Get ready to change the way you think about your utility bill data.



With the Energy Department's new Apps for Energy competition, we're challenging developers to use the Green Button data access program to bring residential and commercial utility data to life.



The Energy Department - in partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Itron, and Gridwise Alliance - is offering $100,000 in cash prizes to the software developers and designers that submit the best apps, as judged by a prestigious panel of judges selected from government, the energy industry, and the tech community.



Apps for ENERGY leverages Green Button, an initiative that gives access to energy usage data in a streamlined and easy-to-understand format (learn more about the Green Button open standard here). In addition to leveraging Green Button, app developers are encouraged to combine data from a variety of sources to present a complete picture of the customer's energy usage.



The competition is all about creating tools and products that help consumers get the most out of their Green Button data - from apps that track personal energy savings goals to software that helps businesses optimize building energy usage. In addition, the 27 million households that will have access to Green Button data by the end of the year represent an untapped market that can serve as a catalyst for an active, energy focused developer community.



The competition will be open to all U.S.-based developers and designers who are at least 13 years old. Companies or organizations that are incorporated in the U.S. can also participate. Submissions can be any kind of software application, including apps for the web, personal computers, mobile devices, or any software broadly available to the public.



Apps for Energy will release the official rules and open for submissions on April 5th, but there are several actions you can take right now. First, sign up for competition news and updates using the form on the right. Second, start getting your team together. Finally, even if you aren't a software developer we want you to help make Apps for Energy a success. Tell us what type of energy app you'd like to use and maybe someone in this contest will build it.

You can share your ideas in a couple different ways:



· Tweet at us at twitter.com/energy (@ENERGY) and he hashtag #appsforenergy

· Leave a comment on Facebook.com/energygov

· Submit an email to apps@hq.doe.gov

Check in with energy.gov for more Apps for ENERGY updates in the next coming weeks.

Source: US Energy Dept.