Tendril has announced that this week, the company’s extensible platform is used in conjunction with multiple Smart Grid interoperability standards at Plug-In at Grid-Interop (News - Alert) this week.

As future standards are rolled out, this successful demonstration of a migration path to SEP 2.0 removes the critical utility and regulatory concern that deploying technology with existing standards will result in stranded assets.

Also, it signals the arrival of the next wave of communications between smart energy devices for consumers, and utilities and other energy service providers, the company stated in a press release.

“This is a pivotal moment not only for Tendril, but for consumers and the Smart Grid industry as a whole,” said Kent Dickson, CTO at Tendril. “It’s a ‘Mr. Watson—come here – I want to see you’ moment and represents the culmination of years of industry collaboration. The interoperability standards now exist so that we can meaningfully engage consumers in Demand Response programs and deliver on the promise of the Smart Grid’s benefits to utilities and consumers.”

Offering a WiFi (News - Alert) thermostat, the demonstration shows an A-to-Z Demand Response event from a utility through to several in-home smart devices. To send direct load control and price signals between utility back office systems, and third-party Demand Response systems from vendors including Honeywell (News - Alert) and Lockheed Martin, to smart devices in the home including a MMB Research enabled programmable thermostat and Tendril’s smart plugs and load control devices, it uses the OpenADR standard and a proof-of-concept of Tendril’s next generation broadband embedded gateway platform.

Recently, the company announced that David Rayner has joined the company as chief financial officer (CFO). Rayner brings with him more than 20 years of leadership experience in the communications industry, helping companies such as EchoStar, DISH Network, tw telecom (News - Alert) inc. (formerly Time Warner Telecom) and Time Warner Cable achieve high growth and long-term profitability.

Mark Pougnet, who has served as Tendril’s CFO since 2008, will transition into the newly created role of chief delivery officer (CDO).