NB Power to pilot customer data analytics project

NB Power will provide and install hardware capable of collecting real-time data on energy use in up to 150 homes. From there, customers will be able to use SimpTekÂ’s online energy dashboard to instantly monitor their home energy use. SimpTek will use these first residences as an opportunity to gather data on daily energy habits within homes, which will then be analyzed and supplied to NB Power. All homeowner data will be anonymous and confidential.

“We’re hoping that once people can actually see how much energy they are using in their homes, they will alter their habits to save and reduce energy” says SimpTek CEO Asif Hasan. “We’ve been working for over a year to develop our product and look forward to seeing how New Brunswickers take advantage of this information to save money.”

The $15,000 agreement between NB Power and Fredericton-based SimpTek Technologies will be rolled out in the coming months with data being collected over a one-year period. With NB Power building a Smart Grid in New Brunswick, innovative partnerships of this kind will help give the company valuable insights into consumer energy behaviours in New Brunswick.

“Helping customers understand and change their energy behaviours to save money is our goal right now and so we’re very pleased to support innovation in New Brunswick by partnering with a brilliant local start-up like SimpTek,” said Gaëtan Thomas, President and CEO of NB Power. “Building smart grid is about giving customers the tools to use energy differently and that has the potential to save them money. For NB Power, it can lead to big savings in how we run our system by making it more efficient and allowing us to add more renewable energy while putting off costly investments in new generation.”

“NB Power’s vision to be a leader in this industry across North America is still only in its infancy, but the power and potential of their plans are incredible for this city and our province,” says Ignite Fredericton CEO Larry Shaw. “As early adopters, NB Power and Siemens are paving the way for emerging start-up companies to develop new, innovative technologies right here. We look forward to more announcements in the future.”

The SimpTek Technologies team is comprised of University of New Brunswick students and graduates who went through the Technology Management and Entrepreneurship program and the International Business and Entrepreneurship Centre program at UNB Fredericton. They also participated in the Planet Hatch Launch Program and they are currently in the Build Program hosted by Propel ICT and Planet Hatch.