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§ Private Profile · San Francisco, CA, USA
Plaid for utilities
Pelm is building an API that allows companies to access their user's energy data from utilities. Using Pelm, you can query hourly electricity usage or transfer service for a specific property. Instead of building clunky integrations with hundreds of utilities across the U.S., you only need to integrate with one seamless API to start harnessing energy data. Our platform will provide the infrastructure for a whole new wave of climate focused technology companies to flourish. As sustainability-oriented efforts like automated demand response, home electrification, or solar installations (to name a few) become more popular, they will need certain tools to succeed. We at Pelm hope our universal API will help our world reduce carbon emissions, meet climate goals, and create a more sustainable life for everyone.
Key people at Pelm.
Pelm was founded in 2021 by Drew Kim (Co-Founder).
Key people at Pelm.
Pelm is a startup often described as the "Plaid for utilities," providing a unified API platform that enables developers and companies to access and interact with utility data across the United States through a single integration. Its product primarily serves community solar providers, energy app developers, and companies involved in demand response programs by scraping and standardizing electricity usage and billing data from various utility accounts. This solves the problem of fragmented, inconsistent, and difficult-to-access utility data, which traditionally requires building separate integrations with each utility company. Pelm’s API facilitates applications that optimize electricity usage, enable bill payments, and support climate-friendly energy solutions, thereby accelerating innovation in the clean energy and utility sectors[1].
Pelm emerged from the recognition that accessing utility data was a major bottleneck for energy-focused applications due to the lack of data standardization and the cumbersome integration processes utilities impose. The company was part of Y Combinator’s Winter 2022 batch, indicating a recent founding likely around 2021-2022. The founders, with backgrounds in the energy industry, identified the opportunity created by a 2012 U.S. federal initiative mandating utilities to provide consumers with better visibility into their energy consumption. Early traction includes enabling community solar providers to calculate and bundle bills and supporting demand response programs that reward electricity consumption reductions during peak hours[1].
Pelm rides the growing trend of digital transformation in the energy sector, particularly the push toward decarbonization, distributed energy resources (DERs), and consumer empowerment through data transparency. The timing is critical as utilities and energy providers increasingly adopt smart meters and digital platforms, creating demand for standardized data access solutions. Pelm’s approach mirrors the fintech revolution led by companies like Plaid, but applied to utilities, enabling a new wave of energy apps that optimize consumption, integrate renewable energy, and facilitate innovative billing models. This fosters a more open, data-driven energy ecosystem and accelerates the adoption of clean energy technologies[1].
Looking ahead, Pelm is well-positioned to expand its API capabilities, potentially incorporating more utilities, adding new data types (e.g., water or gas usage), and enhancing payment functionalities. As energy markets evolve with increasing electrification and smart grid deployments, Pelm’s role as a data enabler will become more central to startups and enterprises building energy management, sustainability, and consumer engagement solutions. The company’s influence could grow as it helps democratize access to utility data, much like Plaid did for financial data, catalyzing innovation and competition in the energy tech space[1].
