TELKONET INC - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

Commission file number: 001-31972

TELKONET, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(414) 302-2299

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, $0.001 par value

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ☐Yes  ☒ No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(b) of the Act. ☐Yes  ☒ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this Chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ☒ Yes   ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262 (b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act)  ☐Yes  ☒ No

Aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates (based upon the closing sale price of $0.04 per share on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board) of the registrant as of June 30, 2020: $4,911,075

Number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s par value $0.001 common stock as of March 24, 2021: 136,311,335.

Certain portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement, in connection with its 2021 annual meeting of stockholders, to be filed within 120 days of December 31, 2020, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

TELKONET, INC.

FORM 10-K

INDEX

PART I

ITEM 1.  DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS.

Some of the statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K discuss future expectations, contain projections of results of operations or financial condition or state other “forward-looking” information. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of Telkonet, Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company”) and our management team. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “targets,” “goals,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “continues,” “may,” and variations of these words, as well as similar expressions, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to projections of our future financial performance, our anticipated growth, trends in our businesses, and other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to those risks and uncertainties set forth in Item 1A of this report. In light of the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included in this report, the inclusion of such statements should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that our objectives and plans will be achieved.

General Development of Business

Telkonet, Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” or “Telkonet”), formed in 1999 and incorporated under the laws of the state of Utah, is the creator of the EcoSmart and the Rhapsody Platforms of intelligent automation solutions designed to optimize energy efficiency, comfort and analytics in support of the emerging Internet of Things (“IoT”). The platforms are deployed primarily in the hospitality, educational, governmental and other commercial markets, and is specified by engineers, HVAC professionals, building owners, and building operators. We currently operate in a single reportable business segment.

In 2007, the Company acquired substantially all of the assets of Smart Systems International (“SSI”), which was a provider of energy management products and solutions to customers in the United States and Canada and the precursor to the Company’s EcoSmart Platform. In 2020, the Company launched the Rhapsody Platform, which simplifies the installation and setup of the Company’s newest products and integrations. Both platforms provide comprehensive savings, management reporting, analytics and virtual engineering of a customer’s portfolio and/or property’s room-by-room energy consumption. Telkonet has deployed more than a half million intelligent devices worldwide in properties within the hospitality, educational, governmental and other commercial markets. The platforms are recognized as solutions for reducing energy consumption, operational costs and carbon footprints, and eliminating the need for new energy generation in these marketplaces – all whilst improving occupant comfort and convenience.

The Company previously provided high-speed internet access services through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ethostream, LLC (“Ethostream”). In 2016, the Company decided to focus on its higher growth potential intelligent automation solutions for energy management and made the decision to sell Ethostream. On March 28, 2017, the Company sold substantially all of the assets of Ethostream to DCI-Design Communications LLC.

Going Concern and Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Since inception through December 31, 2020, we have incurred cumulative losses of $128,255,391 and have never generated enough cash through operations to support our business. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we had a cash flow deficit from operations of $844,794. The Company has made significant investments in the engineering, development and marketing of its intelligent automation platforms, including but not limited to, hardware and software enhancements, support services and applications. The funding for these development efforts has contributed to, and continues to contribute to, the ongoing operating losses and use of cash. Operating losses have been financed by debt and equity transactions, Credit Facility capacity, the sale of a wholly-owned subsidiary, and the management of working capital levels. The report from our independent registered public accounting firm on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 and the report from our former independent registered public accounting firm on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 each state that there is a substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon generating profitable operations in the future and obtaining the necessary financing to meet its obligations and repay its liabilities arising from normal business operations when they come due.

The Company’s operations and financial results have also been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the health and economic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic are highly fluid and the future course of each is uncertain. We cannot predict whether the outbreak of COVID-19 will be effectively contained on a sustained basis. Depending on the length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for our products, our customers’ ability to meet payment obligations to the Company, our supply chain and production capabilities, and our workforces’ ability to deliver our products and services could be impacted. Management is actively monitoring the impact of the global situation on the Company’s financial condition, liquidity, operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce. While we expect this disruption to continue to have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition cash flows, and liquidity, the Company is unable to reasonably determine the full extent of the impact at this time.

The Company’s sales and gross profits have decreased significantly resulting from a contraction in commercial demand for our products, a lower revenue conversion rate in our existing pipeline and significant one-off transactions from customers in 2019 were not repeated in 2020. Due to travel restrictions, social distancing and shelter at home edicts, the hospitality industry, our largest market that generally accounts for a majority of our revenue, has suffered as much as any. Rising cases of COVID-19 in certain areas, the emergence of new virus strains and a slow vaccine rollout have resulted in the reinstatement of restrictive social-distancing regulations that limit both group and individual travel. Business travel, which comprises the largest source of hotel revenue, remains nearly nonexistent. Although a slow return is expected in the second half of 2021, business travel is not expected to return to 2019 levels until at least 2023.¹ According to an STR forecast, until group, business and international demand returns, U.S. hotel occupancy rates will not exceed 50% in 2021. Moreover, full recovery of revenue per available room (RevPAR) is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels until the end of 2024.²

In addition, on November 30, 2020, the Company entered into the License Agreement with Sipco and IPCO, LLC dba Intus^IQ in order to settle a patent infringement lawsuit without the expense of costly litigation. As of December 31, 2020, we had $528,000 in liabilities recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheet for future royalty fees ($28,000 accounts payable and $500,000 long-term liability). The corresponding expense was recorded in the selling, general and administrative line of the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The payment of the royalty fees is expected to have a material and adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations and liquidity. See Note M – Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the patent infringement lawsuit and the License Agreement.

The Company is focused on preserving liquidity, managing expenses, and targeted sales and new product growth, as discussed below:

Perseveration of Liquidity and Expense Management:

The Company has taken, and is continuing to take, a number of actions to preserve cash. These actions include suspending the use of engineering consultants and cancelling all non-essential travel and the Company’s attendance at tradeshows (implemented prior to applicable government stay-at-home orders being put in place). In early April of 2020, management made the decision to furlough certain employees, instituted pay cuts for certain other employees and suspended the Company’s 401(k) match through the end of 2020. With the receipt of a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) (discussed below), the Company was able to bring back the furloughed employees, restore payroll to prior levels and delay suspension of the 401(k) match. However, the pandemic continued to impact the Company’s operations and financial results, and consequently, in late June of 2020 management once again made the decision to furlough certain employees, instituted pay cuts for certain other employees and suspended the Company’s 401(k) match through the end of 2021. The furloughs and pay cuts continued through September 2020, at which time management determined it was necessary to discontinue the furloughs and pay cuts in order to retain necessary personnel for the Company’s ongoing operations.

