Knowledge is power, and electricity usage knowledge is power saved when Triacta’s smart meters are employed. Power consumption falls 15%-25% when tenants are directly responsible for energy use

Founded in 2003 by a management team with strong roots in Ottawa’s telecom sector,  Triacta Power Technologies Inc. is a leading developer and manufacturer of smart meters. Triacta’s IP-networked PowerHawk smart meter devices enable facility managers, energy service companies and local power distributors to bill residential and commercial tenants individually according the the electricity they consume. 

Having grown to 14 employees in five years, with 35-50 more Ottawa area contractors involved at any given time in CAD engineering, contract manufacturing and Web design, Triacta’s intense R&D and product development efforts have created the IP-based PowerHawk smart meters. PowerHawks are suitable for anything from individual retail outlets to multi-family buildings office towers and shopping centres. To track electricity consumption, PowerHawks feed analytic information into Triacta’s HawkFocus Reporting Service. HawkFocus is a completely Web-based service, with no software to install or maintain. Anyone can log into a secure account and view concise charts to pinpoint energy consumption trends, or have customized reports sent to them quickly.  Triacta customers can also compare energy use across several facilities from a single account.

Why Ottawa

Rob Brennan, Triacta’s founder and CEO, spent 25 years rising through the technology and management ranks of Ottawa telecom companies including Nortel Networks, Mitel Networks and Marconi Communications.

Using personal savings, sweat equity from the company’s first few employees, and angel financing and mentoring from other successful Ottawa entrepreneurs, Brennan located his company near his home in the town of Mississippi Mills. The town is a vibrant, historic riverside community 20 minutes west of the city.  Mississippi Mills residents enjoy kayaking, canoeing, cycling, jogging, equestrian sports, and a rich artistic life that attracts many national and international music and theatre performers to its stages.

Most of  Triacta’s employees live in Ottawa’s west end or the surrounding countryside, and some even walk to Triacta’s offices. They are situated in a renovated, stone-built, 19th century woolen mill overlooking a spectacular waterfall – and in keeping with Triacta’s mission, a hydro generating facility.  Triacta’s employees invariably share their CEO’s background as telecom veterans, or are recent science and engineering graduates from one of Ottawa’s many colleges and universities.

Triacta credits much of its success to the depth of high tech talent available in Ottawa. From hardware and software engineers to experienced marketing and financial experts, Ottawa has provided the company with the key people it needs to succeed on a global scale. In addition, many of Triacta’s first customers were located in Ottawa – a show of support from an innovation-driven community eager to embrace technologies from promising companies. 

Business advantage

When Triacta’s smart meters are in place in customer buildings, typical power savings of 15%-25% result. Governments including the United Arab Emirates and the Province of Ontario are actively mandating smart meters in new multi-tenant buildings and commercial facilities. The Province of Ontario has put forward a sweeping electricity infrastructure plan that mandates time-of-day electricity pricing for all consumers. This requires a $1 billion investment in smart meters across the province with and more than two million smart meters by 2010.  Triacta is one of the few manufacturers that currently meets all of the Ontario Energy Board’s smart meter specifications.

Triacta offers significant advantages for commercial landlords. Employing smart meters for tenants – or submetering – results in lower operational costs that increase the value of a building. Buildings with lower operating expenses are easier to rent, offering more cash flow per building and a higher asset valuation. Independent studies show that submetering can increase a commercial building’s value by as much as 10%.

As the cost of oil, natural gas, coal and uranium – all inputs for electricity production – have risen dramatically in the past few years, Triacta’s smart meter solutions are ready to help customers around the world cope with higher energy costs through conservation.

Future growth plans

Triacta Power Technologies is now selling its smart meter solutions around the world and is poised for exponential growth. For example, in Dubai, the location of a massive construction boom, the company has selected the Brayan Sabanz Technical Equipment Trading Co. as its authorized distributor in the Middle East. Triacta is also actively developing a large-scale distribution network in the U.S.

Contact information

Triacta Power Technologies Inc.
Toll-free:  877-797-4295
www.triacta.com