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Need help in this area? See Data Input FAQ.

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What is a connection?

Think of a connection like setting up automatic bill pay at your bank — except instead of paying bills, Nectar is downloading and reading them for you. You give Nectar the login credentials for a utility website (like ConEdison, PG&E, or Duke Energy), and Nectar logs in on your behalf every week to grab new bills and extract the data. Once a connection is set up, you never have to visit that utility website again. Nectar handles it all: finding new bills, downloading the PDFs, reading them with AI, and filing the data in the right place. It’s the core of how Nectar works, and it’s what saves most customers dozens of hours every month.

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How to create a connection

1

Choose your utility provider

Go to Data Input > Connections and click Connect account on the Online Accounts card. Search for your utility company or waste hauler by name or URL — Nectar supports thousands of providers. For example, type “ConEdison” or “Pacific Gas” and select the right one from the list. If your provider isn’t listed, click Connect by entering its website (next to “Can’t find your utility?”), enter the Utility provider name and Utility website URL, then click Save & continue so Nectar can set up the connection to that portal. If the provider has no online portal, upload its bills instead — Nectar creates the accounts automatically.
2

Confirm the website and sign in

Confirm that the Utility provider website is the provider’s official login page. Then sign in to the utility website in the secure browser window — the same login you’d use if you were downloading a bill yourself. Nectar captures the credentials automatically; if the browser sign-in isn’t working, click Enter credentials manually. If someone else manages that account, use their credentials with permission.
3

Configure your settings

Tell Nectar how to handle the data: which sites the account covers, what type of utility it is, and how far back to collect bills. See the detailed breakdown of each setting below. If the utility requires a text message code or email code at login, check Does this utility require a MFA code? and the wizard adds MFA forwarding steps.
4

Submit and wait

Click Create connection and Nectar gets to work. The first data pull typically completes within a few days. After that, Nectar checks the utility portal weekly for new bills — automatically, with no effort from you. New bills on connected accounts typically process in under 5 minutes.

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Configuration settings explained

When you create a connection, the configuration step has several settings that control how Nectar collects and processes data. Here’s what each one means in plain terms:

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Sites

Which of your buildings does this utility account serve? For example, if your ConEdison login covers both your Manhattan and Brooklyn offices, select both sites. This tells Nectar where to file the bills and usage data. If you’re not sure which sites an account covers, it’s fine to select your best guess — you can always reassign data later.

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Datasource types

What types of utility service does this account cover? In the wizard this field is called Utility types. Most utility accounts are straightforward — just electricity, or just natural gas. But some combined accounts cover multiple services (like electricity and gas on the same bill). Select all the types that apply: Electricity, Natural Gas, Water, Sewer, Waste, Fuel, District Energy (steam, chilled water, hot water), Solar, or Telecom. Nectar will only process bills that match your selections.

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Data collection start date

How far back should Nectar look for bills? In the wizard this is Data collection start month. You have three choices:
If a specific account within the connection has its own start date set (in the account’s settings), that account-level setting takes priority over the connection-level one.

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Multiply by occupancy

Occupancy adjustment is configured on the site (percentage and application mode) and on each account (Multiply by occupancy). It is not a connection-level setting. See Occupancy adjustment.

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Owner email

Who should receive notifications about this connection? In the wizard this is Email of login owner. Enter the email address of the person who manages this utility account. They’ll get notified if the connection encounters an error (like a changed password) or when new data is collected. Usually this is you, but for accounts you manage for someone else it might be a facility manager or site contact.

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MFA requirement

Does this utility website require a security code to log in? Some utility portals send a text message code, use an authenticator app, or ask security questions during login. If yours does, check Does this utility require a MFA code?. During setup you may complete a one-time login in the browser (including MFA), then Nectar walks you through MFA forwarding — how SMS or email codes are delivered so Nectar can complete automated logins on the weekly schedule. If forwarding stops working or the portal rotates MFA, you may need to Reconnect and refresh that setup later.
Need utility-specific instructions? See the MFA overview for detailed setup guides per utility provider and a triage flow for fixing MFA issues.

