SAN DIEGO, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announced plans for residential and business customers to be able to use three new apps that utilize the Green Button Connect My Data platform to manage energy use and find new ways to save energy.

In addition to PowerTools, the first Green Button Connect app available to SDG&E customers, SDG&E customers can now log into My Account and authorize apps including  SolarCity's Solar Home Energy Graph, EnergyAi™ and, in the near future, Ecova's Meter Dashboard, to receive and analyze their energy data automatically. This represents the beginning of a steady stream of new Green Button apps coming soon for SDG&E customers, with approximately 20 apps expected to be connected by SDG&E this year.

"The addition of these innovative new apps is another exciting milestone in allowing our customers to benefit from technology, take control of their energy use and find ways to save," said Caroline Winn, SDG&E's vice president of customer services and chief customer privacy officer. "At SDG&E, we are focused on offering our customers choice, convenience and control when it comes to their energy use, and we look forward to adding more third-party Green Button app options for our customers in the future."

SolarCity's Solar Home Energy Graph helps SDG&E customers assess how much of their energy could come from the sun. SDG&E customers who are considering going solar can authorize SolarCity to receive 13 months of the customer's smart meter energy data, which they can use to evaluate their home's potential for solar. SolarCity will also email a link to a personalized online home energy graph to the customer.

EnergyAi offers deep analytics that identify energy savings opportunities in commercial, retail, institutional and industrial facilities. EnergyAi charges a $20 fee for this service, which is refundable if the customer is not satisfied. SDG&E does not charge any fees for signing up or for the service itself, and no charges will appear on the customer's bill.

Using Green Button data provided by SDG&E, Ecova's Meter Dashboard energy monitoring product incorporates smart meter data allowing businesses to view their energy use. The Meter Dashboard is expected to be available for SDG&E customers this month and provides data visualization tools to help customers quickly identify specific sites that are using more energy than other sites.

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 20,000 customers have downloaded their energy consumption data with the SDG&E Green Button download 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.

SDG&E customers can authorize the PowerTools, Solar Home Energy Graph, EnergyAi and Meter Dashboard apps to receive data by logging into My Account from a desktop or tablet computer, clicking on the My Energy tab, clicking on Green Button Connect My Data under the Related Links tab on the right,  and following the instructions to select their device. These apps are available in addition to SDG&E's apps already available for customers.

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 860,000 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 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. Connect with SDG&E's Customer Contact Center at 800-411-7343, on Twitter (@SDGE) and Facebook.

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SOURCE San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)