Virtual Peaker Integrates with A. O. Smith Smart Water Heaters to Provide More Flexible, Less Expensive DERMS ProgramsVirtual Peaker

Five Water Heater Brands Were Added with One Integration

Posted March 10, 2023

March 8, 2023; Louisville, KY and Littleton, CO Virtual Peaker, a cloud-based SaaS company that empowers modern utilities with the friendliest distributed energy platform on the planet, and A. O. Smith, a global leader in water heating solutions, have integrated their technologies to create seamless online connections using the Gravity Connect API and A. O. Smith’s fleet of high-efficiency water heaters.

The partnership makes it easy for utilities to integrate new devices as they are rolled out, skipping the laborious manual onboarding process. Eligible residential customers with A. O. Smith devices now can easily enroll in DERMS programs, taking advantage of Virtual Peaker’s Shift DERMS suite that applies machine learning and real-time controls to internet-enabled water heaters, as well as Virtual Peaker’s Relay suite with seamless customer engagement features.

A. O. Smith’s Voltex® Hybrid Electric Heat Pumps reduce water heating costs by up to 78% through an innovative design that pulls environmental heat while dehumidifying and cooling the ambient air. The company’s hot water heat pumps, which adhere to the ANSI/CTA-2045 standard, that are part of this integration are the state-of-the-art HPTS-50, HPTS-66, and HPTS-80, along with the HPTU-50N, HPTU-66N, and HPTU-80N models. A. O. Smith’s participating water heater brands include American, Reliance, U.S. Craftmaster Water Heaters, Lochinvar, and State Water Heaters.

Virtual Peaker and A. O. Smith have been collaborating since early 2022 on PG&E’s WatterSaver program, which is expected to be the largest of its kind in the United States, connecting with and optimizing 5,000-9,000 eligible residential customers. The goal of the behind-the-scenes thermal storage program is to provide up to 2.5 megawatts of peak-load reduction by the end of 2025.

“We’re excited to build on our already strong working relationship with A. O. Smith, now helping more residents easily enroll in their utility’s DERMS programs,” said Eric Van Orden, director of partnerships at Virtual Peaker. “Customers will have greater access to residential demand response programs that reduce cost and peak load.”

“Virtual Peaker’s open-spec API works seamlessly with A. O. Smith’s demand response API making it easier and more efficient to connect smart heat pump and electric water heater devices,” said Ralph Perez, senior product manager for A. O. Smith. “Their Shift DERMS flexible demand response capabilities help optimize residential energy use by leveraging less-expensive off-peak renewable power sources.”

To learn more about this integration, visit Virtual-Peaker.com.  

CLICK HERE to read the full press release.