Methods and apparatus to track, visualize and understand energy and utilities usage

A system for tracking utilities usage, the system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform the operations of:
• receiving public utilities usage data that corresponds to at least one building;
• receiving building characteristics data that indicate physical characteristics of the at least one building;
• organizing the public utilities usage data and the building characteristics data, including linking the physical characteristics data to corresponding public utilities data;
• calculating utilities performance statistics of the at least one building from the physical characteristics data and corresponding public utilities data;
• outputting utilities performance statistics of the at least one building;
• receiving, via a graphical user interface of a first user account, input specifying a second user account to be permitted access to the first user account;
• receiving, via the graphical user interface of the first user account, a manually input security question;
• displaying, via a graphical user interface of the second user account, the security question;
• receiving, via the graphical user interface of the second user account, manual input representing a response to the security question;
• displaying, via the graphical user interface of the first user account, the response to the security question;
• receiving, via the graphical user interface of the first user account, input indicating acceptance of the response to the security question;
• and
• granting to the second user account, access to the first user account.

A computer-implemented method for tracking utilities usage, the computer-implemented method comprising:

• a processor configured with a set of instructions for:
• receiving public utilities usage data that corresponds to at least one building;
• receiving building characteristics data that indicate physical characteristics of the at least one building;
• organizing the public utilities usage data and the building characteristics data, including linking the physical characteristics data to corresponding public utilities data;
• calculating utilities performance statistics of the at least one building from the physical characteristics data and corresponding public utilities data;
• outputting utilities performance statistics of the at least one building;
• receiving, via a graphical user interface of a first user account, input specifying a second user account to be permitted access to the first user account;
• receiving, via the graphical user interface of the first user account, a manually input security question;
• displaying, via a graphical user interface of the second user account, the security question;
• receiving, via the graphical user interface of the second user account, manual input representing a response to the security question;
• displaying, via the graphical user interface of the first user account, the response to the security question;
• receiving, via the graphical user interface of the first user account, input indicating acceptance of the response to the security question;
• and
• granting to the second user account, access to the first user account.