Video walkthrough coming soon. A Loom video demonstrating this feature will be added here.
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.Screenshot coming soon. A screenshot of this feature will be added here.
How to create a connection
Choose your utility provider
Go to Data Input > Connections and click Online Accounts (or Connect account). Search for your utility company 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, choose Custom provider, enter the utility name and website URL, then Continue with custom provider so Nectar can set up the connection to that portal.
Enter the login credentials
Enter the username and password for the utility website — the same login you’d use if you were downloading a bill yourself. If someone else manages that account, use their credentials with permission. If the utility requires a text message code or authenticator app, you’ll complete that step here too.
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.
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: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.Datasource types
What types of utility service does this account cover? 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, Gas, Water, Waste, Fuel, Solar, or District (steam, chilled water, hot water). Nectar will only process bills that match your selections.Data collection start date
How far back should Nectar look for bills? You have three choices:| Mode | When to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Company default | Use whatever start date your company is configured with. Good for keeping all your connections consistent. | Your company default is set to January 2023, so every new connection pulls bills back to that date. |
| Current month | Only collect bills from this month forward. Good if you only care about future data and don’t need historical bills. | It’s March 2026 — Nectar will only grab bills from March onward. |
| Custom date | Pick a specific date. Useful when you need historical data going back to a particular point. | You’re preparing a 2024 emissions report, so you set the start date to January 1, 2024. |
Multiply by occupancy
For shared buildings where you only lease a portion of the space. If you occupy 40% of a shared office building, this setting adjusts your usage numbers to reflect only your share. A bill showing 10,000 kWh would become 4,000 kWh in your reports. Leave this off if you fully occupy the building or if the utility account already reflects only your space.Custom container
For waste and fuel accounts only. If your waste hauler picks up a specific dumpster, or a fuel company delivers to a specific tank, enter the container details (name, size, and units) here. Nectar uses this information to calculate total consumption from delivery records. For example, if you have a 500-gallon propane tank and receive deliveries of 250 gallons at a time, Nectar can track your total fuel consumption accurately.Owner email
Who should receive notifications about this connection? 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.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 this box. 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.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.
- Notifications: The owner email receives updates when new data arrives or when an issue needs attention.
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 using a magic link instead — they enter their own login without you seeing it.
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.Managing connections
Pause and resume — Need to temporarily stop data collection? Pause the connection. Maybe the account owner asked you to hold off, or you’re troubleshooting an issue. Resume whenever you’re ready. No data is lost. Archive — Done with a connection? Archive it. Archived connections stop collecting data and are hidden from the default connections list, but all their historical data stays intact. Think of it like moving a folder to storage — it’s out of sight but you can always pull it back. Reconnect — If a connection enters an error state (password changed, MFA expired, etc.), 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. Generate magic link — Need the account holder to connect their own account? Click the Generate magic link button at the top of the connections page. You can pre-fill the utility URL, sites, and utility types so they have less to fill in. See Magic links for details.FAQ
Does Nectar store the utility password?
Does Nectar store the utility password?
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.
What happens if the utility password changes?
What happens if the utility password changes?
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.
What if I accidentally submit the same connection twice?
What if I accidentally submit the same connection twice?
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.
Can I connect the same utility account twice?
Can I connect the same utility account twice?
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.
How many connections can I have?
How many connections can I have?
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
[email protected] to discuss the best onboarding
approach.
What if the utility website changes its design?
What if the utility website changes its design?
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.
How often does Nectar check for new bills?
How often does Nectar check for new bills?
Connections are checked on a weekly cycle. After each check, any new bills found are
downloaded and processed. Most utility companies post new bills monthly, so a weekly check ensures
Nectar grabs them promptly.
Why is my connection showing an error?
Why is my connection showing an error?
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.
Can I connect utility accounts outside the US?
Can I connect utility accounts outside the US?
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
[email protected] to request it.
What does archiving a connection do?
What does archiving a connection do?
Archiving stops data collection and hides the connection from your default view — but all the
historical bills, meters, and usage data remain exactly where they are. You can unarchive a
connection later if you need to resume collection. Think of it as putting a subscription on hold
rather than canceling it.
How do I reconnect a failed connection?
How do I reconnect a failed connection?
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.