The more recent actions described above are in addition to the cost elimination and liquidity management actions that the Company began implementing in the second half of 2019, including reviewing opportunities to decrease spend with third party consultants and providers, strategically reviewing whether or not to fill employee positions in the event of vacancies, and implementing sales campaigns to sell slow-moving inventory and reduce existing inventory volumes. There is no guarantee, however, that these actions, nor any other actions identified, will yield profitable operations in the foreseeable future.

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¹ Fox, Jena Tesse. “AHLA report ties recovery to optimistic leisure travelers.” Hotel Management January/February 2021: 10.

² Fox, Jena Tesse. “STR, HVS chart “slow climb’ to full hotel industry recovery.” Hotel Management December 2020: 6.

In addition to the actions noted above, on April 21, 2020, the Company entered into an unsecured promissory note, dated April 17, 2020 (“the PPP Loan”), with Heritage Bank, a California state chartered bank (“Heritage Bank”) for a $913,063 loan under the PPP. In January 2021, the Company applied for forgiveness of the amount due on the PPP Loan. On February 16, 2021, the outstanding principal and interest accrued on the PPP Loan was fully forgiven. See Note G – Debt in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a summary of the terms of the PPP Loan.

The Company also has a $2 million revolving credit facility with Heritage Bank (the “Credit Facility”), which is secured by all of the Company’s assets. The Company is currently in compliance with the financial covenants in the loan agreement for the Credit Facility.  However, based on the Company’s current level of operations and forecasted cash flow analysis for the twelve-month period subsequent to the date of this filing, without further cost cutting measures, working capital management, and/or enhanced revenues, the Company believes it is reasonably likely that it will breach the covenant to maintain a minimum unrestricted cash balance of $2 million at some time during 2021, potentially as early as the second quarter of 2021. Violation of any covenant under the Credit Facility provides Heritage Bank with the option to accelerate repayment of amounts borrowed, terminate its commitment to extend further credit, and foreclose on the Company’s assets. As of December 31, 2020, the outstanding balance on the Credit Facility was $267,289 with a maturity date of September 30, 2021.

The Company has had discussions regarding the possibility of a waiver or a change to the financial covenant with Heritage Bank. Any covenant waiver or amendment could lead to increased costs, increased interest rates, additional restrictive covenants, a decrease in the size of the credit facility, and other lender protections. There is no assurance, however, that the Company will be able to obtain a covenant waiver or amendment, in which case Heritage Bank could immediately declare all amounts due under the Credit Facility, terminate the Credit Facility, and foreclose on the Company’s assets. Currently, the Company has sufficient cash balances to pay the amounts due under the Credit Facility. However, depending on the timing of a default and the Company’s ongoing use of cash reserves and the Credit Facility to finance its near-term working capital needs, there is no assurance that at the time of a default that the Company would have sufficient cash balances to pay the amounts due at such time. The Company may also seek additional financing from alternative sources, but there is no assurance that such financing will be available at commercially reasonable terms, if at all.

The Company currently expects to draw on its cash reserves and utilize the Credit Facility to finance its near-term working capital needs. It expects to continue to incur operating losses and negative operating cash flows for at least one year beyond the date of these financial statements. The Credit Facility provides the Company with needed liquidity to assist in meeting its obligations. However, as discussed above, without further cost cutting measures, working capital management, and/or enhanced revenues, the Company believes it is reasonably likely that it will breach a financial covenant under the Credit Facility at some time during 2021, in which case, without a waiver or amendment, the Credit Facility could be terminated, and without additional financing, the Company may be unable to meet its obligations or fund its operations within the next twelve months. The Company’s Board also continues to consider strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, including but not limited to, a sale of the Company, an investment in the Company, a merger or other business combination, a sale of all or substantially all assets or a strategic joint venture. However, these actions are not solely within the control of the Company.

If cash resources become insufficient to meet the Company’s ongoing obligations, the Company may be required to scale back or discontinue portions of its operations or discontinue operations entirely, pursue a sale of the Company or its assets at a price that may result in a significant or complete loss on investment for its shareholders, file for bankruptcy or seek other protection from creditors, or liquidate all its assets. In addition, if the Company defaults under the Credit Facility and is unable to pay the outstanding balance, Heritage Bank could foreclose on the Company’s assets. The Company’s shareholders may lose some or all of their investment as a result of any of these outcomes. Accordingly, and in light of the Company’s historic losses and potential inability to access sources of liquidity to continue its operations, there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. There was also substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Rhapsody Platform and Expanded Sales Through Value-Added Resellers:

The Company remains focused on selling its EcoSmart Platform (discussed below) into its target markets, while also developing a new platform – Rhapsody. The Rhapsody Platform was launched in 2020. The Rhapsody Platform simplifies the installation and setup of Telkonet’s newest products and integrations. The key goals of the Rhapsody Platform are to open up Telkonet’s core products to distribution and additional resellers through expanded capabilities while also reducing the reliance on internal Telkonet resources for support.

The Rhapsody Platform focuses on utilizing WIFI and Bluetooth Low Energy (“BLE”) for mobile app based setup and configuration. By utilizing an installer’s smart phone, the barrier for technical training is reduced as well as the potential commissioning and support needs of Telkonet for its value-added resellers. With continued enhancements to the Rhapsody Platform, Telkonet hopes to further grow both domestic and international value added resellers.

Narrative Description of the Business 

Telkonet is the creator of the EcoSmart and Rhapsody Platforms of intelligent automation solutions designed to optimize energy efficiency, comfort and analytics in support of the emerging IoT. The platforms are deployed primarily in the hospitality, educational, governmental and other commercial markets, and is specified by engineers, HVAC professionals, building owners, and building operators.

EcoSmart Platform

Telkonet’s EcoSmart Platform is comprised of four primary pillars:

The EcoSmart Platform provides comprehensive energy and operational savings, management monitoring, reporting, analytics of a property or individual room by adding intelligence to HVAC runtimes and through integrations with door locks, lighting, window coverings, and more end-user attributes. The EcoSmart Platform is a solution for reducing energy consumption, operational costs and carbon footprints, and eliminating the need for new energy generation in these markets – all while engaging and delighting guests.

