City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Data Access Guide
City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) is California's full-service municipal utility, delivering electric, gas, water, wastewater, and fiber to 52,411 customers across Palo Alto's 26 square miles. Its AMI rollout supports hourly and 15-minute data, Green Button Download is live in the MyCPAU portal, and the Utilismart Energy Manager and WaterSmart portals add interval analytics — but there is no public API, EDI, or aggregator integration, so automation relies on Green Button exports and manual workflows.
How to Get Your City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Data: All Access Methods
| Method | 1st Party | 3rd Party | Customer Types | Data Types | Latency | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyCPAU Portal | ✓ | — | Residential and commercial (all utilities) | Billing, consumption by utility type | Monthly billing; portal near real-time | Web / PDF |
| Green Button Download | ✓ | ✓ | Electric customers (file shareable with third parties) | Electric interval data | On demand | ESPI XML |
| Energy Manager (Utilismart) | ✓ | — | Customers (third parties via account users) | Hourly/daily/billing-period interval data | Near real-time to 1-2 day delay | CSV / PDF / web |
| WaterSmart Portal | ✓ | — | Water customers (sharing requires customer authorization) | Hourly/daily/weekly water usage, leak events | Near real-time | CSV / web |
| Community Python library (unofficial) | ✓ | ✓ | Technical users with customer credentials | 15-min to monthly electric; daily water | On demand (scraping) | CSV |
Billing Data Access
CPAU billing data lives in the MyCPAU portal: multiple years of statements, payment history, and consumption by utility type, with PDF downloads and paperless billing. Third-party access is limited — customers can add consultants as guest users in MyCPAU, but there is no formal authorization program or billing API.
What Data Is on Your City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Bill
- Current and historical billing statements (multiple years)
- Bill payment history
- Consumption information by utility type (electric, gas, water)
- Notification preferences and guest-user management
How to Download City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Bills (Business & Commercial)
- 01Register with the last 4 digits of the Federal Tax ID for commercial accounts
- 02Use MyCPAU for bills and the Energy Manager portal for interval analytics
- 03Export Green Button XML for AB 802 benchmarking in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
- 04Contact Business Development at (650) 329-2525 for commercial data programs
How to Download City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Bills (Residential)
- 01Visit https://mycpau.cityofpaloalto.org/Portal/default.aspx and click Register
- 02Verify identity with last 4 of SSN, driver's license, or passport
- 03Create a password (8-15 characters with a special character) and activate via email link
- 04Log in to view billing history and statements
- 05Download PDF bills as needed
Third-Party Access to City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Billing Data
Guest user access in MyCPAU
- 01Customer logs into MyCPAU and adds the consultant as a guest user
- 02Guest user views billing and consumption data in the portal
- 03Access is limited to portal viewing — no API
Green Button file sharing
- 01Customer exports Green Button XML from MyCPAU
- 02Customer shares the file with the consultant, aggregator, or software tool
- 03Third party imports the XML into their application; refresh quarterly or as needed
Want to understand the charges on your bill?
See the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Rate Schedules & Tariff Guide →Interval Data & Smart Meters
CPAU's AMI deployment delivers hourly electric and water data (15-minute for some customers) with multiple years of history. Customers pull interval data three ways: Green Button XML export from MyCPAU, the Utilismart Energy Manager portal (CSV downloads, 2FA-protected), and the WaterSmart portal for hourly water data with leak alerts. Gas interval data is not confirmed.
How to Download City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Interval Data via Green Button
- 01Log into MyCPAU with credentials
- 02Select Electric from the meter selection menu
- 03Click Green Button in the left-side menu
- 04Set the date range (past year or more)
- 05Click Export to download ESPI-format XML
- 06Import into Portfolio Manager, solar sizing tools, or other Green Button apps
How to Download City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Interval Data via Portal
- 01Access Energy Manager at https://ciem.utilismart.com/cpau
- 02Log in and enable two-factor authentication (SMS or email)
- 03Navigate to the usage/consumption section and pick a date range
- 04View trends and download reports as CSV or PDF
Interval data is essential for rate comparison and TOU analysis.
See which City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) rate schedule is best for your usage pattern →Third-Party API Access
CPAU publishes no customer-data API or Share My Data program of its own. Nectar provides API access to CPAU billing and interval data — see docs.nectarclimate.com. The city's Open Data Portal API covers public datasets only — no utility customer data. A community open-source Python library (jsinnott/cpau, MIT license) scrapes MyCPAU and WaterSmart for 15-min/hourly/daily/monthly electric and daily water data as CSV, but it requires customer credentials and is not officially supported.
