Evaluating Batteries: How to acquire Smart‑Meter Load Data to Assess Battery Strategies

Every client's battery savings depend on two things: their load profile and how much solar the property can carry. Two facilities on the same rate class can land on opposite battery strategies once you look at their interval data.

Analyzing existing load is how you pick the right storage strategy and the right battery size. This guide walks through getting a customer's meter data, with a focus on the Download My Data option that lets customers pull their own usage and billing history and share it with you.

1. 01Ask the client to log into their utility's online account. Use the email template below.
2. 02The client looks for the Download My Data or Green Button option.
3. 03They select a date range (12 to 24 months), the interval granularity, and every relevant meter.
4. 04They download the XML file and send it to you.
5. 05You upload it to Battery Proposal Studio and model the battery.

A typical smart-meter export contains:

• →Interval usage. 15-, 30-, or 60-minute meter reads.
• →Billing data. Bills, charges, and tariffs.
• →Account and meter info. Account number, service address, meter identifiers.

Each piece feeds the simulation. Interval data shows where the peaks sit and how much of the load solar can cover. Billing data anchors the model to what the client pays today. Together they let you compare storage strategies against the proposed solar system and show the client their future bill under each one.

Fast quote workflow

1. 01Copy the email template below.
2. 02Paste in steps 1 and 2 for your client's utility from section 04.
3. 03Your client downloads the last 12 to 24 months of interval data, or the last 12+ bills, and sends it to you.
4. 04Upload the file to Battery Proposal Studio to build the battery case.

Subject: Quick step: share your smart-meter data for your solar and battery quote

Hi [Client Name],

To build an accurate solar and battery proposal, we need to see how your facility uses electricity hour by hour. Most utilities let you download this through a "Download My Data" or "Green Button" feature. It takes about 5 minutes, and you control the file the whole way.

Step 1. Log in: [Paste your client's utility login link]
Step 2. Find: [Paste the Green Button / Download My Data location]

Step 3. Select your data
  • Choose your service address or meter.
  • Pick a date range covering the last 12 to 24 months.
  • Choose interval usage data (15- or 30-minute) and billing data (12 months of bills) if available.

Step 4. Download the file
  Click Download. Your computer saves an XML file (for example, GreenButtonData.xml).

Step 5. Send it to us
  Reply to this email with the file attached.

Quick notes
  • The file is machine-readable XML. It will look confusing. That's normal.
  • It contains electricity usage and billing details only. No payment or password information.
  • We use it to build your quote and nothing else.
  • Some portals cap download size. If a full year of 15-minute data won't download in one go, download it a month at a time. Annoying, we know.

Thanks,
[Your Name]
[Your Company]

Screens and labels differ by utility. The flow stays the same: log in to the online portal, then look for Download My Data or Green Button.

Other Ontario LDCs, including Burlington Hydro and Entegrus, follow the same pattern. Look for Green Button or Download My Data in the customer portal.

Once you have the file, load it into Battery Proposal Studio. Studio reads Green Button XML and CSV exports and detects the interval length from the file.