Comverge

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Comverge
Founded Whippany, New Jersey (1997)
Products Demand management software platform, smart thermostats, load control switches, marketing services, support services, measurement and verification
Website comverge.com

Comverge is a privately held company that provides software, hardware, and services to electric utilities implementing demand response and energy efficiency programs.

History

Comverge began as divisions of Scientific Atlanta and Lucent Technologies Inc. in 1974 and 1991, respectively. Comverge was organized in 1997 as a Delaware corporation by Acorn Energy, Inc. At this point, the company made the strategic decision in 2002 to develop, own, and operate load management systems for the benefit of electric utilities.

Comverge is a standalone, privately held company owned by H.I.G. Capital, a leading global private equity investment firm with more than $17 billion of capital under management.

Products

Comverge provides a range of demand-side management technologies consisting of software, hardware, and services. Comverge’s key technologies include: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

  • Demand response management system: IntelliSOURCE is a demand response management system (DRMS) that includes a full set of capabilities for deployment of a demand response program. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has estimated that 14 percent of peak U.S. energy demand could be cut with demand response.[1]
  • Energy efficiency and customer engagement: To help utilities address increasingly complex energy management challenges,[2] Comverge offers capabilities within IntelliSOURCE to reduce base load by educating residential customers to become more energy aware.[3] With these capabilities Comverge achieved an industry milestone by being the first company in the industry to have a fully integrated software platform to support the proven demand-side management capabilities of demand response with energy efficiency and customer engagement. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) estimates that the integration of demand response and energy efficiency programs has the potential to reduce demand for electricity by 14 to 20 percent below projected levels during peak periods when demand is highest.[4]
  • Customer care and work management: IntelliSOURCE supports end-to-end customer management, including prospect analysis, segmentation, marketing implementation, recruitment, qualification, and enrollment to automate processes for device installation, inventory management, and customer service.
  • Optimization: In 2014, Comverge introduced a suite of applications for demand management optimization that make demand response a real-time operational resource for utilities.[5] Used in conjunction with Wi-Fi enabled smart thermostats, control switches and other grid-connected devices, the applications provide improved reliability, predictability, and availability when forecasting and executing demand response control events.[6] These applications transform demand response from a resource typically used for emergency peak load reduction to a quick-responding, clean energy operational asset.
  • Bring your own device: IntelliSOURCE enables utilities to leverage third-party grid-connected devices purchased by consumers called bring your own device (BYOD) programs. IntelliSOURCE enables insight and control into third-party devices by using open API standards.
  • Smart Thermostats: Comverge’s IntelliTEMP DirectLink smart thermostat uses a modular Wi-Fi radio, enabling two-way communications without the need for third-party products. Its use of IP-based communications provides near real-time feedback and gives utilities a view of currently available load. With multiple configurations and support of varying levels of control for HVAC systems, the IntelliTEMP DirectLink smart thermostat helps eliminate “free riders,” provides greater load reduction, and offers more equitable control across customers. A user-replaceable module enables the changing of radio communications, accommodation of new features, and upgrades to new technologies.
  • Load Control Switches: Comverge IntelliPEAK DirectLink is a load control switch that includes a Wi-Fi or cellular radio. It uses existing cellular networks or the consumer's broadband network, removing the need for a gateway. As a result, the implementation of demand response programs with two-way communications is significantly more cost-effective. IP-based communication enables remote programming, status reporting, near real-time presence, and telemetry collection. The IntelliPEAK 900 offers multiple configurations to support varying levels of control—from one-way communications to two-way communications for HVAC systems. Comverge’s adaptive cycling technology monitors the HVAC operation and control cycles using percentage-based commands. The IntelliTEMP 900 offers a number of control strategies including cycling, temperature setback, temperature setpoint, or price-response operations based on tier or price signal. For maximum communication flexibility, a second communication slot (USNAP form factor) is available to add or swap in a new communication module such as ZigBee.
  • Services:
  • Marketing: The IntelliMARKET service offers targeted and segmented marketing solutions to engage utility customers. Comverge’s in-house marketing team made up of energy market strategists and creative professionals develops and executes multi-channel marketing to attract and retain program participants in order to help utilities reach the enrollment rates necessary to achieve targeted megawatt reduction. The IntelliMARKET service received the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative 2013 CLEAR Award for Excellence in Customer Education.[7]
  • Support services: Comverge’s IntelliSUPPORT service provides customer-centric installation and customer care services to end users and handles licensing and permitting activities all across the country.
  • Measurement and verification: From verifying signals to profiling loads in real time, Comverge’s IntelliMEASURE service provides a variety of tools, reports, and insights for load reduction programs.

Awards and Recognition

Comverge has won a variety of awards for its technology and industry innovation and has been recognized as an industry leader in demand management solutions by organizations such as the Technology Marketing Corporation, American Business Awards, and Deloitte. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

  • 2015 TMCnet Smart Grid Product of the Year: IntelliSOURCE[8]
  • 2014 TMCnet Smart Grid Product of the Year: DirectLink[9]
  • 2013 American Business Award[10]
  • 2013 CLEAR Award for Excellence in Customer Education
  • 2013 TMCnet SmartGrid Product of the Year: SmartPrice[11]
  • Deloitte 2012 Technology Fast 500[12]
  • 2006 ISO New England Demand Response Achievement Award: CoolSentry[13]

In July 2015, Comverge was ranked the industry's top demand response vendor in a leaderboard report from Navigant that examined the strategy and execution of 13 leading DR providers.[14] The report rated demand response players on ten criteria, including vision, go-to-market strategy, partners, technology, geographic reach, sales, marketing, distribution, product performance, product portfolio, pricing, and staying power.

  • 2015 Smart Grid Customer Education Award: Gulf Power[15]
  • 2015 CLEAR Award for Excellence in Customer Education: Pepco Holdings Inc.[16]
  • POWERGRID International 2014 Project of the Year: Pepco Holdings Inc.[17]
  • POWERGRID International 2013 Project of the Year: Gulf Power[18]
  • 2012 Platts Global Energy Award of Excellence: Pepco Holdings Inc.[19]

Notable Work

Throughout its history, Comverge has worked with a wide range of investor-owned, public power, and electric cooperative utilities. Notable clients include Pepco Holdings Inc. (PHI), whose Energy Wise Rewards Program with Comverge recruited over 51 percent of eligible households in its Maryland service territory to participate;[20] and the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO), which had recruited 50 percent of eligible households into their CoolSentry program as of October 2013.[21]

Comverge also works with Gulf Power and helped launch the Energy Select program in 2000,[22] which is one of the country’s largest and most successful critical-peak pricing programs. The Gulf Power Energy Select program gives more than 14,500 participants greater control over their energy usage. It enables them to pre-program their central cooling and heating systems, electric water heaters, and pool pumps to respond automatically to specific pricing tiers and dynamic price signals from Gulf Power.

Finally, Comverge is highly active during each year’s summer cooling season, which typically runs from June to September each year (varying based on region), during which residents’ energy usage spikes due to the use of air conditioners to combat high temperatures. In 2012, Comverge saved its customers 32 gigawatt hours (gWh) of electricity from June through September, which was equivalent to taking more than 30,000 homes off the grid for one month.[23]

References

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