Kraken, an end-to-end enterprise platform for energy management, has partnered with United Illuminating (UI), a subsidiary of Avangrid, to introduce an intelligent control and optimization solution for UI’s customers.
The project will enable households to reduce their energy consumption by 15-20% and grids to ease constraints caused by high demand, without the customers having to take action. Set to launch in June 2024, the pilot is meant to align with Connecticut’s climate goal of a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Through Kraken’s SmartFlex technology, UI customers will be able to optimize electric vehicles and heat pumps to efficiently minimize their energy usage. This allows the supplier to automatically match customers’ energy usage to the greenest and cheapest times. Through this program, households can save as much as 30% on their monthly electric bills, the equivalent of $120-$200 per device, Kraken said.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our journey towards a more dynamic, customer-centric energy system. This partnership with United Illuminating is a perfect opportunity for us to show how the Kraken platform can build a lasting change for the communities in the region,” said Kraken CEO Devrim Celal. “We are proud to work with UI to optimize customer’s energy usage, and play a role in Connecticut’s net zero goals.”
Selected to participate in the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority’s (PURA’s) Innovative Energy Solutions Program, Kraken and UI will aim to enable a decarbonized, affordable, and equitable electric grid while having the capability to minimize grid congestion during peak times. A 20% adoption among UI’s customer base would bring more than 450 MW of flexible load to the Connecticut region, which could be strategically managed to take stress off the grid and prevent blackouts.
“With the creativity and innovation of companies like Kraken, we in Connecticut can build a more sustainable, efficient energy system to benefit all electricity users,” said Frank Reynolds, President & CEO at UI. “Today, we at UI are proud to announce our partnership with Kraken to make an industry-leading energy management platform available to our customers, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on customers’ energy usage and costs.”
This partnership follows the US launch of SmartFlex and the licensing agreement with energy asset manager Tenaska in June 2023. Kraken currently orchestrates 155,000 domestic devices across the globe— totaling over 38.35 GW of contracted power.