Controlling energy consumption can make a significant impact on a building’s bottom line, as HVAC costs represent a substantial portion of a facility’s overall utility bill. Hospitality is a key market for Telkonet. U.S. hotels spend an average of $2,196 per room on energy costs each year. HVAC and lighting account for approximately 45% of hotel energy usage.³ Telkonet approaches the opportunity to reduce consumed energy by adding intelligence to a property’s HVAC and lighting systems.

Energy is often wasted through the lighting, powering, heating and cooling of unoccupied spaces. These spaces with intermittent occupancy constitute Telkonet’s target markets, and our experience, supported by independent research and customer data, suggests these rooms are unoccupied as much as 70% of the time.

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³ Lodging Staff, ‘Here’s Where Hotels Spend the Most on Energy’, Lodging Magazine.com, 2018,

https://lodgingmagazine.com/where-hotels-spend-most-energy/

EcoSmart Product Suite:

Several of these devices have been recently released in “Plus” models which provide greater functionality and increased capabilities.

EcoCentral

Telkonet’s EcoSmart Platform is a comprehensive solution for intelligent automation and energy management. The platform has a well-developed upgrade path with the final and complete version of the platform offering real-time control and analytics provided through a cloud computing platform called EcoCentral. EcoCentral derives its name through its ability to direct user resources to where they add the most value. From monitoring equipment operation and determining where engineering efforts are needed and notifying staff when performance is degrading, EcoCentral creates a comprehensive tool for providing insights and access for EcoSmart Platform deployments either individually or across an entire building portfolio.

EcoCare

EcoCare is Telkonet’s professional support services including call, email and chat support, repair and replacement services, periodic reporting, communication with customers’ utility and Internet Service Provider (“ISP”) partners and more. Telkonet provides three packages of EcoCare services as well as allows customers to create their own package of services ala carte. EcoCare allows EcoSmart customers to ensure that they continue to recognize the savings estimated and benefit from the intended return on investment (ROI). Typical EcoCare contracts range from one to five years and have automatic renewal terms built into each individual contract. All support staff are located at Telkonet’s Waukesha, Wisconsin headquarters.

EcoSmart Mobile

Telkonet’s EcoMobile tools provide iOS and Android applications for use by partners, customers, end users or guests. These mobile tools extend the value of the EcoSmart Platform and give greater functionality and more efficient commissioning and deployment abilities to the user. We have identified where, by providing more accessibility, we can create additional charged-for services that increase customer savings, improve guest experience and integrate more fully with customer environments to create a tight relationship with our customers.

Rhapsody Platform

Telkonet launched a new platform in 2020 named Rhapsody. Although the Rhapsody Platform shares many similarities with EcoSmart Platform, it extends beyond some EcoSmart capabilities with native support for our new devices that use WIFI and BLE for configuration and setup. It also provides a more modern architecture to allow for enhanced scalability of real time IOT data. For example, data reporting is instantaneous with the Rhapsody Platform because it is based on data change instead of 15-minute interval reporting like the EcoSmart Platform.  The main components that make up the Rhapsody Platform are:

Intelligent Energy Management

Telkonet’s energy management platforms apply and improve building intelligence to deliver energy and cost savings through controlling lighting, plugload and HVAC runtimes. Captured data may be presented on a grouped, property or room-by-room basis, allowing very granular management of in-room energy use and environmental conditions. Telkonet achieves this by leveraging our device platforms, including occupancy sensors and intelligent programmable thermostats connected with packaged terminal air conditioner (“PTAC”) controllers or any other terminal equipment HVAC products and managed wireless light switches and in wall electrical plugs to adjust and maintain energy consumption including a room’s temperature according to occupancy, eliminating wasteful heating and cooling of unoccupied rooms. All of these can be accomplished from the in-room devices or via any web-connected device, such as smart phones, tablets and laptop computers.

EcoSmart and Rhapsody are energy management platforms that deliver optimal, individual room energy savings without compromising occupant comfort, due to a proprietary technology named “Recovery Time”.

Recovery Time Technology

Telkonet’s HVAC controls feature Recovery Time, technology designed to maximize energy efficiency without sacrificing occupant comfort. When a room is occupied, the temperature selected by the occupant will be maintained by the Telkonet system. Once a Telkonet occupancy sensor determines that the room is unoccupied, the system adjusts the room temperature using Recovery Time. Unlike other systems, Recovery Time technology constantly performs calculations that evaluate how far each individual room’s temperature can drift from the occupant’s preferred setting (“set-point”), to harvest energy savings while still being able to return to the occupant’s set-point within a customer’s pre-defined period of time.

When determining the temperature setting, Recovery Time technology considers how long it will take to return the temperature to the occupant’s set-point once they return to their room. The temperature will only drift far enough to ensure the system will return to the occupant’s preferred temperature setting within minutes upon their return to the room. The specific length of recovery time is selected by property management at the time of the installation; however, it can be altered at any time by management.

How Do Other Systems Work?

In competing systems the occupant chooses their preferred temperature. When the occupant leaves, the thermostat reverts to a set-point of a fixed number of degrees different than the preferred set temperature (lower in winter and higher in summer). In some products temperature gap is a fixed temperature selected by the property owner. Because each occupant room will require different lengths of time to return to the occupant’s desired temperature, based on room size and orientation, whether blinds are open, outdoor temperature, sun, and wind, the length of time required for the HVAC to return to temperature can vary dramatically and can often be prohibitive. Additionally, a dirty HVAC filter or coil will reduce heat transfer, increasing that recovery time.

EcoSmart and Rhapsody Deliver Room-by-Room Savings

Because each room’s environment is unique, Telkonet’s approach is likewise unique. Rooms are evaluated independently in real-time to determine its energy efficient temperature, or setback. Recovery Time technology constantly calculates in real-time how far the room temperature can drift, by taking into consideration the environmental characteristics that impact the temperature in the room, including:

Through the constant monitoring of the HVAC unit’s ability to drive the temperature and the real-time adjustment of the setback temperature, rooms are never excessively hot or cold when an occupant returns to the room. The room will always be just minutes away from an occupant’s desired comfort setting. As a result, Recovery Time technology delivers room-by-room, occupant-by-occupant savings. The technology also significantly improves the guest experience, driving loyalty to the property and brand, and decreases service calls.

The EcoSmart and Rhapsody Platforms maximize energy reductions while at the same time ensuring occupant comfort, maximizing energy savings and extending equipment life expectancy. The technology is particularly attractive to customers in the hospitality industry, as well as the education, healthcare, public housing and government/military markets, who are constantly seeking ways to reduce costs and meet federal and state mandates without impacting building occupant comfort.