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What to expect after connecting

  • First data: Nectar typically completes the first collection within a few hours; allow up to 48 hours in some cases. How many bills you get depends on the start date setting and how much history the utility portal makes available (most keep 12 to 24 months).
  • Weekly checks: After the initial pull, Nectar checks the utility portal every week for new bills. You don’t need to do anything — new bills are downloaded and processed automatically, typically in under 5 minutes.
  • Notifications: The owner email receives updates when new data arrives or when an issue needs attention.

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Review newly discovered accounts

When Nectar finds new accounts on a utility portal, the connection shows an accounts waiting card. Click Review accounts to open Confirm accounts. For each account, choose Track this account or Don’t track, check the site each meter is matched to, and click Confirm account. To accept everything at once, click Track all remaining. Accounts you don’t review are tracked automatically after 24 hours.

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What to share with the account holder

If you’re an energy consultant connecting someone else’s utility account, here’s a simple explanation you can pass along:
“We use a platform called Nectar to automatically collect your utility data. We’ll need the login credentials for your utility website — the same username and password you’d use to view your bills online. Nectar logs in weekly to download new bills and extract the data. Your credentials are encrypted and stored securely. You can also connect the account yourself through a secure link we’ll send you.”
If the account holder is uncomfortable sharing credentials directly, consider sending them an invitation instead — they enter their own login without you seeing it. To collect bills without a portal login, copy the address from the Company inbox card on the same page and forward statements there. See Company inbox.

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Connection status

After you create a connection, its status tells you whether data is flowing smoothly or something needs your attention. Plain-language definitions for every status — what it means and what to do — live in one place: Glossary — Connection status.
For API field names and programmatic handling, see Connection statuses in the Developer guide.

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Managing connections

Rename — Open the connection and click Edit to set a Name. When Name is blank, Nectar shows the utility provider name. Names are labels for your team’s lists only — they do not change how Nectar matches the provider. See Name. Deactivate and activate — Need to temporarily stop data collection? Open the actions menu on the connection and click Deactivate connection. The status changes to Deactivated, weekly checks stop, and no new bills are collected — but every bill, account, and meter that was already collected stays in place. Click Activate connection when you’re ready and the next weekly check picks up from where it left off. Deactivation is reversible at any time. If you manage connections via the API, deactivate and activate map to PATCH /connection/{id}/details with {"isActive": false} and {"isActive": true} — see the Connection lifecycle developer guide. Removing a connection — The platform doesn’t have a delete action for connections. When the utility account is closed or you’ve moved to a different provider, deactivate the connection. If you need it removed entirely, email support@nectarclimate.com. Reconnect — If a connection enters an error state (password changed, MFA expired, etc.), open the connection and use the Reconnect action. For most credential errors you re-enter username and password in the browser; for MFA token expired, Nectar opens MFA forwarding setup instead — configure how codes reach Nectar for automated logins. Reconnecting preserves the link to all existing accounts, meters, and historical data. Don’t create a new connection for the same utility account — always reconnect instead. Report issue — Something looks wrong and you can’t fix it yourself? Choose Report issue from the connection’s actions menu to send details to the Nectar team. See Troubleshooting. Send an invitation — Need the account holder to connect their own account? Open Data Input > Invitations. You can pre-fill the utility URL, sites, and utility types so they have less to fill in. See Invitations for details.

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Bulk import connections

Create dozens of online (portal) connections in a single upload. The platform parses your file in your browser, lets you match columns, and shows validation errors inline so you can fix them without re-uploading. Bulk import does not create email forwarding — use the company inbox for that.

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Steps

  1. Go to Data Input > Connections > New Connection and click Bulk import. (If you have no connections yet, you can also click Import from a template on the empty connections list.)
  2. In the upload area, download the XLSX template or the CSV template — both files have the same columns and example rows, so pick whichever your tooling prefers.
  3. Drop your filled file. Required columns are auto-mapped by header name; review the mapping in step 2.
  4. Review and fix rows inline. Cells with errors show a red border — click a cell to edit it.
  5. Click Import N connections when there are zero errors.
This file contains credentials. Online rows include plaintext usernames and passwords. Avoid sharing the file by email; prefer encrypted file shares, and delete the local copy after a successful import.

