Only 15 LG&E and KU customers had used Green Button Connect as of data cited in June 2025 testimony in a utility commission case. The tool is designed to let customers authorize third parties, such as energy-efficiency advisers or solar installers, to access their usage data and offer recommendations.

Mission:data Coalition, a national nonprofit that evaluates utilities’ Green Button systems, says its staff were unable to help customers share their data through the Kentucky utility’s system. The group’s president, Michael Murray, has described the service as nonfunctional.

LG&E and KU spokesperson Liz Pratt said the utility is working to fix a technical problem with the sign-in process. The company has posted a temporary alternative that several third-party vendors have used to register, with no problems reported, she said. Customers can also view and download their energy data through the utility’s online portal and enroll in its energy-efficiency programs.

The dispute concerns who can readily access household energy-use information. Green Button Connect is part of a federal program launched in 2012 to give customers a standardized way to share that data with outside services. Those services may help customers identify ways to reduce consumption or evaluate options such as rooftop solar.

Former Kentucky Public Service Commission chair Kent Chandler said utilities may have little financial incentive to make it easy for customers to use services that could reduce electricity sales. He said regulators may need to require utilities to provide practical access to customer data.

LG&E and KU has said it spent about $350 million installing smart meters, which allow remote readings and other functions. The utility says the meters have saved it about $25 million in meter-reading costs. In 2021, the Public Service Commission directed the company to seek certification for a Green Button system.

Mission:data’s concerns have continued over several months. After contacting customers and attempting to share their data, the group filed a complaint with Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman. In a response to the complaint, LG&E and KU attributed the problem to technical errors and said a vendor would work on a fix. The utility also disputed the group’s allegations that it had been unresponsive.

Green Button Alliance executive director Jeremy Roberts said the organization’s testing checks whether a utility’s system conforms to Green Button standards and that it can conduct additional testing when problems are reported.

For customers, the practical question is whether they can use their own information to seek advice beyond what the utility offers. Murray said access could help people compare independent energy services and make decisions about reducing their bills. LG&E and KU says its temporary sign-in process will remain available while it works to resolve the current issue.