Using standard communication protocols, ensuring widespread adoption and a simple interface, Telkonet’s technology may also be integrated with utility controls, property management systems and building automation systems to be used in load shedding initiatives. This feature provides management companies and utilities enhanced opportunities for cost savings, environmental protections and energy management. Additionally, Telkonet’s energy management systems qualify for most state and federal energy efficiency and rebate programs.

Competitive Advantages

We believe our intelligent automation platforms, with our proprietary Recovery Time technology, deliver extensive differentiation against competing products, including:

Our open, scalable and standards-based architecture approach allows for truly custom deployments. The platforms integrate seamlessly with back-office management systems, property management systems, building automation systems, and utility demand/response programs, as well as additional third-party network architecture to recognize increased efficiency and savings.

Based on these platform features and capabilities, we’ve been awarded, and continue to receive, contracts in the hospitality, educational, governmental and other commercial markets. In addition, our relationships with utility-sponsored direct-install and rebate-funded programs provide us with a significant advantage over our competitors in the commercial space.

Given the population growth in the United States and the increasing demand for energy, we forecast additional energy-related infrastructure will be needed. We believe the use of Smart Grid technologies and energy efficiency management platforms are affordable alternatives to building additional power generation through leveraging existing resources and providing enhanced energy savings costs.

Target Markets

Rooms with intermittent occupancy are most commonly found in the following market sectors:

Industry and Market Overview

A significant amount of the energy consumed by commercial buildings in the United States is used to cool, heat, or light the buildings.⁴ In an effort to remain competitive and manage expenses, governments, building owners, building tenants, and companies in general are looking for ways to become more efficient both fiscally and environmentally. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy reported that the cost of saving one unit of energy through energy efficiency is one-fifth (1/5) the cost required to generate that same unit of energy. As a result, we feel that the growth opportunities in the energy management market are in their infancy.

Telkonet’s key industries are all prime candidates for energy management, in part due to their utilizing energy “on-demand” or intermittently. Providing energy, and engaging the equipment to supply it, to those rooms and spaces only when occupied results in significant energy savings in addition to affording longer life and reduced maintenance to the HVAC systems.

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⁴ https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/commercial-buildings.php

Hospitality Industry

There is a constant balancing act for hotel operators between managing guest comfort and operating margins. Telkonet’s Recovery Time allows operators to manage operation costs yet still provide for a comfortable and engaging guest experience. Through Telkonet’s platforms, individual hospitality brands and properties can create a desired guest environment and still allow for energy savings via the Recovery Time algorithm.

Educational Industry

Telkonet approaches the education industry with strategic relationships with enterprise energy service companies (“ESCOs’) throughout the USA. Telkonet partners with ESCOs to include our energy management platforms for deployment within residence halls on university campuses. The ESCOs bundle our technology with other facility improvement measures designed to reduce operating costs across the entire campus, bundling solutions with acceptable ROI and which meet state mandated guidelines. ESCOs also structure self-funding financial transactions called “Performance Contracts” in which the savings are greater than the repayment costs, typically guaranteeing the financial and operational performance in this type of engagement. This type of approach can remove any capital expense barriers and improve adoption.

During our history, deployments have occurred at the University of California-Davis, University of Miami, Kansas State University, North Carolina State University, University of Notre Dame, US Military Academy at West Point, New York University, and Texas A&M University-Commerce.

The opportunities in this market are not limited to higher education institutions. According to an NRG Business Energy Advisor report, schools in the United States spend $8 billion on energy costs annually, with 73% of natural gas use going towards heating and 35% of electricity consumption going towards cooling. While heating and cooling account for only 2 – 4% of district costs, it is an opportunity for significant impact and gain.

We believe that our platforms are important tools for participants in the education industry seeking to control student-related energy costs. We have focused our sales efforts on members of the education industry who are seeking to expand their energy efficiency initiatives as well as the ESCOs who target the educational marketplace and have thus far had success with at least one school district installing EcoSmart in each classroom throughout the district.

Governmental Industry

The Department of Defense (“DOD”) is the single largest energy consumer in the United States federal government – accounting for more than 76% of the entire federal government’s energy expenditures during FY2017.⁵ Thus, we view this market as strategically significant to Telkonet’s interests.

Our energy management platforms are already successfully incorporated into the energy initiatives in several military housing sites, military academies and barracks. Telkonet benefited from and continues to make use of government funding and other government contracts to provide our platforms for use on military bases and other facilities, helping both the DOD and the government as a whole achieve their long-term energy efficiency goals.

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⁵ https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R45832.pdf

Healthcare Industry

Healthcare organizations currently spend over $6.5 billion on energy each year, a cost which continues to rise in an effort to meet patient needs.⁶ This is viewed as an emerging market for energy management systems. Although hospitals have many specific regulatory mandates, Telkonet has been working closely with operators and developers of healthcare support facilities, like medical office buildings, assisted living and other similar facilities, to integrate our energy management initiatives into efficiency opportunities supported by state and federal energy programs. For example, hospital energy managers can use energy efficiency strategies to offset high costs caused by growing plug loads and rising energy prices. A typical 200,000-square-foot, 50-bed hospital in the U.S. annually spends $680,000, or roughly $13,611 per bed on electricity and natural gas. By increasing energy efficiency, hospitals can improve the bottom line and free up funds to invest in new technologies and improve patient care.

These facilities offer a commercial environment similar to the hospitality or educational housing markets, and the increasing aging population and assisted living markets presents attractive potential for energy efficiency. This market is expected to grow rapidly over the next several years due to its energy savings capabilities and an aging population.

MDU Industry

Public housing, which are properties owned and managed by the government, is an additional emerging market for energy management solutions. The tenants occupying these properties must meet specific eligibility requirements, and their utility bills are typically paid for by government programs. Many of the ESCO clients that Telkonet supports today have dedicated teams pursuing opportunities with the owners and operators of government-subsidized housing. Telkonet’s platforms are an ideal solution for conserving energy, allowing remote monitoring, and improving tenant comfort.

Competition for Markets

We currently compete primarily within commercial and industrial markets, including the hospitality, education, healthcare, governmental and MDU sectors. Within each target market, we offer savings through our intelligent automation platforms. Our products offer significant competitive and complementary benefits when compared with alternative offerings including Building Automation Systems (“BAS”) or Building Management Systems (“BMS”), static temperature occupancy-based systems, scheduling/programmable thermostats and high-efficiency HVAC systems.

