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Sites

Sites represent physical locations (like a home or commercial building) in the Texture Platform. They serve as a central model to which Customers, Devices, and external data (e.g., utility bills, meter intervals) all connect.

Texture automatically creates or updates a Site when a Device or utility account is onboarded, then enriches it with location-based data (utility territory, ISO, marginal carbon emissions, weather, etc.). All Site data can be viewed in the Dashboard and accessed programmatically via our API.

Why Sites?​

  • Core Model: Everything else (Devices, Customers, usage data) links back to a Site.
  • Aggregated Metrics: View total energy consumption, production, storage, and emissions for each Site.
  • Geolocation & Signals: Automatically assigned utility territory, ISO, and real-time carbon emissions data.
  • Enrichment & Automation: Integrations (e.g., Arcadia, UtilityAPI, or Shovels) add billing, meter intervals, or permit data to the Site.
  • Dashboard & API: Easily visualize or pull all Site info programmatically for deeper analysis or automation.

How Sites are Created​

Sites can be created through several paths in the Texture Platform:

  1. Dashboard Creation

    • Navigate to the Sites list in the Dashboard and click the "+ Add Site" button
    • Provide the address information for the Site
    • The Site will be created and automatically enriched with location data

  2. API Creation

    • Use the REST API by calling POST /sites and providing the address information
    • The API will create the Site and initiate automatic data enrichment

  3. Program Enrollment

    • When a customer enrolls in a Program through the Texture Onboard flow, we collect their address details and automatically create a Site for them
    • This Site becomes the central location for all enrolled devices and program-related data

  4. Texture Connect Flow

    • Going through our Texture Connect flow to connect a device requires providing an address
    • Once the customer completes the flow, Texture creates a Site at that address and links the newly connected device to it

  5. Data Source Connection

    • When connecting a data source (such as Arcadia or UtilityAPI) that already has customer location data, Texture automatically:
      • Pulls in the data
      • Creates Sites for each unique address
      • Links this data to the corresponding Site on our platform

Note: Regarding geographic support:

  • U.S. Addresses: Currently fully supported with all features and data sources
  • Limited International Support: Some regions outside the U.S. are supported with reduced functionality:
    • Weather data is available globally
    • Marginal carbon emissions data is U.S. only
    • Some Apps (Palmetto's Energy Intelligence, Shovels) only work with U.S. addresses
  • Future Plans: We intend to expand global site support over time
  • Feedback Welcome: Please let us know if global site support is important for your use case

What Happens When a Site is Created?​

When a user (or system) provides address information for a new Site:

  1. Geocoding
    • Texture converts the address into latitude/longitude coordinates to find it in the real world
  2. Site Creation/Upsert
    • A new Site record is created—or an existing Site is updated if it matches the same address footprint
  3. Customer Linking
    • If the address is linked to an existing Customer, we associate the new Site with that Customer. Otherwise, Texture creates a new Customer record
  4. Automatic Data Enrichment
    • Several background processes are initiated to enhance the Site with valuable data:
      • Territory Assignment: Determining the utility territory, ISO, and wholesale market for that Site's coordinates
      • Carbon Emissions: Fetching marginal carbon emissions data for the Site location
      • Weather Data: Collecting local weather data and forecasts
      • Apps Integration: If any Apps are enabled that provide additional data for the Site:
        • Shovels: Fetching permit data related to the Site
        • Palmetto's Energy Intelligence: Adding energy modeling data for the Site
        • Bayou Energy: Connecting utility bill and meter interval data
  5. Device/Utility Data Sync
    • Any Devices or utility billing/interval data associated with that location auto-link to the newly created Site

Site Overview in the Dashboard​

Each Site in the Sites section of the Dashboard offers multiple tabs:

  1. Overview

    • Map & Address: Displaying the location.
    • Devices: A quick list of the Devices installed at that Site.
    • Energy Charts: Aggregated daily, weekly, or monthly data (e.g., total kWh used/stored/produced).
    • Marginal Carbon Emissions: If available, the real-time or historical carbon intensity at that location.

  2. Activity

    • A feed of relevant events (e.g., "Device Updated," "Utility Bill Imported"), including raw payload details for auditing.

  3. Bills

    • Usage: Summaries of historical energy usage from utility statements (if integrated via an App like UtilityAPI).
    • Charges: If provided by the utility, itemized cost breakdowns.
    • Meter Intervals: Interval data (e.g., 15-minute or hourly usage) for a granular view of consumption.

Managing Sites via API​

Texture's REST API exposes endpoints to create, list, fetch, and update Site data. Key calls include:

  • Create a Site

    POST /sites

    Creates a new Site by providing address information. This initiates the automatic data enrichment process.

  • List all Sites

    GET /sites

    Returns all Sites in your Workspace, with optional filters and pagination.

  • Get a specific Site

    GET /sites/{id}

    Retrieves detailed info about a Site, including its location, Devices, and aggregated usage data.

    The GET request supports an optional include query parameter to retrieve additional data associated with the Site:

    GET /sites/{id}?include=weather,permits,statements,intervals,energy-modeling

    These optional include values are:

    • weather: Weather data for the Site (included by default for all Sites)

    • permits: Permit data if the Shovels app is enabled and data is available

    • statements: Monthly utility bills including energy used, total charges, and PDF bills if connected via Arcadia, UtilityAPI, or Bayou Energy

    • intervals: Smart meter interval data (typically 15-minute or 1-hour) if available from the utility

    • energy-modeling: Disaggregated data on a Site's energy footprint from services like Palmetto's Energy Intelligence

    Note: Including additional data may impact API performance, so we recommend including only the data you need for your specific use case.

You can also associate or unassociate a Site with a Customer or Device by specifying the relevant IDs in your requests.

For full API details and request/response formats, visit our interactive REST API docs.

Data & Analytics​

Sites offer a holistic view of energy data:

  • Consumption: Total energy consumed from the grid or other sources.
  • Production: Energy generated onsite (e.g., from a solar inverter).
  • Storage: Total energy stored onsite (e.g., in whole home batteries).
  • Emissions: Real-time marginal carbon intensity and total emissions data (via WattTime or other partners).
  • Billing: Utility bills, charges, and meter intervals, if your organization has enabled relevant Apps (e.g., UtilityAPI, Arcadia).

This aggregated approach helps you see how all Devices and cCstomers at a location impact overall energy usage and costs.

Tips & Best Practices​

  • Reference IDs
    • Use a custom referenceId or site name if you need consistent mapping to your own system.
  • One Site, Many Devices
    • If multiple users in the same building have separate meters or devices, you can create sub-Sites or keep them under one main Site—depending on your business logic.
  • Enrichment
    • Make sure you have location-based integrations (like weather or emissions) set up to get the most out of Sites.
  • Linking
    • Sites automatically link to Customers, but you can override or manually adjust these associations via the API.

Need Help or Have Questions?​

If you run into any issues or have specific requests around Sites, please use the live chat feature in the Dashboard (look for the chat bubble in the lower right corner). A human from our team will reply quickly to help expand functionality and ensure your energy data is as rich and actionable as possible.

Next Steps​

  • Browse the API for full details on Site endpoints.
  • Enable Apps that provide utility billing or meter data to enrich your Sites further.
  • Explore the Site's Dashboard tabs (Overview, Activity, Bills) to track usage, events, and costs.
  • Combine with Devices and Customers for a complete energy management solution.

A Site is more than just an address—it's a living, enriched data model that powers all your energy insights in Texture.