Green Button Initiative Artifacts Page
PAGE CONTENTS
Introducing the Green Button The Standards behind the Green Button Summary View of ESPI Model based on EUI: Sources and Uses of EUI From W3C Standards + ESPI To Green Button File Format Some Technical Artifacts including SDK Green Button ICONs Older artifacts Technical Activities	Feb. 29 Archived Green Button Workshop March 13, 2012 OpenESPI Development Project Walkthroughs Webinars Describing Green Button and Applications FAQs on Green Button for PAP20

Introducing the Green Button

The Green Button Challenge is one step towards realizing the common-sense idea that consumers should have access to their own energy usage information in a downloadable, easy-to-use electronic format, offered by their utility or retail energy service provider.

In September 2011, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra challenged utilities across the country to develop a “Green Button”—detailed customer usage information available for download in a simple, common format.

With this information at their fingertips, consumers would be enabled to make more informed decisions about their energy use and, when coupled with opportunities to take action, empowered to more actively manage their energy use. Furthermore, making this information available—in standardized file formats—will help spur innovative new consumer applications and devices from entrepreneurs, large companies, and even students. Here are just a few ways the Green Button might be put to use today:

• Insight: entrepreneur-created web portals to analyze usage and provide actionable tips;
• Heating and Cooling: customizing thermostats for savings and comfort;
• Education: community and student energy efficiency competitions;
• Retrofits: improved decision-support tools to facilitate energy efficiency retrofits;
• Verification: measurement of structural energy efficiency investments;
• Real Estate: energy costs for tenants and/or new home purchasers; and
• Solar: optimizing the size of rooftop solar panels.

In response to the call-to-action, industry is already stepping up to empower consumers. California’s three largest utilities are working together to create a “Green Button” that would allow customers to go online to access their energy usage with one click. The utilities have been meeting to converge on a common set of features and requirements for their initial instantiation of the Green Button concept in the coming months (see links below). Additional utilities and energy service providers are encouraged to join the Green Button effort to make this a national effort to empower consumers with their energy data in common formats.

The concept of a Green Button—inspired by successes in getting Americans their own health care data, but developed by the energy industry in a consensus process and adopted voluntarily—builds on policy objectives in the Administration's Blueprint For a Secure Energy Future and Policy Framework for the 21st Century Grid to ensure that consumers have timely access to their information that can help them better manage their energy use and take advantage of opportunities to help reduce their costs.

Green Button uses consensus-based standards that have been developed in collaboration with the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel. Below is the evolution of the Green Button standard and some technical specifications for software developers and other stakeholders.

Green Button Proposed Icon	Aneesh Chopra at GridWeek2011

The Standards behind the Green Button

The following figure illustrates the progression of SGIP inspired and collaborated standards development activities that resulted in a firm foundation for an interoperable Green Button:

Summary View of ESPI Model based on EUI:

Sources and Uses of EUI

From W3C Standards + ESPI To Green Button File Format

Some Technical Artifacts including SDK

Current Green Button Software Development Kit (SDK) Data Tools (updated June 2012):

• See the source repository at: https://github.com/energyos/OpenESPI/tree/master/greenbuttonsdk
• Available for download from OpenESPI on GitHub:
  • Updated Green Button Data Generator Spreadsheet
  • Green Button Data Rendering Style Sheet
• Webinar illustrating Green Button SDK
• www.greenbuttondata.org/greendevelop.aspx SDK demonstration web pages
• NAESB Green Button Portal - http://www.naesb.org/ESPI_Standards.asp
• To purchase the NAESB ESPI Standard on which the Green Button file format is based, use the following link: http://www.naesb.org/misc/naesb_matl_order_espi_standards.pdf

Green Button Background Information:

• Green_Button_File_Format_20111101.pptx: Green Button Presentation by Wollman and Burns
• Green_button_background_info_NIST.docx: Green Button White Paper
• Green_Button_presentation_to_SGIP_GB_Dec2011.pptx: Dave Wollman's Governing Board Slides 20111204

Green Button ICONs

The Department of Veterans Affairs is the registered owner of the Service Marks “Blue Button,” the Blue Button logo, and the slogan “Download My Data,” modified for Green Button use with permission.