We participate in a relatively small competitive field within the hospitality industry, with the majority of the energy management sales handled by fewer than seven manufacturers. The key competitors in the market segment are Inncom by Honeywell and Schneider Electric, with each offering some level of comparable products to our standalone and/or networked products. Telkonet leverages the above-mentioned competitive advantages to successfully compete in these spaces and win business.

The educational space is new to adopt occupancy-based controls. Our platforms have been introduced for use within student dormitories, which traditionally had few, if any, controls. More recently we’ve also been requested to install our products into classrooms, which traditionally have been an environment for BAS/BMS. Since the dormitory environment is very similar to the hospitality market, we believe we offer similarly-scaled energy savings. Since the market is still in its infancy, very few comparable offerings have entered the market but competitors within the hospitality segment are beginning to respond. Again, our key differentiators allow us to compete and win business in this space.

The healthcare and governmental markets are very similar in scope, relative to energy management systems. A key differentiator in these environments is the specific implementation being considered. Each market utilizes BAS/BMS for wide scale energy management initiatives. When addressing housing environments, including elderly care and assisted living facilities and military dormitories or barracks, Telkonet’s platforms are able to provide increased energy savings and efficiency. Competitors operating in the BAS/BMS space include Honeywell, Schneider Electric, Johnson Controls, Siemens, Trane and others, many of whom Telkonet partners with to provide a comprehensive and integrated energy management solution to effectively address energy efficiency opportunities in all types of facilities. The MDU market is split into two distinct categories, public and upscale residential housing. Public housing benefits similarly to hospitality and educational housing where intelligent, occupancy-based automation reduces operating costs.  Upscale residential facilities benefit from exclusive automation solutions and centralized data reporting resulting in maintenance efficiencies.

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⁶ https://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/publications/pubdocs/Healthcare.pdf

Inventory

We are dependent on a limited number of vendors to provide certain inventory and components. We’ve not experienced significant problems or issues purchasing any essential materials, parts or components, but have experienced gross profit pressure as a result of price increases and the impact of tariffs (discussed below). We contract the majority of our inventory with ATR Manufacturing, based in China, which provides substantially all the manufacturing requirements for Telkonet’s energy management platforms. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2020, 91% of our total purchases were from ATR Manufacturing.

Customers

We are neither limited to, nor reliant upon, a single or narrowly segmented customer base to derive our revenues. Our current focus includes the hospitality, educational, governmental, healthcare, and MDU markets, as well as expanding into the consumer market specifically through our resale channel as part of our long term strategic growth.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, two customers represented approximately 28% of total net revenues. For the year ended December 31, 2019, two customers represented approximately 26% of total net revenues.

Intellectual Property

Telkonet has acquired certain intellectual properties, including but not limited to, Patent No. D569, 279, titled “Thermostat.”  Patent No. D569279 issued by the USPTO in May 2008 was granted on the ornamental design of a thermostat device and will expire in May of 2022. The expiration of this patent could allow third parties to launch competing products. While we viewed this patent as valuable, we do not view any single patent as material to the Company as a whole.

There can be no assurance that any of our current or future patent applications will be granted, or, if granted, that such patents will provide necessary protection for our technology or our product offerings, or be of commercial benefit to us.

In addition, on November 30, 2020, Telkonet entered into a Wireless Network Patent License Agreement (the “License Agreement”) with Sipco, LLC (“Sipco”) and IPCO, LLC dba Intus^IQ (collectively, the “Licensors”) in order to settle a patent infringement lawsuit without the expense of costly litigation. Without admission as to infringement, validity, or enforceability of the Licensed Patents (as defined in the License Agreement) or liability with respect to any claims of the complaint filed in the patent infringement lawsuit, Telkonet has agreed to pay certain royalty fees to the Licensors in exchange for the right under the Essential Claims (as defined in the License Agreement) of the Licensed Patents (as defined in the License Agreement), including multiple essential wireless mesh (“EWM”) patents to manufacture, have manufactured, sell, offer to sell, import, export, and use the Licensed Products (as defined in the License Agreement). The EWM patent portfolio covers technologies used in multi-hop wireless networks utilizing wireless protocols such as, but not limited to, Zigbee. The portfolio also covers applications including, but not limited to, home and building automation and industrial controls.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had a current liability of approximately $28,000, included in accounts payable and a non-current liability of $500,000 included in accrued royalties – long-term recorded on its Consolidated Balance Sheet. The corresponding expense was recorded in the selling, general and administrative line of the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The payment of the royalty fees is expected to have a material and adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations and liquidity. See Note M – Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the patent infringement lawsuit and the License Agreement.

Government Regulation

As discussed in Part I, Item IA, given we purchase the majority of our inventory from a supplier based in China, we are subject to and have been adversely affected by the tariffs imposed by the United States Federal Government on imports of industrial sector products from China.

In addition, we are subject to regulation in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”).  FCC rules permit the operation of unlicensed digital devices that radiate radio frequency emissions if the manufacturer complies with certain equipment authorization procedures, technical requirements, marketing restrictions and product labeling requirements.

Future products designed by us will require testing for compliance with FCC and European Commission (“EC”) standards. Moreover, if in the future, the FCC or EC changes its technical requirements, further testing and/or modifications may be necessary in order to achieve compliance.

Research & Development

During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company spent $1,177,282 and $1,737,385, respectively, on research and development activities. Telkonet continues to invest in research & development to maintain and grow our competitive differentiation and customer value. Key initiatives for 2021 include:

Additional Information

Employees

As of March 24, 2021, we had 35 full-time employees.

Environmental Matters

We do not anticipate any material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position due to compliance with government regulations involving environmental matters.

ITEM 1A.  RISK FACTORS.

Our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows can be adversely affected by various risks. These risks include, but are not limited to, the principal factors listed below and the other matters set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should carefully consider all of these risks.

Risks Relating to Our Financial Results and Need for Financing

We expect to continue to incur operating losses and have negative operating cash flows for the foreseeable future and we may not be able to access sources of liquidity necessary to continue our operations, and as a result, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern and our shareholders may lose some or all of their investment.

Since inception through December 31, 2020, we have incurred cumulative losses of $128,255,391 and have never generated enough funds through operations to support our business. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we had a cash flow deficit from operations of $844,794. Further, without further cost cutting measures, working capital management, and/or enhanced revenues, the Company believes it is reasonably likely that it will breach a financial covenant under its Credit Facility at some time during 2021. See the “Going Concern and Management’s Plan” section in Note A – Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of a potential default under the Credit Facility.

