New Industry Commitments to Give 15 Million Households Tools to Shrink Their Energy Bills

Washington, D.C. — Responding to President Obama's call for an "all-of-the-above" strategy to help consumers reduce their energy costs, the Administration announced on March 22 that nine major utilities and electricity suppliers will commit to providing more than 15 million households access to data about their own energy use with a simple click of an online "Green Button."  By providing consumers with secure, easy-to-understand information about how they are using energy in their households, Green Button can help them reduce waste and shrink bills.

"Empowering American families to shrink their own utility bills is an important part of this Administration's all-of-the-above energy strategy," said Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.  "With new online tools made possible by the Green Button, families will have easy access to information on how they can reduce their energy use and put more money in their pocket."

Several utilities have agreed to base their Green Buttons on a common technical standard developed in collaboration with a public-private partnership supported by the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology. Adoption of a consensus standard by utilities across the nation means software developers and other entrepreneurs have a sufficiently large market to support the creation of innovative applications that can help consumers make the most of their energy information.

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