You’ve got Questions?
We’ve got the Answers.
A: Tendril enables the Smart Grid Information Age by establishing a two-way dialog between consumers and their energy providers. Our goal is to deliver an open and innovative demand side residential energy management solution that will interactively engage consumers in energy efficiency and demand response in collaboration with utilities.
Q: How does Tendril’s solution contribute the “clean energy” movement?
A: The four alternative energy resources – carbon, nuclear, wind and solar, surely garner a lion’s share of the attention on clean energy. Yet not every house can have a solar array on their roof or a wind turbine in their backyard. However, every homeowner can still reduce their energy consumption. We believe that empowering the consumer with information and insight will result in energy efficiency and serve the needs of energy providers, regulators and consumers alike. As a result, energy efficiency stands to have the most impact on our impending energy crisis and as a result we see it as the fifth, and most viable alternative fuel.
Q: Why is Tendril focused specifically on the residential consumer?
A. To date, energy management systems have been very utility centric. With the “R” in REMS standing for “residential” we are putting the power in the hands of the user. Where existing EMS’ give the control to the utility and allow them to affect the energy usage of its customers, our technology empowers the consumer with the ability to manage and control their own energy consumption. With that said, the utility isn’t left out in the cold. Because we allow two-way communications, the utility can send messages and extend programs to their consumer that gives them the tools and information they need to reduce their energy consumption in times of high demand or peak pricing.
A: Our TREE is the first energy management solution with an open, standards-based architecture that provides integration to any ZigBee Smart Energy certified product for the home. This allows our technology to scale to support millions of homes and their smart energy devices. Plus its full, open API can integrate new user interfaces or integrate with existing back office enterprise systems, including meter management and billing systems, as well as load monitoring and security applications. And, with its device agnostic approach, utilities/retailers and their customers can expand to other types of trusted wireless devices as other wireless technologies gain market acceptance.
Q: How does someone go about installing the product?
A: Setting up the Tendril Residential Energy Ecosystem is a quick and easy process for end users. The user simply plugs the display and gateway into their power supplies, and then uses a supplied cable to plug the Gateway into an existing Internet router. The devices are smart enough to find each other and the meter to form a home-area network. As a final step, the user logs in to the consumer portal from any computer that supports a system-compatible browser and registers their devices. Once registration is complete, the system is up and running and the user can begin monitoring energy consumption.
A: The self-installation will be a relatively familiar process for most users. For those that don’t have an Internet connection in their home or don’t want to use the Web-based functionality, think of activating your credit card. It comes in the mail and you call the 800 number and are set to go. TREE is similar to that. It’s simple to get started and each component automatically recognizes the other, all of the coordination (much like activating a credit card) is done behind the scenes without the need for customer involvement.
For those that do have Internet and want to use our Web-based functionally, set-up is akin to configuring a wireless router or home broadband connection. It is an out-of-the box solution that is simple to install. And for those customers in need of assistance, we will have support staff available to help.
We believe that if we get the out-of-the-box experience right, we’ll be successful. (Example: Apple)
Q: With so many similar, competing solutions on the market today, what sets Tendril apart?
A: Many of the solutions on the market today are very utility-centric and are more of a mandated control system. These solutions provide maximum benefit for utilities in times of demand/load issues but minimum transparency and control for the consumer.
Conversely, the consumer is at the heart of our solution. We are building a system that the customer has the power to monitor and manage in real-time. This does not go without benefit to the utility; in fact they are very keen – especially in deregulated markets – to have access to data on consumption patterns and household usage. They can establish true two-way communication with the customer, providing improved customer experience and communication.
Q: In terms of penetration, what percentage of homes do you see opting-in?
A: We forecast ultimate adoption rate at 50%. Initially, we are planning for 15%.
A: The utilities are shouldering the upfront burden in many cases, which allows consumers to see immediate savings above and beyond what their total investment will be.
If you think of your utility bill as being similar to a supermarket receipt you can draw some of the same comparisons and also begin to see the shortcomings of the current paradigm. When you buy your groceries, you are immediately able to see exactly what you paid for and the associated costs. By contrast, you don’t receive your energy bill for as much as 45 days after the fact and don’t even know what it was that may have caused a particular spike in usage. With TREE, there will be a “no surprises” approach to your energy bill.
A: No, this technology is much different than that. Whereas those efforts were putting “smart” thermostats in homes that could be controlled directly by the utility, what Tendril is doing is providing knowledge, empowerment and control for the consumer to be able to manage their own energy consumption. Customers opt-in to the platform with their utility and have the ability to override and control their own energy destiny. The focus is on two-way communications that benefit both consumers and utilities.
Q: What is the key motivator for utilities? Why would they choose to integrate Tendril?
A: Utilities will better be able to manage their customer relationships and communicate real-time changes and events. Energy providers will also gain insight into their customers’ consumption patterns and be in a better position to deal with demand response and related issues. Customers can also opt-in to programs that more centrally manage their power consumption if they so choose, but can easily opt-out and override without intrusion.
Our solution also provides a level of customization and branding that can easily be modified and integrated. This allows us to reach a broad range of utilities’ needs in both the regulated and deregulated markets.
A: We don’t see this as being a problem and, in fact, users can determine how much information they want to share with their utility. With that said, utilities already have access to this information. It’s not unlike what consumers are already used to in their everyday online and mobile transaction activities.
A: Most consumers already interact with this type of technology and degree of difficulty (or lack thereof) in their daily lives, so we don’t expect this to be much of a hurdle. In fact, TREE is a way for consumers to centrally manage their energy consumption, decreasing the need to manually monitor and guess what impact their choices will have on their bill. Think about it: No one has a smaller TV than they did five years ago – or fewer gadgets. People crave the latest and greatest in technology.
Q: How many customers do you have?
A: We are currently live and pilot testing with five major U.S. utilities, and are expecting a major announcement in the near future.
Q: Can you elaborate on some of these?
A: Not at the moment, but what I can say is that customer feedback on these programs has been positive and there is a desire to continue to use the product even after the pilot is complete.
Q: What can we expect to see coming from Tendril in the next 3-6 months?
A: After this initial release, we will be focusing our efforts on enabling greater empowerment and control. An example includes a smart outlet. Everyone is worried about sleep (or vampire) current and this outlet will store learned behavior and usage trends and know when you don’t watch your big-screen plasma TV and power it all the way down. You will also be able to manage your thermostat to a budget of your choosing. Of course, you will be able to override this but you will find that most customers will want this process to happen automatically.
This is why we are investing in a platform. We want our solution to be forward-thinking and deliver information, power and control that reaches the customer through multiple and flexible touch points.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to tell me that we weren’t able to touch upon?
A: The demand for power continues to steadily rise. Consumers continue to buy bigger TVs and more gadgets and constantly need more energy to power their digital lives. On the flip side, building new power plants requires significant investment, causes environmental concerns and is usually blocked by the “not in my backyard” argument. We need tools to better manage our current energy consumption with available supply.
Tendril meets this need in three key ways. First, we are consumer-centric and understand that real change starts here. Second, we have an open, extensible, scalable platform that meets the needs and changing program requirements of utilities. Third, by the end of the year we will be publishing APIs against the system so that anyone can build an application and customize what they need.