Available City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) API Endpoints
| Function | Endpoint | Method | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Open Data Portal REST API — public/aggregate datasets only, no customer utility data | https://data.paloalto.gov/developers/ | GET | JSON |
How to Register as a City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) API Vendor
- 01For official access: have the customer add you as a MyCPAU guest user or share Green Button XML exports
- 02For benchmarking: import Green Button files into ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager under customer authorization
- 03For automation (unofficial): evaluate the cpau Python library with customer-provided credentials, mindful of CPAU Terms of Service
- 04For custom arrangements: contact UtilitiesCustomerService@paloalto.gov or (650) 329-2161
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
CPAU has no documented EDI program: no ANSI X12 transaction specs (814/810/820/867), no trading partner registration, no VAN information, and no EDI schedules in published tariffs. Customers needing enterprise data interchange should contact CPAU directly at (650) 329-2161 to discuss customized arrangements.
Sources
Rate Schedules & Tariff Analysis
CPAU rates and tariffs are published on the city's Utilities Rates page and adopted by the City Council. The utility bundles electric, gas, water, wastewater, and stormwater services on a single MyCPAU account, and buildings of 50,000+ sq ft must comply with AB 802 benchmarking using utility data.
City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Rate Features & TOU Details
- Council-adopted municipal rates — no CPUC jurisdiction
- Multi-utility bundling on one account (electric, gas, water, wastewater, fiber)
- AB 802 benchmarking compliance supported via Green Button + Portfolio Manager
- No additional fees for data access features
For a deeper analysis including cost optimization strategies and historical rate trends:
Read the full City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Rate Optimization Guide →Sources
Other Data Access Programs
AB 802 Building Energy Benchmarking
Buildings of 50,000+ sq ft must benchmark under California AB 802. CPAU's Green Button export feeds ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager directly.
- 01Create an account at ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
- 02Enter building information
- 03Download Green Button XML from MyCPAU
- 04Import the file into Portfolio Manager
- 05Receive a 1-100 energy performance score and submit reports per AB 802
WaterSmart Leak Detection & Reports
AMI-driven hourly water monitoring with automatic leak alerts, neighbor comparisons (My Water Score), monthly Home Water Reports, and rebate recommendations.
Limitations & Considerations
- ⚠No public customer-data API from the utility — the Open Data Portal covers public datasets only
- ⚠No EDI program or trading partner framework
- ⚠No utility-hosted aggregator integrations; programmatic access runs through platforms like Nectar (docs.nectarclimate.com)
- ⚠Direct third-party sharing is manual: guest users or exported Green Button files
- ⚠Green Button Connect My Data (automated OAuth sharing) is not explicitly documented
- ⚠Gas interval data not confirmed — likely monthly only
- ⚠Community Python library requires customer credentials and is not officially supported
City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Data Access FAQ
Does CPAU offer Green Button data export?▾
Yes — Green Button Download My Data is live in the MyCPAU portal for electric meters. Select Electric, click Green Button in the left menu, set a date range (a year or more), and export ESPI-standard XML that imports into ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, solar sizing tools, and other Green Button apps. Automated Connect My Data (OAuth) is not explicitly documented.
What interval granularity does CPAU's AMI provide?▾
Hourly data for electric and water is standard, with 15-minute intervals for some electric customers and typically 2+ years of history. The Utilismart Energy Manager portal (ciem.utilismart.com/cpau) provides hourly/daily/billing-period views with CSV downloads behind two-factor authentication. Gas interval data is not confirmed — plan on monthly.
Can an energy consultant pull CPAU data automatically?▾
Yes — Nectar provides API access to CPAU billing and interval data; see docs.nectarclimate.com. CPAU itself offers no public API or EDI, so other practical paths are: get added as a MyCPAU guest user, receive quarterly Green Button XML exports from the customer, or evaluate the unofficial open-source cpau Python library (github.com/jsinnott/cpau), which scrapes the portals with customer credentials and is not CPAU-supported.
How do CPAU buildings comply with AB 802 benchmarking?▾
Buildings of 50,000+ sq ft export Green Button XML from MyCPAU and import it into ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to generate a 1-100 score and submit reports to the city. Consultants can run the workflow under customer authorization — no manual bill transcription needed.
Does CPAU support EDI for enterprise billing integration?▾
No. There are no ANSI X12 transaction specs (814/810/820/867), no trading partner registration, and no VAN documentation. For custom data exchange, contact UtilitiesCustomerService@paloalto.gov or (650) 329-2161; commercial inquiries can also go through Business Development at (650) 329-2525.
How does water data access work at CPAU?▾
The WaterSmart portal (paloalto.watersmart.com, also linked from MyCPAU) shows hourly, daily, and weekly AMI water usage with automatic leak detection alerts, monthly Home Water Reports, and data downloads. Third-party sharing requires explicit customer authorization through the portal.
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