Kohler Launches New Power Group

Kohler’s new Home Energy Management Systems group will focus on supporting energy resiliency through products such as its Power Reserve Energy Storage System.

Kohler Co., parent company of engine and power generation specialist Kohler Power Group, has announced the establishment of a new division within its Residential and Power Products business. The Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) team will be focused on providing products and services to support residential energy resiliency through technologies such as energy storage. The group will be led by Jennifer Rindt, who has been appointed general manager.

“The most dynamic environment in the home today is the increasing need for resilient power and the decreasing reliability of the grid to provide that power,” said Brian Melka, Kohler group president – Power. “Kohler is looking to solve those problems to make homes safer, cleaner and more efficient.”

The HEMS team is currently active and driving the ongoing launch of the Kohler Power Reserve Energy Storage System (ESS) that’s being installed in homes now, following its announcement in May. The Power Reserve ESS is designed to offer residential and light commercial customers a modular backup system to store and access energy produced by solar systems. For non-solar powered sites, the system provides a way to store energy from the grid during times of lower rates and then rely on the batteries for power during peak rate periods while providing back-up power in case of a power outage.

Jennifer Rindt

The systems consist of a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and inverters that are designed to couple with ac or dc circuits. The batteries are available in battery capacities of 10, 15 and 20 kWh and maximum outputs of 7.6 to 9 kw (5.76 to 7.6 kW continuous). Weighing from 346 to 580 lb., they can be installed indoors or outdoors and are compatible with any solar panel installation, the company said.

Stored energy can be managed through an app designed to provide insights into real-time power flow, timeline of power information for the day and historical statistics for the system. It also allows users to choose the operation mode for their system – backup, self-supply, time-of-use or custom – to personalize their battery’s storage and output.

“It’s exciting to help accelerate the momentum of our growing Power business,” said Rindt, “and lead a talented team of associates who are enhancing and accelerating our Clean Energy strategy.”