PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 8 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
GitHub Copilot in VS Code is the most widely adopted AI coding assistant, embedded directly into the world's most popular code editor. With MCP support in Agent mode, Copilot can access external data and APIs to generate context-aware code grounded in real-time information.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
Vinkius Desktop App
The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install PG&E Public Datasets and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
{
"mcpServers": {
"pge-public-datasets": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server
Access PG&E Public Datasets directly from any AI agent and explore energy consumption, billing trends, efficiency savings, and regional comparisons without any authentication.
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings PG&E Public Datasets data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 8 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.
What you can do
- Monthly Usage — Get monthly electricity and gas consumption by ZIP code and customer segment
- Customer Segments — View energy usage breakdown across Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Agricultural sectors
- Yearly Trends — Analyze year-over-year energy consumption trends
- Electricity by ZIP — Access ZIP code-level electricity consumption data
- Gas by ZIP — Access ZIP code-level natural gas consumption data
- Billing Data — Retrieve average bills and cost metrics by region
- Savings Data — Analyze energy efficiency program savings and cost-effectiveness
- Regional Comparisons — Compare energy usage across multiple ZIP codes side-by-side
The PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server exposes 8 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to VS Code Copilot in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect PG&E Public Datasets to VS Code Copilot via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.
Create MCP config
Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root
Add the server config
Paste the JSON configuration above
Enable Agent mode
Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown
Start using PG&E Public Datasets
Ask Copilot: "Using PG&E Public Datasets, help me...". 8 tools available
Why Use VS Code Copilot with the PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server
GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code provides unique advantages when paired with PG&E Public Datasets through the Model Context Protocol.
VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor
Project-scoped MCP configs (`.vscode/mcp.json`) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access
Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop
GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services
PG&E Public Datasets + VS Code Copilot Use Cases
Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Live API integration: Copilot can query an MCP server, inspect the response schema, and generate typed API client code in the same step
DevSecOps workflows: security teams can give developers access to domain intelligence tools directly in their editor for real-time vulnerability assessment during code review
Data pipeline development: Copilot fetches sample data via MCP and generates transformation scripts, validators, and test fixtures from actual API responses
Documentation generation: Copilot queries available tools and auto-generates README sections, API reference docs, and usage examples
PG&E Public Datasets MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (8)
These 8 tools become available when you connect PG&E Public Datasets to VS Code Copilot via MCP:
compare_regions
Returns side-by-side usage figures (kWh and therms), customer counts, and average bills for each region. Use this to identify regional differences in energy consumption, support geographic targeting for efficiency programs, or compare urban vs. rural usage patterns. ZIP codes are comma-separated (e.g., "94102,94103,94104"). Optional dataType and year filters. Compare energy usage data between multiple ZIP codes/regions
get_billing_data
Data is available by ZIP code and customer segment. Use this to analyze energy affordability, compare costs across regions, or identify rate impact on customers. Optional zipCode and year filters. Get billing data and average costs from PG&E public datasets
get_electricity_by_zip
Returns monthly or annual usage figures broken down by geographic area. Use this to compare electricity usage across neighborhoods, identify high-consumption areas, or support energy efficiency targeting. Optional year filter. Get electricity consumption data for specific ZIP codes in PG&E service area
get_gas_by_zip
Returns monthly or annual gas usage figures by geographic area. Use this to analyze heating demand patterns, compare gas usage across regions, or identify electrification opportunities. Optional year filter. Get natural gas consumption data for specific ZIP codes in PG&E service area
get_monthly_usage
Data is organized by ZIP code, month, year, and customer segment (Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Agricultural). Returns kWh for electric and therms for gas. Use this to analyze consumption patterns over time. Optional filters: dataType ("electric" or "gas"), customerType, zipCode (5-digit), and year (YYYY). Get monthly energy consumption data by ZIP code and customer segment from PG&E public datasets
get_savings_data
Includes program participation counts, kWh/therms saved, program costs, and cost-effectiveness metrics by program type. Use this to evaluate program ROI, compare effectiveness across initiatives, or identify high-impact efficiency strategies. Optional programType and year filters. Get energy efficiency program savings data from PG&E
get_usage_by_customer_type
Shows total consumption for Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Agricultural sectors. Use this to understand the energy consumption distribution across different customer categories. Optional dataType ("electric"/"gas") and year filters. Get energy usage broken down by customer segment (residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural)
get_yearly_trends
Shows how electricity and gas usage has changed over multiple years. Use this to identify long-term patterns, growth/decline in energy demand, and seasonal variations. Optional dataType filter ("electric" or "gas"). Get yearly energy consumption trends from PG&E public data
Example Prompts for PG&E Public Datasets in VS Code Copilot
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your VS Code Copilot agent to start working with PG&E Public Datasets immediately.
"Show monthly electricity usage by customer type."
"Compare ZIP codes 94102, 94301, and 95054."
"Show yearly energy consumption trends."
Troubleshooting PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server with VS Code Copilot
Common issues when connecting PG&E Public Datasets to VS Code Copilot through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
MCP tools not available
PG&E Public Datasets + VS Code Copilot FAQ
Common questions about integrating PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.
Which VS Code version supports MCP?
How do I switch to Agent mode?
Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?
Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?
.vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.Connect PG&E Public Datasets with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
Anthropic's native desktop app for Claude with built-in MCP support.
AI-first code editor with integrated LLM-powered coding assistance.
GitHub Copilot in VS Code with Agent mode and MCP support.
Purpose-built IDE for agentic AI coding workflows.
Autonomous AI coding agent that runs inside VS Code.
Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development.
Python SDK for building production-grade OpenAI agent workflows.
Google's framework for building production AI agents.
Type-safe agent development for Python with first-class MCP support.
TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered web applications.
TypeScript-native agent framework for modern web stacks.
Python framework for orchestrating collaborative AI agent crews.
Leading Python framework for composable LLM applications.
Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect PG&E Public Datasets to VS Code Copilot
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 8 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.