Province to mandate utilities use London Hydro energy technology
Ontario is following London Hydro's lead when it comes to energy technology.
The Green Button standard, first implemented in London, Ont. will be mandated to all regulated electricity and natural gas utilities in the province within the next 24 months.
"Green Button is data," says Todd Smith, Ontario's energy minister, who was in London, Ont. Monday to make the announcement.
"Data can be uploaded into an app that people can access and they can really take more control over the consumption in their homes, the hours when their electricity is higher or lower and really manage their bills."
London Hydro CEO Vinay Sharma admits he was skeptical at first when the idea was pitched.
"I kind of felt 'Oh, another government program, I'm not interested in spending money on it,'" says Sharma.
"But slowly and gradually as I learned the value of standardizing anything, and if it is adopted, nation-wide or even North American continental-wide, it becomes then economical to develop services applications for large number of customers."
London Hydro CEO Vinay Sharma speaks about Green Button Technology in London, Ont. on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. (Brent Lale / CTV News)
Smith read off numbers which, based on studies, could save the average consumer up to 18 per cent when they pair Green Button with smartphones and home devices.
The origial idea came more than a decade ago from then U.S. president Barack Obama's White House.
"They proposed this to unlock the data that is locked up in utilities legacy system," says Sharma. "In the whole North America, we were the first one to do it, and because of that initiative, we were invited twice to a conference in Washington by the White House, so that was that remarkable."
London Hydro is also partnering with Enbridge to combine the technology for hydro and gas.
London Hydro's Green Button Technology app will be mandated province-wide to Ontario hydro and gas utilities within the next 24 months.
"This gives you the ability to download everything and compare it as like for like, and so people can figure out how to optimize between the two," says Sarah Van Der Paelt, director of energy conservation at Enbridge.
Ontario will be the first province in Canada to mandate the standard, which will be voluntary.
''Individuals will have the option to take part in this type of a program but it can save you big money," says Smith. "It makes so much sense from a bill perspective and paying less but also a conservation initiative."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard found not guilty of sexual assault
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago. The former Hedley frontman had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.
Police arrest Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'
Missing B.C. climber died from fall on Mount Baker, medical examiner says
The body of a British Columbia mountain climber has been located and recovered after the 39-year-old man was reported missing during a solo climb on Washington state's Mount Baker earlier this week.
Following child's death in Ontario, here's what you need to know about rabies and bats
An Ontario child died last month after coming into contact with a rabid bat in their bedroom, which was the first known human rabies case in Canada since 2019.
A French judge in a shocking rape case allows the public to see some of the video evidence
A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
A judge ripped into a Colorado county clerk for her crimes and lies before sentencing her Thursday to nine years behind bars for a data-breach scheme spawned from the rampant false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
Anne Hathaway confirms 'Princess Diaries 3': 'Miracles happen'
You might be thinking, 'Shut up!' but it’s officially true: the 'Princess Diaries' franchise is finally growing.
Youth pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of P.E.I. teen Tyson MacDonald
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
Sask. man pleads guilty in U.S. after unknowingly providing videos of men raping toddlers to FBI agent
A Saskatchewan man living in the United States has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography after he unknowingly provided disturbing videos to an FBI agent he thought was a pedophile.