We’ve fully integrated with Green Button over at Electrify613.ca to help with some tools we’re building. If there’s a way to load in historical usage into home assistant, it would be doable to get previous day hourly usage. The billing data used to be ingested overnight in a batch job as it’s delivered in bursts from the meters.
It doesn’t seem reasonable that everyone that wants to pull their own data should have to onboard as a partner though, hence why having a third part service act as the broker and make the data available to you. There is unfortunately no ability within green button to get realtime data.
So it all depends on if the utility is willing to provide Green Button Data (historical data downloaded in XML) or Connect My Data (live API connection).
It would be nice if there was an integration for both in HA.
I have found a graphing tool on GitHub that the GBA even forked. Green Button Grapher. At least it gives you a visual of the XML data.
Hadn’t seen it, but looks like it’s dead (shut down). Has anyone else taken it up?
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The earliest thread I can find about Green Button is from 2017, and while the platform has now rolled out to many utilities in the US and Canada, there’s zero traction for supporting this in Home Assistant.
It’s long passed the point of just giving up on it. If you want energy monitoring, the only workable way forward at this point is to install your own devices in your load center/panel and/or on specific devices at your premises.
They did make it mandatory for providers to provide the green button service, but the user facing service is a download and use service and API use seems restricted to third parties that go through a certification process. Renders the overall process a bit more awkward.
I did see that savagedata.com was the provider of the green button service for a few utilities which might help.
The process for becoming a registered “third party” for my local utility seems pretty straight forward and doesn’t even require a business number.
Otherwise you’re right, the xml download requires going into your account and then navigating to the correct page, or going to the general site, correct green button download page and validating with info from a “recent bill”
Is it the case that if I want to access the Hydro Ottawa Green Button API instead of logging into their website and manually pulling down the data, that I’d need to register as a 3rd party (even though I’m only a private home-owner)? Has anyone done this?
My intention would be to poll it maybe a few times a day.
Hah. Toronto Hydro wants a certificate of insurance for 3rd party liability for 2 million.
That is standard for business but unlikely a private citizen will have that.
I emailed savage data systems:
“I’m not aware of Toronto Hydro publicly sharing a list of 3rd parties that have been approved. It might be worthwhile to check with the vendor of your Home Assistant dashboard to see if they have created an integration. If it’s a custom dashboard you’ve created you can look into creating your own third party application and connecting to your own data to enable an automated flow.”
It would be great to have a Green Button Connect my Data integration. I’d be willing to help fund the development.
Guess this isn’t going anywhere because as usual, these Canadian numb-nuts don’t want to do any work. Requiring insurance is “F-off” in polite Canadianese.
These guys are all in violation of the law than mandated the data availability in the first place, but who’s going to spend the $$ to take them to court?
I’ll be using my time and energy to focus on becoming an expat within the next 5 years and leaving the great white north far far behind me.
In the meantime, for anyone else wanting usage data, install some good clamp meters and devices to report into HA. The benefit of this is the ability to compare against your utility’s reading so you can tell when they’re overbilling you.