Aclara has announced that in April it will turn on support for the Green Button initiative at 21 major utilities in 22 states. Green Button is a voluntary effort by utilities across the country, celebrated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the White House, to provide energy use data to customers in a standard format. Aclara is a provider of consumer-engagement portals and advanced meter-reading systems to utilities and is part of the Utilities Solutions Group of ESCO Technologies Inc.

When Aclara turns on Green Button in April, usage data in a standard format will be available to eight million utility customers. 

Typically, one million customers interact with their usage data through Aclara online portals on a monthly, or more frequent, basis. Green Button will have immediate impact on consumer’s ability to make better decisions on their energy usage, and sets the stage for more impactful innovation in the future. Having Green Button data available will provide utility customers even more flexibility to use applications that will give them insight into energy use and provide ways to derive value from smart grid data. 

Aclara has been active in developing the concept of the Green Button from its inception. Xtensible Solutions, a subsidiary of Aclara, participated in the development of the Energy Services Provider Interface, an open data exchange protocol that is the basis for the Green Button initiative.