OpenEI Connector for AI agents.
10 live capabilities
Get accurate US electricity rates for solar and energy cost modeling.
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Why people use OpenEI
OpenEI : Stop Hunting Through PDF Rate Sheets
This Connector lets you just ask your agent for the numbers. It pulls the data directly from the National Utility Rate Database and gives you the answer in one sentence, whether you're looking for residential tiers or industrial demand charges.
What Vinkius changes
You get accurate US electricity pricing in seconds without manual research.
Use it from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or another AI client you already have.
One account · 5,900+ Connectors
- Real-world use case 01
Instant Solar ROI Calculation
A solar installer needs to know the payback period for a warehouse.
- Real-world use case 02
Industrial Site Selection
A facility manager wants to know which state has the lowest industrial power costs.
- Real-world use case 03
Energy Policy Research
A researcher needs to find every utility in California to study grid density.
Complete set · 10capabilities
The complete OpenEI capability set.
These are the exact actions your AI can choose when you ask it to work with OpenEI.
01—04
4 capabilities in this set.
Part of 10 available through OpenEI.
- 01 Capability
Get commercial rates
Fetch all commercial tariffs for a location to help with business energy cost modeling. This is essential for commercial solar installations.
- 02 Capability
Get industrial rates
Pull industrial electricity rates to analyze heavy manufacturing costs and load forecasting. Use this for industrial facility site selection.
- 03 Capability
Get rate detail
Get exhaustive details on a specific rate ID, including seasonal variations and taxes. Use this for detailed cost modeling or bill analysis.
- 04 Capability
Get utility rates
Identify utility rates by location and sector using coordinates or a physical address. This is the primary way to find applicable rates.
05—07
3 capabilities in this set.
Part of 10 available through OpenEI.
- 05 Capability
Get rates by address
Automatically geocode a street address to find all available electricity rates for that spot. It's perfect for providing instant quotes to customers.
- 06 Capability
Get rates by coordinates
Find the serving utility and its rates based on precise GPS coordinates. Use this for site selection and energy consulting.
- 07 Capability
Get residential rates
Retrieve residential electricity plans, including tiered rates and EV charging options. This is great for homeowners evaluating solar ROI.
08—10
3 capabilities in this set.
Part of 10 available through OpenEI.
- 08 Capability
Get utility detail
Look up a specific utility company's service territory, contact info, and generation mix. Use this to research utility company details.
- 09 Capability
List utilities
Browse and filter the database for utility companies by state, country, or name. Use this to identify companies for research or further queries.
- 10 Capability
Search utilities by name
Find a utility's unique ID by searching for part of its company name. Use this when you know the name but not the specific database ID.
Set up in minutes
One URL. Then ask OpenEI to work.
Claude and ChatGPT only need the Connector URL. Copy it once, add it in settings, and use OpenEI from the conversation.
Choose your client
Live previewAdvanced clients IDE · CLI
Claude · Web + desktop
Connector URL · ready to paste
Streamable HTTPhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_ahsqEDVif8a3sRKccnemtAEljvD6ot9vRSViUUpg/mcp - Step 01
Open Connectors
In Claude Web or Claude Desktop, open Settings and choose Connectors.
- Step 02
Add the URL
Choose Add custom connector, name it OpenEI, and paste the URL above.
- Step 03
Turn it on in chat
Select +, open Connectors, and enable OpenEI for the conversation.
ChatGPT · Web + desktop
Connector URL · ready to paste
Streamable HTTPhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_ahsqEDVif8a3sRKccnemtAEljvD6ot9vRSViUUpg/mcp - Step 01
Open MCP settings
On desktop, open Settings and MCP servers. On web, open your workspace app or connector settings.
- Step 02
Add the URL
Choose Add server with Streamable HTTP, or create a custom MCP app, then paste the OpenEI URL.
- Step 03
Save and start
Save the connection and enable OpenEI in your conversation. Desktop may ask you to restart once.
Cursor · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"openei": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_ahsqEDVif8a3sRKccnemtAEljvD6ot9vRSViUUpg/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open MCP Settings
Press Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) → search "MCP Settings"
- Step 02
Add the server config
Paste the JSON configuration above into the mcp.json file that opens
- Step 03
Save the file
Cursor will automatically detect the new Connector
- Step 04
Start using OpenEI
Open Agent mode in chat and ask: "Using OpenEI, help me...". 10 tools available
VS Code Copilot · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"openei": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_ahsqEDVif8a3sRKccnemtAEljvD6ot9vRSViUUpg/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Create MCP config
Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root
- Step 02
Add the server config
Paste the JSON configuration above
- Step 03
Enable Agent mode
Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown
- Step 04
Start using OpenEI
Ask Copilot: "Using OpenEI, help me...". 10 tools available
Windsurf · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"openei": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_ahsqEDVif8a3sRKccnemtAEljvD6ot9vRSViUUpg/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open MCP Settings
Go to Settings → MCP Configuration or press Cmd+Shift+P and search "MCP"
- Step 02
Add the server
Paste the JSON configuration above into mcp_config.json
- Step 03
Save and reload
Windsurf will detect the new server automatically
- Step 04
Start using OpenEI
Open Cascade and ask: "Using OpenEI, help me...". 10 tools available
Cline · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"openei": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_ahsqEDVif8a3sRKccnemtAEljvD6ot9vRSViUUpg/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open Cline MCP Settings
Click the Connectors icon in the Cline sidebar panel
- Step 02
Add remote server
Click "Add Connector" and paste the configuration above
- Step 03
Enable the server
Toggle the server switch to ON
- Step 04
Start using OpenEI
Ask Cline: "Using OpenEI, help me...". 10 tools available
Claude Code · Terminal command
Advanced setup
claude mcp add openei --transport http "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_ahsqEDVif8a3sRKccnemtAEljvD6ot9vRSViUUpg/mcp"- Step 01
Install Claude Code
Run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code if not already installed
- Step 02
Add the Connector
Run the command above in your terminal
- Step 03
Verify the connection
Run claude mcp to list connected servers, or type /mcp inside a session
- Step 04
Start using OpenEI
Ask Claude: "Using OpenEI, show me...". 10 tools are ready
Where the request belongs
Work OpenEI can move forward.
