Demand response tech is like ERP for managing electricity

Last week, I promised to file a bunch of entries about players in the demand response and energy management business. Here's the second set of notes, about a company called ConsumerPowerline. In a nutshell, the company helps its customers (commercial, residential and institutional building owners) control their electricity expenses more close in order to help reduce their usage during system-wide demand peaks. The company has more than 750 megawatts under management in New York, California, Texas and throughout the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions.

The "event" about which ConsumerPowerline contacted me was its acquisition of Xtend Energy, a rapid response services company. ConsumerPowerline CEO Gary Fromer, who joined the company late last year, said Xtend Energy will help his customers manage unplanned events that impact the electrical grid. (Things like a natural disaster, the loss of a power plant, etc.)

Fromer, who used to work at SAP, says the technology is much like an enterprise resource planning application except that it focuses on helping facilities managers capture, monitor and manage real-time advanced meter data. The software can companies that need to invest in extra capacity for demand spikes participate more confidently in synchronized reserves without worrying that their electricity needs will be unmet.