EMAIL INTERVIEW – Zach Gentry and Ken Sinclair

Zach Gentry, VP Business Development, Enlighted

A pioneer of wireless lighting control, Zach Gentry leads Enlighted’s Global Energy Optimization (GEO) program. Prior to joining Enlighted, he co-founded and served as the CEO and CSO of Adura Technologies, a smart grid technology venture. Zach has been a successful marketing and business development leader for more than 20 years, responsible for product and business development initiatives at Adura, SunPower, Robertson Stephens, Bear Stearns, Presidio Financial, and John Hancock Financial. He obtained his MBA and BS degrees from UC Berkeley.

Sinclair:  How does implementing the IoT impact commercial buildings?

Gentry:  Unlocking the IoT in commercial buildings can have a number of benefits. Networked lighting systems – a combination of lighting, advanced digital sensors, smart controls and data analysis – offer the obvious features (occupancy and vacancy sensing, flexible programming, task tuning and daylight harvesting), but the big data ultimately will offer advancements in the way that we manage and utilize existing buildings by helping facilitate who, what, where and why things are the way they are. These features help building owners and operators drive down operational costs, increase operational efficiencies and improve indoor environments.
 
Sinclair:  How does the Enlighted System bring the IoT to commercial buildings?

Gentry:  Our system is the simplest and most advanced way of managing a building’s physical environment. It automates, analyzes, controls and reports environmental data to drive building automation and efficiency. The system is also capable of working with other building systems such as HVAC and security.

The System is comprised of four components: Smart Sensors, Room Control, Gateway and Energy Manager.

Sinclair:  What are key challenges for companies looking to implement the IoT?

Gentry:  Lack of capital, insufficient or unclear ROI and dedicated project management for strategic energy and real estate professionals often prevent cost-effective projects from being implemented.  Upgrades such as networked lighting installations can be challenging – especially in large facilities – and despite the long-term savings it can be difficult to securing the funding necessary for upfront costs.

Sinclair:  What is Enlighted’s Global Energy Optimization™ (GEO™) Program and how does it alleviate these challenges?

Gentry:  The GEO program provides a no-risk solution that allows companies to receive instant benefits without any upfront costs or equipment leasing. The system is installed at no charge and paid back with a predetermined portion of energy savings each month. Once the system is paid off, the companies realize the full savings of the system. Because of this unique business model, upfront capital is not required and companies pay directly from the savings the system is earning.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]Sinclair:  What are typical energy savings benefits associated with the  System?

Gentry:  Under GEO™, there is typically a guaranteed immediate savings of 5-20 percent on energy costs, with an outgoing savings of 60-80 percent once the GEO™ term is complete.

Among the current GEO customers spanning diverse industries, Enlighted has installed its smart sensors in more than 31 million square feet of commercial buildings in excess of 1,700 properties globally. This has saved more than 195 million GWh of power and $22 million in energy costs.