The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon generating profitable operations in the future and obtaining the necessary financing to meet its obligations and repay its liabilities arising from normal business operations when they come due. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain a covenant waiver or amendment, in which case the lender, Heritage Bank, could immediately declare all amounts due under the Company’s Credit Facility, terminate the Credit Facility, and foreclose on the Company’s assets. Further, the Credit Facility has a maturity date of September 30, 2021. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to extend the maturity date or that other financing will be available when the existing Credit Facility expires. The Company may also seek additional financing from alternative sources, but there is no assurance that such financing will be available at commercially reasonable terms, if at all.

If cash resources become insufficient to meet the Company’s ongoing obligations, the Company may be required to scale back or discontinue portions of its operations or discontinue operations entirely, pursue a sale of the Company or its assets at a price that may result in a significant or complete loss on investment for its shareholders, file for bankruptcy or seek other protection from creditors, or liquidate all its assets. In addition, if the Company defaults under the Credit Facility and is unable to pay the outstanding balance, Heritage Bank could foreclose on the Company’s assets. The Company’s shareholders may lose some or all of their investment as a result of any of these outcomes. Accordingly, and in light of the Company’s historic losses and potential inability to access sources of liquidity to continue its operations, there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. There was also substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The Company’s potential inability to comply with covenants under the Credit Facility could trigger prepayment obligations or other penalties and the Company may not be able to secure additional financing from alternative sources.

The Company is currently in compliance with the financial covenants in the loan agreement for the Credit Facility, which is secured by all of the Company’s assets. However, based on the Company’s current level of operations and forecasted cash flow analysis for the twelve-month period subsequent to the date of this filing, without further cost cutting measures, working capital management, and/or enhanced revenues, the Company believes it is reasonably likely that it will breach the covenant to maintain a minimum unrestricted cash balance of $2 million at some time during 2021, potentially as early as the second quarter of 2021. There can be no assurance the Company will be able to obtain a covenant waiver or amendment, in which case Heritage Bank could accelerate repayment of amounts borrowed, terminate its commitment to extend further credit, and foreclose on the Company’s assets. As of December 31, 2020, the outstanding balance on the Credit Facility was $267,289. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to secure financing to refinance these borrowings at commercially reasonable terms, if at all.

If cash resources become insufficient to meet the Company’s ongoing obligations, the Company may be required to scale back or discontinue portions of its operations or discontinue operations entirely, pursue a sale of the Company or its assets at a price that may result in a significant or complete loss on investment for its shareholders, file for bankruptcy or seek other protection from creditors, or liquidate all its assets. In addition, if the Company defaults under the Credit Facility and is unable to pay the outstanding balance, Heritage Bank could foreclose on the Company’s assets.

We have a limited number of shares of common stock available for future issuance which could adversely affect our ability to raise capital or consummate strategic transactions.

We are currently authorized to issue 190,000,000 shares of common stock under our Amended Restated and Articles of Incorporation. As of March 24, 2021, we have issued 136,311,335 shares of common stock and have approximately 8,147,955 shares of common stock committed for issuance giving effect to the assumed exercise of all outstanding warrants and options and assumed conversion of preferred stock. Due to the limited number of authorized shares available for issuance, we may not able to raise additional equity capital or complete a merger or other business combination unless we increase the number of shares we are authorized to issue. We would need to seek stockholder approval to increase the number of our authorized shares of common stock. We can provide no assurance that we will succeed in amending our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of shares of common stock we are authorized to issue.

If we fail to remain current on our reporting requirements, we could be removed from the OTC Bulletin Board, which would limit the ability of broker-dealers to sell our securities and the ability of stockholders to sell their securities in the secondary market.

Companies trading on the OTC Bulletin Board, such as us, must be reporting issuers under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Exchange Act”), and must be current in their reports under Section 13 of the Exchange Act in order to maintain price quotation privileges on the OTC Bulletin Board. If we fail to remain current on our reporting requirements, we could be removed from the OTC Bulletin Board. As a result, the market liquidity for our securities could be adversely affected by limiting the ability of broker-dealers to sell our securities and the ability of stockholders to sell their securities in the secondary market.

Risks Related to Our Business and Operations

The Company’s operations, financial results, and liquidity have been materially and adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Company’s sales and gross profits have decreased significantly resulting from a contraction in commercial demand for our products, a lower revenue conversion rate in our existing pipeline and significant one-off transactions from customers in 2019 that were not repeated in 2020.

Due to travel restrictions, social distancing and shelter at home edicts, the hospitality industry, our largest market that generally accounts for a majority of our revenue, has suffered as much as any. Rising cases of COVID-19 in certain areas, the emergence of new virus strains and a slow vaccine rollout have resulted in the reinstatement of restrictive social-distancing regulations that limit both group and individual travel. Business travel, which comprises the largest source of hotel revenue, remains very limited. Although a slow return is expected in the second half of 2021, business travel is not expected to return to 2019 levels until at least 2023.⁷ According to an STR forecast, until group, business and international demand returns, U.S. hotel occupancy rates will not exceed 50% in 2021. Moreover, full recovery of revenue per available room (RevPAR) is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels until the end of 2024.⁸

Further, both the health and economic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic are highly fluid and the future course of each is uncertain. We cannot predict whether the outbreak of COVID-19 will be effectively contained on a sustained basis. Depending on the length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for our products, our customers’ ability to meet payment obligations to the Company, our supply chain and production capabilities, and our workforces’ ability to deliver our products and services could be impacted. Management is actively monitoring the impact of the global situation on its financial condition, liquidity, operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce. While we expect this disruption to continue to have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, the Company is unable to reasonably determine the full extent of the impact at this time.

Tariffs have had, and continued tariffs and evolving trade policy between the United States and China, may have a material adverse effect on our business.

During 2018, the United States Federal Government imposed significant tariffs on imports from numerous countries, including China. Subsequent to this, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) announced an initial proposed list of imports from China that could be subject to additional tariffs. The list of imports for which Customs and Border Protection began collecting additional duties during July 2018, focuses on the industrial sector. The Company’s main supplier, accounting for approximately 91% of total purchases in 2020, is located in China. The products that the Company purchases from the supplier are subject to up to 25% tariffs. As a result of the tariffs, our cost of sales has increased.

