ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how to design a utility data web page interface that is both intuitive and easy to use. Users need to be able to quickly drill down through the data with minimal mouse clicks to investigate changes in meter data. Using the correct combination of options and links, hundreds of reports can be produced easily and quickly from one interface. Just like the dashboard of an automobile informs us of the inner workings of our cars, this interface can inform users of the inner workings of any facility or complex of facilities. This method combined with interactive reports as described in Utility Data Web Page Design—Presenting the Data from Information Technology for Energy Managers—Volume I, makes an intuitive and robust utility reporting web application as part of an Energy Information System (EIS). It helps us discover relationships, such as trends in our energy consumption over time or comparisons between similar facilities, which might otherwise go unnoticed.
