Residential PG&E Customers Can Now Easily Access Electricity Usage Data from Apple Home App

By Paul Doherty

With the release of Apple’s latest software updates, residential PG&E electric customers with an iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch now have access to new electricity usage features within the Home app. Customers can now connect their PG&E account to the Home app, enabling them to access, understand, and make informed decisions about electricity use.

Being familiar with how electricity is measured and how usage shifts over time can help customers better understand their home energy use and potential changes they can make to save money and energy.

“The collaboration between PG&E and Apple puts electricity usage data directly into customer’s hands, providing further visibility into when electricity is cleanest and lowest cost, and ultimately helping our customers save on their energy bills while reducing emissions,” said Mike Delaney, vice president, Utility Partnerships and Innovation, PG&E.

Electricity usage features in the Home App

The new Electricity Usage feature in the Home app includes daily and weekly views, providing direct insight on how much electricity is used, and how it changes by the hour and day-to-day. It takes approximately 48 hours for usage information to appear in the app, so customers can see their usage starting two days earlier and then extending to monthly and yearly views for longer-term comparisons.

The updated Home app provides a snapshot of the percentage of electricity used during both Peak and Off-Peak hours.

• Electricity costs are dependent on how much a customer uses, when they use it, and their rate plan. Residential PG&E customers default to Time-of-Use rate plans, which means rates vary at different times of the day, based on the demand for electricity.
• Peak (typically 4-9 p.m.) is when rates and demand are higher. Off-Peak (typically midnight-4 p.m. and 9 p.m.-midnight) is when rates and demand are lower.

The Home app also includes a Grid Forecast feature, which highlights times of the day when electricity from cleaner sources, such as solar or wind power, is available on the grid.

• PG&E’s energy mix is one of the cleanest in the nation: in 2023, 34% of PG&E's total electricity delivered to retail customers — residential customers and businesses to whom the company directly sells electricity — came from specified eligible-renewable resources, including solar and wind, small hydroelectric generation and biopower. PG&E retail customers also received 53% of their electric deliveries from carbon-free nuclear power generated by Diablo Canyon Power Plant, and 13% from large hydroelectric power.

What impacts electricity usage?

The size of a customer’s home, how it was built, and the local climate are some of the factors that impact how much electricity is used. Heating and cooling systems, appliances, and lighting are also significant factors in determining electricity usage.

Knowing what consumes the most electricity in the home can also help customers maximize usage during cleaner and less expensive hours of the day.

• Cooling and heating systems, water heaters, electric vehicle charging, electric vehicle charging, refrigerators, washers and dryers, and incandescent or halogen lighting are considered some of the highest electricity consumers.
• Ceiling fans, dishwashers, toaster ovens, TVs, laptops, and LED or fluorescent lighting are considered lower electricity consumers.

Connecting a Residential PG&E Account to the Home App

Residential customers can connect their PG&E account to the Home app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac running the latest software (iPhones running iOS 18 and later, iPad running iPadOS 18 and later, and Mac running macOS Sequoia and later). 

To connect a PG&E account to the Home app on iPhone, follow these instructions:

1. Go to the Home app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Home tab, then tap Home Settings.
3. Tap Energy, then tap Connect Account.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to link your PG&E account.

Once these steps have been completed, the Electricity Usage feature will begin syncing energy usage data, which may take a few hours to appear.