Connections Blog

The Power of Earth Day

April 22nd 2010

As a leader in energy management technology, Tendril is proud to join you in celebrating Earth Day. Forty years ago, Earth Day was envisioned as a teach-in, but it’s continued to grow through the decades into a worldwide phenomenon.

So much has changed in those four decades. There has been more awareness, education and action than ever, but unfortunately the problems persist. We are still facing pollution, habitat destruction, and the loss of wildlife. Today, the impacts of climate change are evident across the globe.

But with these greater challenges, there have been greater advancements. We have a new suite of clean and smart technologies that were nearly unimaginable in 1970. These technologies can help us reduce our impact and reverse the destructive trends.

The advances in solar, wind, and energy efficiency have made the smart home a reality. Tendril is proud to be part of this solution. We’ve developed a platform and a suite of products and applications that provide a two-way dialogue between utilities and their customers’ homes. Now utilities and consumers can work together to lower energy use and reduce the need for new power plants.

Tendril is dedicated to managing energy usage, so that every day better serves the Earth. This is our contribution; please tell us yours. Share what you are doing to celebrate Earth Day. As a small appreciation for your story, we are offering two FREE TICKETS to Disney’s new Oceans movie to the FIRST 50 SUBMISSIONS. Please SUBMIT YOUR STORY here.

We’ve come a long way over the past 40 years, and we’re ready for the amazing changes in the next 40.

New IHD Unveiled

March 23rd 2010

The Tendril team is very excited to announce that at DistribuTECH today we unveiled a revolutionary new device – our “Vision” In-Home Display (IHD). What makes it revolutionary is that it allows people to link directly with their utility to get real-time information about their energy use and cost, take an active role in how much energy they use, and see immediate results.

This is important because utilities realize they need to engage directly with their customers in order to drive efficiency and energy reduction. Vision provides the means of immediate communication and action that has been missing in consumers’ homes until now.

Among the unique features of Vision:

It is anchored in a household appliance similar to a digital clock. This promotes active engagement with utility customers because it provides continuous information via a device that is unobtrusive, intuitive and an accepted part of everyday living.
Vision displays upcoming, real-time events so customers can plan accordingly. For example, Vision will display a visual cue for an upcoming demand response event and peak pricing period. Seeing this, a homeowner could wait to run the dishwasher, turn down the thermostat, or leave the house to run errands in order to save money during that time.
The real-time data display is also accompanied by a web portal service that allows customers to look at detailed information online as well as create, and manage, their own customized energy use plan.

For those of you attending the show, stop by Booth 1803 and 2015 to see Vision, as well as several other exciting new solutions for the utility industry. Additional information can be found here.

Countdown to DistribuTECH

March 19th 2010

The Tendril offices are buzzing with excitement for DistribuTECH 2010, where we will be unveiling some exciting new products, including what we think is a revolutionary new In-Home Device. If you’re planning on attending, please stop by Booths 1803 and 2015 and introduce yourself.

We are also excited for a cocktail event that Tendril will be hosting called CUBA! the first evening of the show. After a long day on the show floor this is going to be a great way to relax and meet people while enjoying Cuban-themed appetizers, drinks and entertainment. Want to join us? Just stop by one of our booths and we’ll give you all the details. We are also co-hosting a pre-event happy hour at the convention center called “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere” to start the evening off.

DistribuTECH, now in its 20th year, is running from March 23 – 25 at the Tampa Convention Center. The event, which features 12 conference tracks and more than 200 of the industry’s top speakers, takes an in-depth look at the fundamental principles and newest technologies shaping the industry today. DistribuTECH promises to be a top-notch event, filled with great people, a wealth of useful information and a few surprises as well. Hope to see you there!

The Conversation Continues at the White House

March 16th 2010

March is quietly shaping up to be big month for Smart Grid in the nation’s capitol. For the past three weeks, the White House has stepped forward to host an online conversation focused on key questions of Smart Grid architecture, access to usage data and consumer standards. The blog was coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy and our policy strategist Cameron Brooks contributed a post that captures our thoughts (comments under Week 3). Reading the comments of others, I was encouraged by the consensus around the importance of access by consumers to their own usage data. This was something that I highlighted last month when I was invited before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet led by Senator Kerry.

Today, the FCC is releasing its long-awaited National Broadband Plan. Tendril has been actively contributing to this process as well. Last fall, I was invited to a field hearing led by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski where again the conversation turned to the importance of data access. We know that the Plan will highlight the opportunity using broadband to help build a Smart Grid that enables energy efficiency and widespread use of renewable energy and plug-in electric vehicles. A preview released yesterday includes this recommendation regarding real-time data access: “If states fail to develop reasonable policies over the next 18 months, Congress should consider national legislation to cover consumer privacy and accessibility of energy data.”

I suspect that before the month is over, there will be legislation introduced that will act on the sentiments in the White House blog and the FCC report to create a new national policy to help consumers get access to their data. Tendril will certainly be involved to help guide legislation to a final form that will lead our country successfully into a “new energy future” from which we all can benefit. As I said at the Senate, “The consumer market is a powerful force for change. But like all markets, it will only be truly effective when it has accurate and actionable information. Federal policy, supporting entrepreneurs and American competitiveness, can provide that information and support innovation.”

Smart Grid Goes to College

March 4th 2010

Envisioning the large-scale rollout of the Smart Grid over the next several years is a daunting task involving a wealth of assumptions and predictions ranging from human behavior to economics to technology. Part of the equation leading to a successful rollout is a skilled utility workforce that understands the technology and can not only install, but maintain it for a large customer base. A technical college in Cincinnati just announced that it will offer a Smart Grid major next fall to meet the projected demand. Power Grid International magazine blog offered a nice commentary as well.

Providing Expert Testimony to US Senate Subcommittee

February 23rd 2010

This morning I had the pleasure of speaking in front of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet on the subject of “Improving Energy Efficiency Through Technology and Communications Innovation.” I was one of five experts invited to deliver testimony. As a newly minted U.S. citizen, I was honored to be able participate so directly in government policy. The three key observations I offered up to assist the federal government in leading the adoption of energy efficiency technologies and platforms included:

Real-time information is key to driving energy savings. No consistent policy currently exists regarding whether and how consumers can see how much energy they are using in real time.
The biggest barriers to innovation are not technical, but economic. Most utilities have little incentive to sell their customers less energy and in most states consumers do not have a choice of energy supplier.
The ultimate driver of change will be the consumer. Like the information and communications revolution, consumers and market demand will drive adoption.

I invite you to view my complete written testimony here.

Report from Clean-Tech

February 19th 2010

I had the pleasure of participating on a Smart Grid panel at the 2010 Clean-Tech Investor Summit. This is an annual event held in Palm Springs, California that brings together leading investors, Fortune 500 executives, entrepreneurs and service providers for two days of presentations, conversations and networking. Among the important takeaways from this lively discussion was that consumer education is a critical part of successful smart grid rollout, and that the benefits, both to utilities and to consumers, need to be clearly communicated. Further, it is clear that the smart grid revolution is going to happen, and everyone has a lot to learn in a short period of time. One of my co-panelists, Judith Warrick, a utility industry analyst with Morgan Stanley, commented “Smart grid is a matter of survival for the utility industry. In today’s world the utilities’ real customer is the regulator. But that will change with the national rollout of the smart meter. There will be 14 million smart meters in homes by the end of 2010 and 33 million by 2012.” To read the full panel discussion, as well as review content of other presentations at the conference, click here.