families and businesses in their regions the first opportunity in Ontario to find additional savings on their bills using this method.
