VELObill helps users use Green Button data to make sense of their Energy bills
What does this project do?
- VELObill is the "Utility Bill of the Future" and aims to help consumers understand their usage, become more efficient, and save money.
This is the third in a series highlighting the winners of the Apps for Energy competition.
Thanks to the Green Button program, millions of utility customers have access to their electricity usage data. The Apps for Energy competition is an Energy Department effort to provide customers with apps that allow everyone to get the most out of their Green Button data.
Picture your energy bills. You might get bills from several different utilities, for electricity, natural gas, water, all using different units and none of them easy to read. It can be hard to figure out what you’re getting for your money and impossible to get a quick picture of how much you spend on energy and water. Zerofootprint’s VELObill, the third place overall and first place popular choice award winner in the Apps for Energy competition, aims to change all that. Dr. Ron Dembo, Zerofootprint’s Founder and CEO, wants users to be able to get a clear picture of their energy spending in 15 seconds, whether it is up or down, and how it compares to past consumption. Zerofootprint wants to make energy usage as easy to check as the weather, something that you monitor easily and painlessly every day.
Curious? VELObill makes it easy for consumers to use Green Button data to view their usage and start making a plan to reduce their energy use. If you already have access to Green Button data, you can try VELObill using your home’s data. If not, you can try the app with their sample data set.
Visualizing energy usage and making efficiency plans is just the beginning for VELObill. Zerofootprint has partnered with the State of New York to incorporate information on the state’s energy efficiency incentives and programs into VELObill. When that work is complete, users in New York will be automatically pointed towards programs and incentives that can save them energy and money. Zerofootprint also wants to help utilities measure and reward “negawatts”, energy saved by utility customers beyond a baseline amount, providing a positive incentive for increasing energy efficiency.
We at the Energy Department are excited to see what is next for VELObill, and we congratulate Zerofootprint on their award!
