After an especially hot day caused one of its two main breakers to conk out, frozen and packaged food company Amy’s Kitchen sought a way to avert such a problem in the future.

To manage its power consumption, Petaluma, Calif.–based Amy’s turned to Powerit, a Seattle-based company that targets industrial energy management. Powerit’s hardware- and software-based systems monitor energy use, automatically adjusting power consumption in anticipation of demand peaks based on pre-set guidelines.

By adopting Powerit’s energy management technology, Amy’s will both reduce its power consumption and potentially earn revenue by participating in Pacific Gas and Electric’s (NYSE: PCG) automatic demand-response program, according to Powerit’s president and general manager Bob Zak. For signing up for the program, Amy’s received a rebate from PG&E for almost 90 percent of the total cost of installing Powerit’s system. In a simulated demand-response event, Amy’s reduced its power consumption by more than 40 percent.

In May 2009, Powerit closed a $6 million Series B funding round from Siemens Venture Capital and global steel company ArcelorMittal’s Clean Technology Fund, making it one of several companies targeting energy efficiency to get a dose of venture dollars in otherwise lean times.

Powerit is ramping up to offer real-time pricing solutions, as utilities increasingly set variable rate schedules based on the fluctuating cost of power, Zak says.

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Industries