Optiwatt

What began as a focused tool for Tesla owners has blossomed into a comprehensive home energy management platform with a powerful mission: to combat global warming through the widespread adoption of smart devices. Optiwatt's journey started in 2020, born from the vision of founder and CEO Casey Donahue. The initial concept was elegantly simple yet profoundly impactful: create a free app that empowers electric vehicle drivers to save money by automatically scheduling their vehicle charging during off-peak hours when electricity rates are at their lowest. This not only translated to significant savings for users, averaging hundreds of dollars annually, but also began to address the critical challenge of grid stability in an era of increasing electrification. The app's intelligence lay in its ability to connect directly with a user's utility plan, understand the fluctuating costs of electricity, and optimize charging schedules without any manual intervention, a true 'set it and forget it' solution.

Recognizing that the electric vehicle was just one piece of the home energy puzzle, Optiwatt's ambition quickly expanded. The team understood that true impact lay in creating a holistic ecosystem that could manage the energy consumption of an entire household. This led to the integration of smart thermostats, allowing the platform to intelligently manage heating and cooling, another major source of energy demand. The vision extends even further, with plans to incorporate solar generation, battery storage, and other major home appliances into its network. By creating North America's largest network of connected and intelligent devices, Optiwatt is not just helping individual consumers save money and reduce their carbon footprint; it's building a virtual power plant. This aggregated network of flexible demand allows Optiwatt to partner with utility companies, helping them balance the electric grid, prevent blackouts during peak demand, and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and resilient energy future for everyone.