FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
About VI-WATT Technology
Q: What does the VI-WATT device do?
A: VI-WATT is an operator-grade controller for residential electric water heaters. It enables dynamic power control and remote orchestration so retailers/DSOs/TSOs can shift load out of peak windows, improve grid reliability, and reduce peak-management costs. The device is retrofit-ready for rapid fleet deployment.
Q: How is the device installed?
A: Two paths:
• Plug-in heaters (EU Schuko / Type-F): no electrician required. Wall-mount the enclosure, plug VI-WATT into the socket, then plug the heater into VI-WATT. Wi-Fi onboarding via QR. Typical time: 2–5 minutes per unit.
• Hard-wired heaters: qualified electrician required. Inline version at the heater’s feed. Typical time: 10–20 minutes per unit.
If connectivity is temporarily unavailable, the device follows a safe fallback schedule and resumes cloud control when the link is restored.
Q: Does VI-WATT work with Wi-Fi? What happens offline?
A: Yes. VI-WATT uses Wi-Fi for remote control and OTA updates. During outages it runs a predefined local schedule and syncs back once the connection is up.
Operator Value & Economics
Q: How much does VI-WATT save for operators per year, and what is the calculation methodology?
A: VI-WATT reduces peak load by shifting residential water heaters out of high-demand hours (e.g., 19:00–22:00).
• Maximum technical potential: every 1 kW of shifted load delivers €150–€420 per year in avoided peak-capacity costs (aligned with ENTSO-E / national TSO benchmarks). For typical 1.5–2.0 kW heaters this equals ~€225–€840 per device per year under full peak-shifting.
• Actual pilot results depend on consumption profiles, participation, and control success; final figures are validated by the operator.
Calculation methodology (M&V):
• Based on IPMVP and EN 16212.
• Effect = difference between the baseline load profile (average consumption without activation) and the actual load in the agreed peak window.
• All figures come from VI-WATT telemetry, are transparent to both parties, and can be independently verified.
Q: How do I calculate ROI quickly?
A: Use the capacity-value upper bound: € per device = Rated_kW × €(150–420)/kW·yr. Portfolio ROI is derived from verified MW reduction in M&V reports.
KPIs & SLA
Q: What KPIs and SLA do you support in pilots?
A: Typical pilot SLA covers: (1) peak-load reduction per device/portfolio, (2) device availability ≥95%, (3) command success rate ≥90%, (4) response time ≤5 s, (5) data accuracy ≤2% error, (6) cloud uptime ≥99%. Targets are finalized jointly with the operator; M&V follows IPMVP/EN 16212.
Integration & Data
Q: How do we integrate VI-WATT with our systems?
A: Cloud-to-cloud via REST API and webhooks (fleet activation, schedules, telemetry, events). Data export: CSV/JSON. Role-based, multi-tenant access is supported.
Q: Who owns the data? Is it GDPR/NIS2 compliant?
A: Device-level data belongs to the end customer; aggregated operational data for grid services is shared under a DPA with the operator. We follow GDPR principles (data minimization, purpose limitation) and design for NIS2-aligned operational security (encrypted transport, access control, audit logs, signed OTA).
Certification & Compliance
Q: What certifications does the device have / target?
A: Status: pre-certification prior to commercial release. Planned for first production batch: CE (EMC/LVD/Radio) and RoHS; EPREL registration where applicable. Our Italian manufacturing partner provides conformity documentation and test reports for sub-assemblies; full CE conformity assessment will be completed before shipments to the general market.
Q: Will the device work outside the EU?
A: Technically yes, subject to local electrical and safety standards. Country-specific compliance can be addressed as part of market rollout.
Deployment & Pilots
Q: What does a standard pilot look like?
A: Scope: 500–1,000 devices in a defined feeder/area; Duration: 3–6 months; Control: agreed peak windows; Integration: API + monthly M&V reports; Governance: joint steering committee. Outcomes: verified MW reduction, €/kW·yr valuation, and an operations playbook for scale-up.
Q: What is the pricing model?
A: Flexible CAPEX/OPEX: hardware one-off + per-device SaaS, or bundled operator tariff. Pilot pricing and volume discounts available on request.
Customers & Stage
Q: Who is the primary target customer of VI-WATT?
A: Electricity retailers, DSOs/TSOs, and flexibility aggregators seeking controllable residential load for peak-shaving and demand response under EU market-design reform (2024/1711, 2024/1747).
Q: What is VI-WATT’s current stage? Are you engaging investors?
A: VI-WATT is a pre-seed DeepTech/GridTech venture. We are engaging Deep Tech, Green Tech, Clean Tech, and Grid Tech investors and strategic utilities to fund CE/EMC certification, 500–1,000-unit pilots, and the multi-tenant SaaS backend. Investor materials and a data room are available under NDA.
Contact: here
Optional Consumer Rewards
Q: Is gamification required?
A: No. The consumer rewards module is optional and can be enabled to improve engagement and tariff stickiness. It does not affect operator-side M&V or SLA and is activated only on request.