Ecova Joins White House Inspired Green Button Initiative

Ecova Joins White House Inspired Green Button Initiative

Accessing Easy to Use Data is Key to Driving Energy Efficiency for Large Businesses and Residential Utility Customers

SPOKANE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ecova, a total energy and sustainability management company, today announced its commitment to support deployment of Green Button. Inspired by a White House call to action in 2011, Green Button is an industry-led effort that empowers energy consumers to take control over their energy use and costs by enabling easy download of household or building energy-use data in a consumer- and technology-friendly format. Green Button creates a consistent data set and new ways to access data. Green Button also allows third parties, such as Ecova, to work with their clients to connect to the data and provide added insights to help manage energy use.

"Green Button is a game changer in terms of energy efficiency. We know that when energy consumers - both commercial and residential - have access to and understand their energy consumption data, they make changes to use less. Some of our commercial clients and utility partners see tremendous opportunity from the adoption of Green Button standards. We're joining the initiative now to help drive further adoption of these standards," said Jeff Heggedahl, CEO of Ecova. "Ecova has been helping clients become more efficient for nearly 20 years. Green Button gives us a new way to deliver the best energy management services available."

COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL

In the U.S. buildings represent 40 percent of all energy consumption in the country. Commercial and industrial facilities account for half of that consumption. Large companies with hundreds and even thousands of sites have complex and unique data needs. Understanding their energy consumption requires working with hundreds of utilities to gather data, which, because it comes in various formats, is time consuming and makes energy management a challenge. These companies need interoperable and real-time data feeds to maximize their energy management efforts.

Ecova and San Diego Gas & Electric have recently collaborated to help SDG&E's commercial clients have visibility into meter data through Ecova's Meter Dashboard. Using Green Button Connect My Data platform provided by SDG&E, Ecova incorporates the interval meter data into its energy monitoring product, Meter Dashboard, which companies use to view their energy use and identify ways to reduce their consumption. The Meter Dashboard also provides data visualization tools to help clients quickly identify specific sites that are using more energy than other sites. The Meter Dashboard is expected to be available for SDG&E customers in May, 2013.

Ecova's energy management programs work with more than 700 clients and over 700,000 buildings.

UTILITY COMPANIES

Home energy consumers have an increasing interest in controlling their energy use and utilities need to provide new and innovative ways to achieve energy savings. For consumers, Green Button provides secure, easy-to-understand information about how they are using energy in their households. New innovative applications can be developed to identify energy usage trends, potential savings for customers and new ways to measure actual energy savings for utilities.

"Through our Utility Program Solutions business, we partner with Utilities to maximize their energy efficiency programs," said Heggedahl. "Technology is playing a greater role than ever before in identifying and reaching consumers. Green Button opens up even greater opportunities to help consumers save energy and money."

About Ecova

Ecova is the total energy and sustainability management company whose sole purpose is to see more, save more, and sustain more for its clients. Using insights based on consumption, cost and carbon footprint data spanning thousands of utilities, hundreds of thousands of business sites and millions of households, Ecova provides fully managed, technology-optimized solutions for saving resources, which in turn increase returns, lower risks, and enhance reputations. Ecova is the largest non-regulated subsidiary of Avista Corp (NYSE:AVA and avistacorp.com). For more information, visit the company's website at ecova.com, on LinkedIn at linkd.in/ecovainc, or follow Ecova on Twitter at @ecovainc.

Ecova
Wendy Carhart, 971-201-4246
wcarhart@ecova.com

KEYWORDS: United States North America Washington

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