Tendril Residential Energy Ecosystem Platform Extended to Support Innovative Technologies and Services from Broad Community of Smart Energy Leaders

San Diego, CA – DistribuTECH 2009 – February 3, 2009 

• Tendril, a leading provider of open, demand side residential energy management solutions for the utility industry, today formalized the Tendril Partner Program, an open, dynamic community of technologies and service providers.
• Extending the reach of the Tendril Residential Energy Ecosystem (TREE), the program includes all points of contact and integration with the TREE Platform, including meter and AMI backhaul technologies, Home Area Network (HAN) technology providers, utility billing and customer care systems and other third-party energy management service providers.
  
• Tendril is now making the following turnkey solutions available to its partners:

• • • Tendril Smart Energy Device Developer Kit (DDK) for HAN partners to develop, verify and ensure proper communication of ZigBee Smart Energy compliant devices.
    • Tendril Application Programmer Interface (API), further integrating the TREE Platform into utility back-office and automatic demand response systems.
    • Tendril Manufacturer Specific Profile (MSP), providing added functionality and the ability to expand, augment and fill gaps in the ZigBee Smart Energy Profile.

Early Adopters of the Program

• Early adopters of the Partner Program include major meter and AMI vendors, such as Itron, Landis+Gyr and Silver Spring Networks, who together represent the majority of new meter and AMI project penetration in North America. 
• Tendril and Energate have engaged as Solution Partners, working together to create compelling, integrated solutions for utilities and their customers. Energate will provide leading-edge ZigBee-enabled smart thermostats and other in-home technologies, with Tendril providing its market-leading TREE Platform and Web applications.
• Tendril is at varying stages of integration with a number of other HAN partners, complementing TREE’s existing devices to offer more breadth and choice to utilities. New HAN partners include:

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  • Entek LLC, provider of ZigBee inline load control switches.
  • Landis+Gyr, provider of the EcoMeter in-home display.
  • LS Research, an OEM of HAN and wireless technology, including in-home displays
  • Onzo, a UK-based manufacturer of consumer-oriented in-home displays.
  • Radio Thermostat Company of America (RTCoA), the OEM of The Home Depot’s RiteTemp brand of thermostats and other ZigBEE PCTs.

An Open, Standards-Based Ecosystem

• The TREE Platform, in conjunction with technologies and services from its strategic partners, provides utilities with options for developing solutions that meet their specific customer needs without getting locked into one provider or proprietary technology.
• The Partner Program enables Tendril to continue innovation of its groundbreaking TREE Platform, while working with other strategic and industry-leading technology and service vendors to offer highly integrated, consumer-focused solutions for comprehensive energy management services.
• The Partner Program will enable Tendril to scale its level of partner and HAN device support for a range of scenarios, including:
  • Solution partners providing highly integrated and best-in-class solutions to the industry.
  • Preferred partners providing Tendril branded and sold devices.
  • Partners supplying Tendril certified or resold devices that function fully on the TREE Platform but are often re-branded by partners or for customers.
  • Tendril compliant devices that are developed and integrated by third-parties but meet the ZigBee Smart Energy protocol.

Extending the TREE Platform

• Extending the reach and application of the TREE Platform, the Partner Program provides access to key Tendril technology and support, including:
  • Tendril Smart Energy Device Developer Kit:  Includes tools for HAN device manufacturers to develop ZigBee Smart Energy compliant devices, verify that they can join a ZigBee network and ensure communication with a SE-compliant meter.
    • Future DDK development includes a fully simulated TREE environment for device developers
  • Tendril API:  Allows for the utility back-office development and integration of enterprise-class applications and systems, such as:
    • Integration with automated and manual third-party demand response and load control management systems.
    • Improved billing system integration linking account-level billing information to the TREE Platform.
    • Ability to better offer dynamic pricing by providing input to the TREE Platform for rate program information on an account-by-account basis.
    • Data exporting capability that allows energy providers to better capture non-billing grade consumption information from within the home.
    • Seamless sign-on process that integrates Tendril’s Web portal, Tendril Vantage, with the utility’s Web site allowing consumers one unified point of entry to view all of their consumption and billing information.
    • Future development of the API includes additional integration of external data streams, such as weather services, and Web service interfaces for third-party portal and application development, such as a third-party developed consumer Web portal or data analytics engine.
  • Tendril Manufacturer Specific Profile:  Extends the ZigBee Smart Energy Profile to fill gaps in the standard and expand the functionality of HAN devices in field deployments. This offering includes:
    • Testing/integration to speed early development and demo activities.
    • Extension of demand response load control and home automation capacity.
    • Provisioning for “Over-the-Air” and “Over-the-Internet” updates.
    • Additional energy management functionality such as support for billing level data.

QUOTES

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      • “The industry is in need of an open, standards-based ecosystem that can scale tremendously and deliver a wide range of demand side resources, support existing and emerging energy management technologies and provide utilities with ultimate choice and flexibility. Formalization of our partner program allows us to continue to innovate our TREE Platform and establish a long-term vision and framework for industry technology development.” – Adrian Tuck, CEO, Tendril

• “Wide-scale smart grid development requires many different enabling technologies all working together to provide value and scalability to utilities that in turn translates into consumer engagement and empowerment. It is encouraging to see Tendril take a leadership position in bringing the industry closer together.” – Dan Delurey, Executive Director, Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition
• “A dynamic ecosystem of energy management capability is the right step in realizing next-generation energy efficiency solutions. Working with companies like Tendril enhances the Personal Energy Management solutions that we provide to our customers.” – Letha McLaren, Global Product Manager, Energy Management Applications, Landis & Gyr
• “The home is the critical hub of any smart energy solution. We’re excited to be working with Tendril to develop best-in-class home networking solutions for utilities and bringing a critical audience into the energy management ecosystem – the consumer. ” – Niraj Bhargava, CEO, Energate

 

SUPPORTING RESOURCES

Tendril Home Page

http://tendrilinc.com 

Company Blog

http://tendrilinc.com/blog 

Tools for Partners & Prospects

http://tendrilinc.com/partners/

Information for Utilities & Energy Providers

http://tendrilinc.com/utilities/ 

Upcoming Events

http://tendrilinc.com/news/events/ 

 

About Tendril

Tendril enables true 21st century energy efficiency by establishing a dialog between consumers and their energy providers. The Tendril Residential Energy Ecosystem (TREE) is comprised of an open, extensible and standards-based platform for energy management, a comprehensive suite of energy management applications (like Demand Response and Time-of-Use Pricing) and a suite of in-home hardware devices (like thermostats and outlets). TREE is a comprehensive and consumer-centric solution that is designed to integrate seamlessly with a Utility’s or Energy Retailers’ existing back office applications and network infrastructure allowing consumers and their energy companies to communicate, collaborate and create — Smart Energy for Life™. 

 

Media Contacts:

Marie Bahl for Tendril
303.468.4445
mbahl@tendrilinc.com

Steve Propper for Blanc & Otus
415.856.5114
spropper@blancandotus.com