Commercial, Demand Management, Energy Efficiency  -  April 22, 2016

GE's Current to add intelligent building capabilities through Daintree acquisition

Current, the energy management startup launched within GE, is acquiring Daintree Networks, an "industrial internet" provider of building controls solutions for commercial facilities.

The acquisition is intended to expand Current's building automation platform and its energy-as-a-service offerings to small- and medium-size facilities through the deployment of Daintree's open, standards-based wireless control systems. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. 

In a news release announcing the deal, Current said 90% of the world's small to midsize buildings do not have building automation systems, and that the integration of Daintree's open-standard networked wireless control solution, called ControlScope, into Current's building automation portfolio addresses that problem. The joint solution, Current said, links data from lighting and HVAC systems directly to Predix — GE's Industrial Internet software platform — which will allow customers to analyze their energy consumption and identify data patterns to increase efficiency and reduce power levels.

Fortune 500 and midsize enterprises including Universal Music Group, the Salk Institute, and National Bank of Arizona use Daintree technology to manage more than one million lights, thermostats, and sensors in office, retail and industrial locations, delivering monthly lighting and HVAC energy cost savings of up to 60%, according to the news release. 

"By combining Daintree's open-standard control and sensing technology with GE's Predix platform, Current's building automation platform and its energy-as-a-service offerings, we'll deliver the industry's first next-generation, scalable cloud-based energy management and facilities optimization platform for every building type and size," Current President and CEO Maryrose Sylvester said in a statement. "Our combined strengths will help customers, big or small, achieve a reduced carbon footprint and increased energy savings, and provide a solution for ecosystem partners to grow."

Through the acquisition, Current will also gain access to Daintree's resellers, system integrators and device partners who have experience in helping enterprises deploy and optimize ControlScope in commercial, retail and industrial environments.

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