This is for energy professionals who need to move faster. If you're tired of manual data gathering for solar proposals or energy audits, this capability replaces the spreadsheet grind.
Solar Installer
Uses the capability on Tuesday afternoons to pull instant rate quotes for customer proposals and calculate ROI.
Energy Consultant
Runs cost models for industrial clients by pulling seasonal variations and demand charges for specific sites.
Facility Manager
Compares utility rates across different states to plan for new warehouse locations or budget planning.
Policy Researcher
Accesses the National Utility Rate Database to pull data for academic papers or energy policy analysis.
Build the capability set
Add more capabilities.
Each Connector adds new actions and data without changing how you work.
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Access renewable energy and fuel data via NREL. track fuel stations, solar resources, and utility rates directly from your AI agent.
GridStatus
Access real-time and historical US electricity grid data. load, fuel mix, LMP pricing, and generation across all major ISOs (ERCOT, CAISO, PJM, MISO, NYISO, ISO-NE, SPP).
PG&E Public Datasets
Access PG&E public energy data: monthly usage, billing, savings, and regional comparisons.
UtilityAPI
Access utility billing, usage data, and meter info from PG&E and 100+ US utilities via a single API.
Awattar
Access real-time electricity prices from aWATTar. retrieve EPEX Spot market data and optimized YAML stats for home automation directly from your AI agent.
ISO New England
Access real-time and historical energy market data via ISO New England API.
Bring your own AI
Change the model, client or framework. Keep OpenEI connected.
-
Claude -
ChatGPT -
Gemini -
Cursor -
VS Code -
Windsurf -
ZCode -
Cline -
Zed -
Continue -
Kiro -
Roo Code -
Zencoder -
Goose -
Void -
Augment Code -
Amp -
Qodo -
Tabnine -
Pieces -
Sourcegraph Cody -
JetBrains -
Warp -
Amazon Q -
Antigravity -
BoltAI -
Raycast -
Jan -
LM Studio -
AnythingLLM -
Open WebUI -
Msty -
Cherry Studio -
LibreChat -
TypingMind -
Chorus -
5ire -
n8n -
LangChain -
LlamaIndex -
CrewAI -
Vercel AI SDK
Before you connect
Questions about OpenEI.
The practical details behind the request, access and result.
Can the OpenEI MCP find rates for a specific house?
Yes, you can provide a street address and the Connector will identify the serving utility and all applicable residential electricity rates for that location.
Does OpenEI MCP include commercial demand charges?
Yes, it retrieves full rate structures which include demand charges, energy charges, and fixed charges for commercial and industrial sectors.
Can I use OpenEI MCP for solar feasibility studies?
It is perfect for that. You can pull real-time rates to calculate solar ROI, net metering analysis, and energy cost projections for your customers.
How does OpenEI MCP handle different electricity sectors?
You can filter your queries by sector, including residential, commercial, and industrial, to get the specific pricing relevant to your project.
Can OpenEI MCP help with industrial site selection?
Yes, it allows you to pull industrial rates by coordinates or address, helping you compare energy costs across different locations for new facilities.
Does OpenEI MCP provide info on utility generation mixes?
Yes, the capability can provide details on a utility company's owned generation resources and their overall service territory.
How do I find electricity rates for my address?
Use the get_rates_by_address capability with your full street address. The API will geocode your location and return all applicable utility rates (residential, commercial, industrial). For example, enter '1617 Cole Blvd, Golden, CO 80401' to see rates from Xcel Energy and other providers serving that area.
What's the difference between residential, commercial, and industrial rates?
Residential rates (sector 1) are for homes and typically have simple tiered or time-of-use structures. Commercial rates (sector 2) serve businesses and include general service and large power tariffs with demand charges. Industrial rates (sector 3) are for heavy manufacturing with the lowest per-kWh costs but complex demand and power factor adjustments. Use the specific sector capabilities or filter with the sector parameter.
Can I get complete rate structures with time-of-use details?
Yes. Set the detail parameter to 'full' when calling get_utility_rates or get_rate_detail. This returns the complete tariff structure including energyratestructure (time-of-use periods and seasonal blocks), demandratestructure, fixed charges, minimum charges, and tax adjustments. Essential for accurate solar ROI calculations and detailed energy cost modeling.
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Give your agent a direct line to OpenEI.
Connect OpenEI once. Keep it beside 5,900+ managed Connectors when the next task needs more.
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