Xcel account info getting better

xcel_portal_graph

I had been using Microsoft Hohm to graph month-by-month utility usage, and it used to pull bill data directly from Xcel.  And then I got solar, and a bidirectional meter, and it all fell apart.  Now nothing pushes to Hohm – not even gas usage.  Argh.  (I have been manually entering data, though, because the graphs are fairly illustrative I think).

Anyway, Xcel has recently started using Gridpoint to present account info to customers, and it’s a bit better than what we had before, as you can see in the above graph.  24 month history of gas or electric, with average temperature overlaid (though wouldn’t heating degree days be better?) can show you how you’re doing.  Now if only it had a “compare to neighbors” feature like Opower provides. [1]

I’m a firm believer in measuring anything you want to change, so presenting info like this to every customer is pretty helpful, IMHO.  It could be a bit more intuitive (and a bit less flash-heavy!) but it’s a start.

If you’re an Xcel customer, the portal is here: http://www.xcelenergy.com/myaccount

[1] Xcel did a pilot with Opower, too, and the friends who received the comparisons seemed pretty interested.  However, I can’t tell from Xcel whether they plan to continue it or not, which is a pity.  Grindpoint and Opower overlap a bit, so I wonder if they’ll keep both.

4 thoughts on “Xcel account info getting better

  1. Eric,
    First, thanks for pointing this out. I just signed up for the Xcel option you mention — didn’t know about it before.

    Second, the graphic you have at the top, is that from Hohm, or what is it from — basically, how/where do I set myself up with a similar cool looking interface?

  2. Christof, the graph is from the Xcel portal, not Hohm. If you can’t find the graphs, that’s the unintuitive part i was talking about ;)

    I selected my address from the dropdown on the top left of the main screen, and then the overview tab gave me those graphs. Maybe it’s unique to Minnesota?

    Sadly the electric graphs don’t work so well with solar, I can get net production/consumption, or total generation, but not household use.

  3. Hey, thanks for posting this. I signed up for this XCEL service and think the interface is good enough for me. Also, nice that XCEL now offers direct debit instead of going through CheckFree or whatever it was, simplifies my life.

Leave a Reply to Eric Sandeen Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.