BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Xcel Energy has selected Tendril’s Orchestrated Energy for a new smart thermostat optimization pilot launching in the summer of 2017. Xcel Energy customers in Colorado and Minnesota will stand to achieve significant energy savings by optimizing their smart thermostats with tailored cooling schedules during the heat of summer. The personalized schedules may be able to reduce cooling peak load by up to 50 percent and lower energy consumption from cooling by up to 20 percent.
“At Xcel Energy, we’re always looking to deliver additional value to our customers, and working with Tendril Orchestrated Energy on this pilot program is a new way we can deliver on that promise to our customers,” said Dan Nygaard, vice president of Customer Solutions at Xcel Energy. “We are excited to see how this pilot program performs and have high expectations for its ability to help our customers save money without having to sacrifice their comfort.”
How it Works:
Tendril Orchestrated Energy works with certain smart thermostats to further optimize energy consumption while ensuring the customer remains in a comfortable temperature range.
- Customers Are Always Comfortable: Similar to a smart thermostat, customers select a desired temperature range.
- Personalized Energy Plans: With customer temperature preferences, Orchestrated Energy architects a custom cooling plan based on their individual preferences, local weather patterns and home characteristics.
- Increased Energy Efficiency: The custom plan cools each individual’s home at the most ideal times, ensuring customers are optimizing HVAC systems all day long, while placing the least demand on the electrical grid. The algorithms of Orchestrated Energy allow Xcel Energy to improve upon the energy efficiency of smart thermostats.
- Constant Communication Via a Mobile App: Tendril’s MyHome mobile application gives customers insight into their unique cooling schedule and allows them to make changes, as needed.
“We believe Orchestrated Energy is one of the most advanced products for energy efficiency and demand response on the market today,” said Adrian Tuck, CEO of Tendril. “To be selected by Xcel Energy, one of the most innovative utilities in the country, shows that others share our vision for changing how demand side management can and will work in the future by better utilizing assets already on the grid.”
The pilot will launch in August for selected customers in Minnesota and Colorado, and conclude in the fall. Those interested in joining the pilot program this summer will need an ecobee smart thermostat, and can visit https://www.xcelenergy.com/programs_and_rebates/residential_programs_and_rebates/heating_and_cooling/myhome for more information about how to enroll.
To learn more about how Orchestrated Energy works, please see this explainer video: https://www.tendrilinc.com/resources/videos/orchestrated-energy-intro
About Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
About Tendril Inc.
Tendril is transforming the residential energy market. Our data analytics on more than 140 million homes creates new business opportunities for any product or service provider connected to the home. Today, this includes electric and gas utilities, energy retailers and real estate professionals. Built over more than a decade, the Tendril Platform delivers real-time, ever-evolving data about the home and how people use energy in it. These rich insights help our customers improve customer acquisition, increase engagement and orchestrate home energy experiences. For more information, please visit www.tendrilinc.com and follow us on Twitter at @tendril.