Minister Smith and NT Power Launch Green Button to Help Local Energy Customers Save Money

January 26, 2023

Minister Smith and NT Power Launch Green Button to Help Local Energy Customers Save Money   

Province gives families and businesses more control over electricity and natural gas bills

Newmarket, ON –Energy Minister Todd Smith today joined NT Power President and CEO Ysni Semsedini to launch the new Green Button data that will allow families and businesses across Newmarket, Tay Township and Midland, to track and control their energy use and save money on monthly bills.

Studies have found that access to energy data, which Green Button along with smart home devices enables, can help consumers achieve energy savings of up to 18 percent. Ontario becomes the first province in Canada to mandate the standard.

"Families and businesses want to be in the driver's seat when it comes to their energy bills," said Todd Smith, Minister of Energy. "Green Button is part of our commitment to give consumers more choice when it comes to their energy use and will enable easy, quick and safe access to their consumption data through smartphone or computer apps so they can find customized tips to reduce energy use or switch electricity price plans to save money."

“Improving customer experience has been a focus of NT Power over the last several years,” said Ysni Semsedini, President and CEO of NT Power. “Providing our customers with the tools to better manage their energy consumption and doing it in a standardized format across the province will create an ecosystem of conservation and choice.”

“I am so pleased our government is making life more affordable for Newmarket families, seniors, and residents,” said MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy, Newmarket-Aurora, “Access to energy consumption data will help local families and businesses make informed decisions about their usage and keep more money in their pockets.”

The implementation of the Green Button standard comes as the Ontario government marks two years of providing consumers with Customer Choice rates. As of November 1, 2020, most families, small businesses, and farms can select either a time-of-use (TOU) or tiered billing structure for their electricity usage. More than 355,000 Ontario electricity customers have used this choice to better manage their electricity bills by switching their pricing plan to one that is a better fit. Green Button provides families and businesses the information they need to better understand their energy use so they can make an informed decision on which price plan is right for them, helping them to lower their energy bills. This is done by authorizing the sharing of hourly electricity usage data, in a standardized digital format, directly with approved third-party Green Button applications of their choice.

QUICK FACTS:

• Green Button first became available in 2012, and prior to the new regulatory requirement, offering it to customers was voluntary in Ontario for electricity and natural gas utilities.
• When choosing an electricity billing structure, if a customer limits their consumption to non-peak hours, during evenings and weekends, TOU pricing may be their preferred rate plan. If customers consume most of their electricity during weekday hours, tiered pricing may be a better option for them.

• Energy customers in Ontario who are served by utilities that have fully implemented Green Button have access to a wide range of applications that are tailored to their individual needs. As more utilities in Ontario implement Green Button, new applications are expected to be developed to serve all types of customers, including residential, commercial, and industrial energy user

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