How to Provide Interval Data to Better Earth

Interval data, often referred to as hourly energy usage information, is a detailed record of your electricity consumption captured at regular intervals—typically every hour—by your utility company's smart meter. Unlike traditional monthly billing summaries that provide aggregated totals, interval data breaks down your energy use into granular time slices, showing exactly how much electricity your household consumes throughout the day and night.

This data reveals patterns in your energy habits, such as peak usage during evenings when lights and appliances are in heavy use, or lower consumption overnight. For example, it might show spikes at 7 PM when you're cooking dinner or running the air conditioner, versus minimal draw at 3 AM. Utilities like PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E in California collect this via advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), which has become standard since the early 2010s to support time-of-use (TOU) pricing and grid management.

Why does this matter for solar? Interval data allows us to simulate your solar system's performance against your real-world usage. We can model how much solar energy your panels would generate hour-by-hour (based on local weather and roof orientation) and match it to your consumption, calculating precise offsets and savings. Without it, estimates rely on averages, which might overestimate savings if your usage is unusually variable (e.g., high daytime loads from home offices or EVs). Under California's CPUC Resolution E-5364, using this data when available ensures transparency and accuracy in your Solar Energy System Disclosure Document, protecting consumers by setting realistic expectations.

At Better Earth Solar, we recommend providing your actual interval data (hourly energy usage from the past 12 months) to help us create tailored projections based on your real energy patterns. This ensures more accurate estimates of your solar system's performance and potential savings. Below, we'll walk you through two easy options to share this data securely.

Green Button Data is a standard format for your utility's energy usage records. Most major California utilities (like PG&E, SCE, or SDG&E) offer this download option. Here's a general step-by-step guide, followed by utility-specific instructions:

This process typically takes 5-10 minutes.

For a hands-off approach, authorize us to access your data directly from your utility through UtilityAPI, a secure third-party service. No downloads required! This works seamlessly with PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E, as they all support UtilityAPI integrations.

This usually takes just 1-2 minutes, and access is limited to what we need.

We enter your interval data into our design software, Aurora, to model your solar system's output against your actual usage. This helps generate precise savings estimates for your Solar Energy System Disclosure Document.

By using your real hourly energy patterns, we can more accurately model how effective the solar system will be on your roof. This sets realistic expectations for your bill savings over the first 12 months after installation, helping you make informed decisions.

Your data is handled securely in compliance with privacy laws like CCPA. We use encrypted channels for transmission, access it only for your project, and do not share it with third parties beyond necessary tools like UtilityAPI or Aurora.

No, providing your interval data is completely free. It's a quick step to enhance the accuracy of your solar proposal.

The Solar Energy System Disclosure Document is a required form under California's CPUC Resolution E-5364 (effective November 1, 2025). It provides transparent details on your system's estimated performance, costs, and savings, using your actual data when available for the most reliable projections. If you opt out, we'll use estimates and note it clearly in the document.

If your utility doesn't offer Green Button downloads or you're having trouble locating it, don't worry—many customers encounter this. Check your utility's help section or contact their support (e.g., PG&E at 1-800-743-5000, SCE at 1-800-655-4555, or SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343). Alternatives include using our UtilityAPI authorization option, which bypasses downloads entirely. If neither works, you can opt out, and we'll use estimated data derived from your provided usage info or standard load profiles approved by the CPUC. Note that under Resolution E-5364, we must document our reasonable efforts to obtain your data.

Monthly data gives a broad overview but misses the nuances of your daily energy fluctuations, like higher usage during peak hours (e.g., afternoons under time-of-use rates). Hourly interval data allows precise modeling: We align your consumption with solar production curves (using tools like Aurora), factoring in variables like shade, weather, and California's Net Energy Metering (NEM) 3.0 rules, where export credits vary by time of day. This can reveal if your system offsets 80-90% of peak costs versus just 60% on averages, leading to more reliable 20-25 year savings projections and avoiding overpromising.

Resolution E-5364 prioritizes 12 months of data from your current address for accuracy, as it reflects your specific home's usage under local conditions. If you have less (e.g., due to a recent move), submit what you can—we'll use it where possible and supplement with estimates, noting this in your disclosure document. Data from a prior address isn't ideal, as factors like square footage, appliances, and climate differ, but it can inform discussions; contact your Project Manager to review.

Major investor-owned utilities like PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E fully support Green Button downloads and UtilityAPI integrations, covering about 90% of California households. Community choice aggregators (CCAs) like Clean Power Alliance or Peninsula Clean Energy often route through the parent utility. If you're with a municipal utility (e.g., LADWP or SMUD), check their portal—many offer similar interval exports. UtilityAPI works with over 1,000 utilities nationwide, so it's likely compatible; if not, we'll guide you to opt out seamlessly.

With your real data, we optimize panel placement and system size in Aurora software to maximize efficiency—e.g., prioritizing west-facing panels if your usage peaks in the evening under TOU rates. This can enhance eligibility for incentives like the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) by ensuring projections meet program thresholds. In California, accurate data supports compliance with NEM 3.0, potentially increasing your annual credits by 10-20% through better export timing. Without it, designs use conservative estimates, which might undersize your system.