The Biden administration has not stated whether it will ultimately remove or alter any of the tariffs, but has indicated that it will not make any immediate changes. There continues to be significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and other countries with respect to the trade policies, treaties, taxes, government regulations and tariffs that would be applicable. It is unclear what changes might be considered or implemented and what response to any such changes may be by the governments of other countries. These changes have created significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and China, as well as other countries, including with respect to the trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs that could apply to trade between the United States and other nations. If additional tariffs or other restrictions are placed on Chinese imports or any related counter-measures are taken by China, our revenue and results of operations may be materially harmed. Even in the absence of further tariffs, the related uncertainty and the market's fear of an escalating trade war might create forecasting difficulties for us and cause our customers and business partners to place fewer orders for our products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition, and/or results of operations.

_______________________

⁷ Fox, Jena Tesse. “AHLA report ties recovery to optimistic leisure travelers.” Hotel Management January/February 2021: 10.

⁸ Fox, Jena Tesse. “STR, HVS chart “slow climb’ to full hotel industry recovery.” Hotel Management December 2020: 6.

These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, may have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and may significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, trade between these nations and the United States. Any of these factors could depress economic activity and restrict our access to suppliers or customers and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and affect our strategy in China and elsewhere around the world. Given the relatively fluid regulatory environment in China and the United States and uncertainty how the U.S. Administration or foreign governments will act with respect to tariffs, international trade agreements and policies, a trade war, further governmental action related to tariffs or international trade policies, or additional tax or other regulatory changes in the future could directly and adversely impact our financial results and results of operations.

We rely on a limited number of third party suppliers. If these companies fail to perform or experience delays, shortages, or increased demand for their products or services, we may face shortages, increased costs, and may be required to suspend deployment of our products and services.

We depend on a limited number of third party suppliers to provide the components and the equipment required to deliver our solutions, with purchases from one supplier comprising approximately 91% of total purchases for the year ended December 31, 2020. If these providers fail to perform their obligations under our agreements with them or we are unable to renew these agreements, we may be forced to suspend the sale and deployment of our products and services and enrollment of new customers, which would have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

The industry within which we operate is intensely competitive and rapidly evolving.

We operate in a highly competitive, quickly changing environment, and our future success will depend on our ability to develop and introduce new products and product enhancements that achieve broad market acceptance in the markets within which we compete. We will also need to respond effectively to new product announcements by our competitors by quickly developing and introducing competitive products.

Delays in product development and introduction could result in:

The Company recently settled a patent infringement lawsuit and recorded a contingent liability of $600,000; actual expenses may exceed this amount.

On June 30, 2020, Sipco filed a lawsuit against the Company (the “Sipco Lawsuit”) alleging infringement on multiple EWM patents held by Sipco. On November 30, 2020, the Company entered into the License Agreement in order to settle the Sipco Lawsuit, without the expense of costly litigation. As of December 31, 2020, the Company has a current liability of approximately $28,000 included in accounts payable and a non-current liability of $500,000 included in accrued royalties – long-term recorded on its Consolidated Balance Sheet. The corresponding expense was recorded in the selling, general and administrative line of the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The payment of the royalty fees is expected to have a material and adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations and liquidity. See Note M – Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the patent infringement lawsuit and the License Agreement.

We may incur substantial damages due to other litigation.

We cannot be certain that our products do not and will not infringe issued patents or other intellectual property rights of others. If it were determined that our products infringe the intellectual property rights of another, we could be required to pay substantial damages or be enjoined from licensing or using the infringing products or technology. Additionally, if it were determined that our products infringe the intellectual property rights of others, we would need to obtain licenses from these parties or substantially re-engineer our products in order to avoid infringement. We might not be able to obtain the necessary licenses on acceptable terms or at all, or to re-engineer our products successfully. Similar to the Sipco Lawsuit and License Agreement discussed above, any of the foregoing could cause us to incur significant costs and prevent us from selling our products.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal controls as of December 31, 2020 that, if not properly remediated, could result in material misstatements in our financial statements.

Based on an evaluation of our disclosure of internal controls and procedures as of December 31, 2020, our management has concluded that, as of such date, there were material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting related to a lack of segregation of duties due to the limited size of the Company’s accounting department, a failure to implement adequate internal control over financial reporting including in our IT general control environment and the need for a stronger internal control environment particularly in our financial reporting and close process. A material weakness is a control deficiency, or a combination of control deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a more than a remote likelihood that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements would not be prevented or detected. As disclosed in Item 9A of Part II of this report, because of the material weaknesses identified by the Company, our consolidated financial statements may contain material misstatements that would require restatement of the Company’s financial results in this report. Management of the Company believes that these material weaknesses are due to the small size of the Company’s accounting staff. The small size of the Company’s accounting staff may prevent adequate controls in the future, such as segregation of duties, due to the cost/benefit of such remediation.  At present, the Company does not expect to hire additional personnel to remediate these control deficiencies in the near future.

Until and if these material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting are remediated, there is a reasonable possibility that material misstatements of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements could occur and not be prevented or detected by our internal controls in a timely manner. Material misstatements in our financial statements could result in litigation or regulatory enforcement actions, which would require additional financial and management resources; loss of investor confidence; and delays in filing required financial disclosures, one or more of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. The Company believes the consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 are free of material misstatements.

Government regulation of our products could impair our ability to sell such products in certain markets.

The rules of the FCC permit the operation of unlicensed digital devices that radiate radio frequency emissions if the manufacturer complies with certain equipment authorization procedures, technical requirements, marketing restrictions and product labeling requirements. Differing technical requirements apply to “Class A” devices intended for use in commercial settings, and “Class B” devices intended for residential use to which more stringent standards apply. An independent, FCC-certified testing lab has verified that our product suite complies with the FCC technical requirements for Class A and Class B digital devices. No further testing of these devices is required, and the devices may be manufactured and marketed for commercial and residential use. Additional devices designed by us for commercial and residential use will be subject to the FCC rules for unlicensed digital devices. Moreover, if in the future, the FCC changes its technical requirements for unlicensed digital devices, further testing and/or modifications of devices may be necessary. Failure to comply with any FCC technical requirements could impair our ability to sell our products in certain markets and could have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.

Products sold by our competitors could become more popular than our products or render our products obsolete.

The market for our products and services is highly competitive. Some of our competitors have longer operating histories, greater name recognition and substantially greater financial, technical, sales, marketing and other resources. These competitors may, among other things, undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, adopt more aggressive pricing policies, obtain more favorable pricing from suppliers and manufacturers and exert more influence on the sales channel than we can. As a result, we may not be able to compete successfully with these competitors, and these competitors may develop or market technologies and products that are more widely accepted than those being developed by us or that would render our products obsolete or noncompetitive. We anticipate that competitors will also intensify their efforts to penetrate our target markets. These competitors may have more advanced technology, more extensive distribution channels, stronger brand names, bigger promotional budgets and larger customer bases than we do. These companies could devote more capital resources to develop, manufacture and market competing products than we could. If any of these companies are successful in competing against us, our sales could decline, our margins could be negatively impacted, and we could lose market share, any of which could seriously harm our business, results of operations, and prospects. 