• Green_Button_Comfort_Letter_Signed.pdf: VA Comfort Letter December 20, 2011
• GreenButtonIcons.zip: Green Button ICONs in various resolutions and sizes
• GreenButtonIconEditable.pptx: Editable (unofficial) Green Button Icon in PPT
• ConnectMyData.zip: Green Button Connect My Data Icons

Older artifacts

CA Green Button Specs:

• requiredFieldsmatrix_v3.xlsx: CA IOU agreed required fields matrix
• Green_Button_Initiative_-_Requirements_v8_-_Final.docx: California IOU Green Button Requirements Specification

Original Green Button Software Development Kit (SDK) Data Tools (October 2011):

• GETBatchSampleEUI.xml: Sample Green Button EUI File
• ESPIRender_xslt1.xslt: XSLT Rendering Style Sheet
• LoadProfile.xlsm: Interval Data generator spreadsheet (note: only generates IntervalBlock for insertion into Green Button XML file)
• Green_Button_File_Format_Demo_20111014.docx: Description of Green Button File format demo -- 20111014

Technical Activities

The Green Button Initiative technical work is being performed in open communities for standards (NAESB), testing and certification (UCAIug), and sample implementations and collaboration (EnergyOS OpenESPI). Below are links that will help you monitor and hopefully participate in the work:

SGIP

• SGIP PAP20 Green Button ESPI evolution: http://collaborate.nist.gov/twiki-sggrid/bin/view/SmartGrid/GreenButtonESPIEvolution
• SGIP Green Button Initiative TWiki: https://collaborate.nist.gov/twiki-sggrid/bin/view/SmartGrid/GreenButtonInitiative
• SGIP Green Button FAQ: https://collaborate.nist.gov/twiki-sggrid/bin/view/SmartGrid/GreenButtonFAQ

Standards:

• NAESB PAP10 Task Force Project Page : http://www.naesb.org/smart_grid_pap10.asp
• NAESB ESPI Task Force Project Page : http://www.naesb.org/espi_task_force.asp
• NAESB ESPI and PAP10 email lists: to subscribe contact Denise Rager at NAESB - drager@naesb.org
• NAESB Green Button Portal - http://www.naesb.org/ESPI_Standards.asp

Users Group:

• UCAIug OpenADE Task Force Home Page: http://osgug.ucaiug.org/sgsystems/OpenADE/default.aspx
• UCAIug OpenADE Mail List: http://www.smartgridlistserv.org/cgi/wa.exe?A0=OPENSG-OPENADE
• UCAIug OpenADE Meetings: Tuesdays at 3:00 EDT - https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/844935738, 415-363-0070 #844-935-738
• UCAIug OpenADE Green Button Issues List: http://osgug.ucaiug.org/HelpDesk/Lists/servicerequests/GreenButton.aspx

Open Source Implementations and tools:

• EnergyOS OpenESPI Mail List: http://groups.google.com/group/energyos_espi/subscribe?hl=en
• EnergyOS OpenESPI Web Site: http://www.openespi.org/
• EnergyOS OpenESPI Meetings: mondays at 12:00 EST - https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/129392235, +1 (516) 453-0010 #129-392-235
• EnergyOS OpenESPI GitHub: https://github.com/energyos/OpenESPI
• EnergyOS OpenESPI GitHub Issues List: https://github.com/energyos/OpenESPI/issues
• General OpenESPI information: https://github.com/energyos/OpenESPI/wiki/
• Energy OS home page: http://energyos.org/

Other:

• NREL OpenEnergyInfo Green Button Apps Repository: http://en.openei.org/wiki/Main_Page
• Green Button Data Sample/Developmental Web Site: http://www.greenbuttondata.org
• Enterprise Architect Free UML Model Viewer: http://www.sparxsystems.com/bin/EALite.exe