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Always-required columns

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Optional columns

MFA-required connections need a follow-up step. Rows with Requires MFA = true will be created but cannot sync until you open each connection and finish MFA forwarding setup. When the import finishes, you get an in-app and email notification that lists failed rows and any connections that still need MFA setup.

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Limits

  • Up to 1,000 connections per import.
  • Sites must already exist in your sites — bulk-create sites first if needed (see Sites — Bulk import).
  • Security questions (Q&A pairs) are not supported in bulk. Add them after import by using Reconnect on the connection and choosing Add security question (optional) when you enter credentials manually.

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What happens after import

The import runs in the background — you’ll see Importing N connections in the background and get an in-app and email notification when it finishes. After that, the same things happen as for any individual connection — Nectar starts collecting bills on the next weekly cycle, the owner email receives status notifications, and connections that fail will surface as Password Incorrect, MFA Token Expired, or similar in the Connection status list.

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FAQ

Yes. Open the connection, click Edit, and set Name. When Name is blank, lists show the utility provider name. Names are labels only — they do not change how Nectar matches the provider. See Name.
Yes, but it’s encrypted. Nectar stores credentials using AES-128 encryption so it can log in to the utility portal on your behalf. The encrypted credentials are never visible to other users and cannot be retrieved in plain text — not even by Nectar staff. Nectar holds SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 certifications for security.
The connection will show a Password Incorrect status at the next weekly check. You’ll receive an email notification. Use the Reconnect action to enter the new password. This is the most common connection issue and takes about 30 seconds to fix.
If you go through setup again with the same utility provider and username for your company, Nectar treats it as the same connection and updates that record—for example, new credentials or site selections—instead of creating a second connection. You should still use Reconnect when you mean to fix a failed connection, but an accidental duplicate submit will not leave you with two separate connections for that login.
You should not try to maintain two separate connections for the same utility login—that can cause duplicate data and confusion. Nectar matches on the same provider and username for your company and keeps a single connection, updating it if you submit again. To change credentials or fix errors, edit the existing connection or use Reconnect rather than starting over as if it were new.
There’s no hard limit on the number of connections. Nectar customers range from a handful of connections to thousands. If you’re planning a large rollout, contact support@nectarclimate.com to discuss the best onboarding approach.
Utility websites occasionally update their portals, which can temporarily disrupt connections. Nectar’s engineering team monitors for these changes and typically updates support within days. If your connection breaks after a utility portal redesign, it will show Under Investigation while the team works on it.
Connections are checked on a weekly cycle. After each check, any new bills found are downloaded and typically processed in under 5 minutes. Most utility companies post new bills monthly, so a weekly check ensures Nectar grabs them promptly.
The most common causes are a changed password, an expired MFA token, or a temporary utility website outage. Check the connection status for the specific error and follow the guidance in the Glossary — Connection status. If the status says Under Investigation, the Nectar team is already on it.
Yes. Nectar supports utility providers globally, including across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and other international markets. The platform handles different date formats, currencies, and units of measure. If your provider isn’t listed, contact support@nectarclimate.com to request it.
Deactivating stops the weekly collection check and sets the connection’s status to Deactivated — but every bill, meter, and account that’s already been collected stays exactly where it is. Deactivation is fully reversible: open the actions menu and click Activate connection whenever you’re ready, and the next weekly check picks up from there. Think of it as putting a subscription on hold rather than canceling it. Deactivate is also the right choice when you’re done with the connection for good (the utility account itself is closed, for example).
Go to Data Input > Connections, open the connection, and click Reconnect. For Password incorrect, New password needed, or Additional credentials needed, enter updated credentials in the embedded browser and submit. For MFA token expired, Nectar opens MFA forwarding setup (not the password screen) — you configure or refresh how login codes reach Nectar, confirm, or disable MFA if the portal no longer requires it. Nectar will retry collection after you finish. All existing data is preserved.