SAN DIEGO, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Candi Controls announced the rollout of the "Green Button Connect My Data" platform with the launch of their first app, PowerTools. The new PowerTools app, enabled by SDG&E and created by Candi Controls, is being demonstrated in Washington, D.C., today and will be available this month for SDG&E customers to view their personalized energy use information and use tools to find new ways to save energy.

PowerTools will help SDG&E customers to securely identify ways to make smarter choices in their energy use habits and decisions, improve efficiency and lower costs. Initially available for web browsers and mobile tablets, the app will soon also be available for additional platforms including mobile phones and third-party platforms such as Facebook. Highlights of the app's features include: historical usage analysis, overview of actual use and savings relative to history, phantom power load calculation, environmental impact, ability to choose and track energy saving goals, utility bill payment, current and historic local weather related to energy usage, and social network goal- and success-sharing functionality.

"Instead of waiting to get a bill at the end of the month, Green Button Connect My Data and the new PowerTools app empower customers to be more in tune with the way they consume energy and find new ways to conserve," said SDG&E President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Niggli. "This type of innovation would not be possible without smart meters that provide real-time energy information that allows SDG&E customers to save money and conserve energy."

"We're excited to be working with SDG&E to help customers benefit from smart grid technology," said Steve Raschke, CEO of Candi Controls. "By bringing energy data and advice to customers' mobile devices, PowerTools can help people identify and measure actions that result in meaningful cost savings and a healthier environment."

Green Button Connect My Data is an automated, more advanced level of the initial Green Button data download tool, and the next step in the industry-led Green Button initiative. To date, more than 10,000 customers have downloaded their energy consumption data with the SDG&E Green Button tool. Through Green Button Connect My Data, customers can now authorize third parties to securely access their energy usage data on an automated and daily basis.

The Green Button Download My Data and Green Button Connect My Data tools will soon both be available as part of "Energy Charts" in the SDG&E My Account web portal, which provides customers with detailed information on when they use electricity and how much. The PowerTools app will be available in addition to SDG&E's apps already available for customers, with plans to incorporate it into the existing SDG&E app.

SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 840,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility's area spans 4,100 square miles. SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help our customers save energy and money every day. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.

Candi Controls, serving as a sub-contractor to Capgemini, created PowerTools, the first suite of secure cloud-based applications available to consumers that helps analyze Green Button data. Candi Controls, Inc. enables utilities, manufacturers and systems integrators to offer their customers the widest choice of products and services for energy management and control, at home and work. Candi's cloud-based platform connects enterprise data systems to mobile apps and off-the-shelf devices, regardless of brand, price or protocol. Candi is "Cloud-Assisted Network Device Integration." The Candi platform supports hundreds of products from dozens of manufacturers, and empowers a range of apps for Apple, Android and Microsoft platforms and all major web browsers. Candi is used in North America, Asia and Europe.

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SOURCE San Diego Gas & Electric