Leading Australian and New Zealand smart metering and energy data specialists the Intellihub Group has today announced that it had acquired the assets of digital pool management and monitoring business Pooled Energy.
The online pool services business installs sensors and a smart controller to pool equipment and uses machine learning to automate the management and monitoring of backyard swimming pools.
Customers manage their pool via simple directions from an app, while a unique blend of advanced water chemicals are sent directly to the home for the pool owner to add to the pool once or twice a year.
The service is focused on delivering clean pools and clear, healthy water while reducing energy consumption and pool energy costs.
The business has been rebranded Pooled, to reflect its new focus on pool monitoring and management without an energy retailing component.
Intellihub CEO Wes Ballantine said the pool technology was a great match for Intellihub, which specialises in smart meter technology and behind the meter data management.
“So many Australians dream of owning their own pool – but when they finally do, many of them discover it’s complicated, time consuming and costly to keep clean, healthy and looking good,” Mr Ballantine said.
“The team at Pooled saw the opportunity to help pool owners save time and cut costs – and better manage their pool. They had the technology to do this.
“We see that potential too. Intellihub can provide the resources and know-how to help make their technology even smarter and more reliable for their customers.”
Mr Ballantine said Intellihub had plans to significantly grow the business and open new opportunities to control and manage the large electrical load from pools.
“We’re targeting an extra 20,000 new customers over the next two to three years and expansion outside NSW, particularly in states like Queensland and Victoria,” he said.
“There are more than 1.3 million pool owners in Australia, and we believe Pooled can help better manage their pools.”
Pooled Energy was also operating as an electricity retailer until May 2022, when it was placed in administration after 10 fold increases to wholesale electricity prices.
Its electricity customers were transferred to other retailers and its retail licence was suspended.
Intellihub has now completed a transaction to purchase Pooled’s remaining assets and has been working closely with the Pooled team to restore its pool management and monitoring services to its pre-existing customers.
The business will not operate as an electricity retailer.
Intellihub will also explore new opportunities to work with pool owners, electricity retailers and its partners to efficiently manage the high electrical load from pools like other behind the meter consumer energy resources such as solar, batteries, water heating and electric vehicle charging.
“It would take all the energy from our largest electricity generator to power the 1.3 million pools in Australia – that’s around 3 gigawatts of electricity,” Mr Ballantine said.
“That consumer load is a resource that can help make the electricity system more secure and more reliable. But you need a way to register, control and manage these devices.
“We think we can help with that.”
Intellihub manages and operates more than 1.6 million smart meters across Australia and New Zealand on behalf of electricity retailers.
Intellihub recently partnered with leading energy technology company GreenSync, which developed the cloud based DER interoperability software known as deX – or decentralised energy exchange.
DeX is a digital platform that enables DER registration, near real-time visibility and the control and data management required for Virtual Power Plant (VPP) participation.
Intellihub was also recently awarded funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to roll out 50 street side electric vehicle chargers under a trial targeting EV owners without off street parking.
