InterAct Tutorial and Help

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What is InterAct?

InterAct provides you with useful, time-series data like 15-minute, hourly and daily energy-usage and local weather conditions hourly. This data is collected each night via radio or telephone. A variety of visualization and analysis tools for statistical or comparative analysis and trending accompany this data. You can have reports scheduled to run automatically and delivered to you by email in the format(s) of your choice.

The data should come in handy as you consider participating in one of many demand response programs sponsored by PG&E. For example, you can analyze your usage in comparison to temperature.

Here is a real-world sample with peak hours highlighted (Your data will be more detailed and presented slightly different).

All this is provided at no cost to you, thanks to a special appropriation by the California legislature in AB29-1X.

To get access to online, detailed energy usage information for your business account, you will need to complete these simple steps:

1. Check to be sure you have the sign-up code. (An example of the code is X34V8T.) If you do not have this, please contact your PG&E account representative or call InterAct Support at 1-800-254-5810 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. PST), or email us at InterActSupport@pge.com.
2. Make sure you are using a Windows computer (NT or Windows 95 or later) with Internet Explorer 5.x or higher. (We are sorry, but this is the only platform we support at this time.)
3. Go to the New User Sign-Up page. Enter your PG&E Service ID and the sign-up code. Enter your email address (your username), and select your new password.
4. As soon as we verify all of your information, we will open an account for you. You will receive an email when your account is opened.
5. Questions? Call InterAct Support at 1-800-254-5810, Option 1 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. PST), or email us at InterActSupport@pge.com.

InterAct Tutorial

• InterAct User (PDF, 111 KB)
  
• InterAct Curtailment User (PDF, 21 KB)

Equipment Required

All you need is an interval meter, Web access (via Internet Explorer 5.x) and Windows 98, NT, 2000, XP or later.

Interval Metering Technology

Interval metering is about getting detailed electric usage information. It means capturing the data often (every 15 minutes for this program) and putting it on the Internet for you to see (after logging in with your password). The data is sent from the meters to this website once a day, between midnight and 8 a.m.

There are four basic pieces of technology:

• Interval Meter
• Data communications by radio or telephone
• Data collection to gather the information from your meter each day and store it in a database so you can see it on our website
• Energy Management Tools to look at and study your electric use

Meters

The electric meter we install at your business is of the latest solid state technology available. This meter has the ability to record energy usage as often as every minute. The meters installed under this program will record energy usage every 15 minutes. This meter also has a "pulse output," so you can connect to an energy management system for your business.

Data Communications by Radio or Telephone

Each day, just after midnight, the data center will send a message to each meter and get the last 24 hours of electric usage information. We will check to make sure the data has no large errors. Next, we will put it in our secure, password and privacy protected, database. The database is connected to our InterAct website, so you can see your data over the Internet.

Data Collection and Storage

Each day, just after midnight, the data center will send a message to each meter and get the last 24 hours of electric usage information. We will check to make sure the data has no large errors. Then, we will put it in our secure, password and privacy protected, database. The database is connected to our InterAct website, so you can see your data over the Internet.

Energy Management Tools

Once the information is in the database, you can see it by logging into your account. We record your usage every 15 minutes, collect it each night via radio or telephone, and deliver it to your desktop via our password-protected InterAct system.

Getting Help

Questions? Call InterAct Support at 1-800-254-5810, option 1 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. PST), or email us at InterActSupport@pge.com.