We depend on a small team of senior management and may have difficulty attracting and retaining additional personnel.

Our future success will depend in large part upon the continued services and performance of senior management and other key personnel. If we lose the services of any member of our senior management team, our overall operations could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, our future success will depend on our ability to identify, attract, hire, train, retain and motivate other highly skilled technical, managerial, marketing, purchasing and customer service personnel when they are needed. Competition for these individuals is intense. We cannot ensure that we will be able to successfully attract, integrate or retain sufficiently qualified personnel when the need arises. Any failure to attract and retain the necessary technical, managerial, marketing, purchasing and customer service personnel could have a negative effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We may be affected if the United States participates in wars or other military action or by international terrorism.

Involvement in a war or other military action or acts of terrorism may cause significant disruption to commerce throughout the world and may cause people to limit travel. To the extent that such disruptions result in (i) delays or cancellations of customer orders, (ii) declines in spending in the hospitality industry, our largest market that generally accounts for a majority of our revenue, (iii) a general decrease in consumer spending on information technology, (iv) our inability to effectively market and distribute our services or products or (v) our inability to access capital markets, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. We are unable to predict whether the involvement in a war or other military action will result in any long-term commercial disruptions or if such involvement or responses will have any long-term material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.

Cyber security risks and cyber incidents could adversely affect our business and disrupt operations.

Cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. These incidents can include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. The result of these incidents could include, but are not limited to, disrupted operations, misstated financial data, liability for stolen assets or information, increased cyber-security protection costs, litigation and reputational damage adversely affecting customer or investor confidence. We have implemented systems and processes to focus on identification, prevention, mitigation and resolution. However, these measures cannot provide absolute security, and our systems may be vulnerable to cyber-security breaches such as viruses, hacking, and similar disruptions from unauthorized intrusions. In addition, we rely on third party service providers to perform certain services, such as payroll and tax services. Any failure of our systems or third party systems may compromise our sensitive information and/or personally identifiable information of our employees. While we have secured cyber insurance to potentially cover certain risks associated with cyber incidents, there can be no assurance the insurance will be sufficient to cover any such liability.

Our exposure to the credit risk of our customers and suppliers may adversely affect our financial results.

We sell our products to customers that have in the past, and may in the future, experience financial difficulties. If our customers experience financial difficulties, we could have difficulty recovering amounts owed to us from these customers. While we perform credit evaluations and adjust credit limits based upon each customer’s payment history and credit worthiness, such programs may not be effective in reducing our exposure to credit risk. We evaluate the collectability of accounts receivable, and based on this evaluation make adjustments to the allowance for doubtful accounts for expected losses. Actual bad debt write-offs may differ from our estimates, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Our suppliers may also experience financial difficulties, which could result in our having difficulty sourcing the materials and components we use in producing our products and providing our services. This risk is increased given we depend on a limited number of third party suppliers to provide the components and the equipment required to deliver our solutions, with purchases from one supplier comprising approximately 91% of total purchases for the year ended December 31, 2020. If we encounter such difficulties, we may not be able to produce our products for our customers in a timely fashion which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. 

Changes in the economy and credit markets may adversely affect our future results of operations.

Our operations and performance depend to some degree on general economic conditions and their impact on our customers’ finances and purchase decisions, particularly given the hospitality industry generally accounts for a majority of our revenue. As a result of economic events, potential customers may elect to defer purchases of capital equipment items, such as the products we manufacture and supply. Additionally, the credit markets and the financial services industry are subject to change. While the ultimate outcome of these events cannot be predicted, it may have a material adverse effect on our customers’ ability to fund their operations thus adversely impacting their ability to purchase our products or to pay for our products on a timely basis, if at all. These and other economic factors could have a material adverse effect on demand for our products, the collection of payments for our products and on our financial condition and operating results.

We may not be able to obtain payment and performance bonds, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our ability to deploy our suite of products into the energy management initiatives in federally funded or assisted projects may rely on our ability to obtain payment and performance bonds which may be an essential element to work orders for the installation of our products and services. If we are unable to obtain payment and performance bonds in a timely fashion as required by an applicable work order, we may not be entitled to payment under the work order until such bonds have been provided or until such a requirement is expressly waived. In addition, any delays due to a failure to furnish bonds may not entitle us to a price increase for the work or an extension of time to complete the work and may entitle the other party to terminate our work order without liability and to indemnify such party from damages suffered as a result of our failure to deliver the bonds and the termination of the work order. As a result, the failure to obtain bonds where required could negatively impact our business, results of operations, and prospects.

Risks Relating to the Ownership of Our Common Stock

If the Company is unable to continue as a going concern, the Company’s shareholders may lose some or all of their investment.

As discussed above, we have a history of operating losses and an accumulated deficit, expect to continue to incur operating losses and negative operating cash flows for one year beyond the date of these financial statements, may not be able to access sources of liquidity to continue our operations, and as a result, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If cash resources become insufficient to meet the Company’s ongoing obligations and we are unable to secure financing at commercially reasonable terms, if at all, the Company will be required to scale back or discontinue portions of its operations or discontinue operations entirely, whereby, the Company’s shareholders may lose some or all of their investment.

Our common stock is thinly traded and there may not be an active trading market for our common stock.

Our common stock is currently quoted on the OTCQB, operated by the OTC Markets Group. However, there is no guarantee that our common stock will be actively traded on the OTCQB, or that the volume of trading will be sufficient to allow for timely trades. Investors may not be able to sell their shares quickly or at the latest market price if trading in our stock is not active or if trading volume is limited. In addition, if trading volume in our common stock is limited, trades of relatively small numbers of shares may have a disproportionate effect on the market price of our common stock.

The market price of our common stock has been and may continue to be volatile.

The trading price of our common stock has been and may continue to be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors.  Some of the factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate include:

In addition, if the market for technology stocks or the stock market in general experiences a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition or results of operations.  If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to class action lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and a distraction to management.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and Utah law could discourage delay or prevent a change of control of our Company and may affect the trading price of our common stock.

We are a Utah corporation and the anti-takeover provisions of the Utah Control Shares Acquisition Act may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control by limiting the voting rights of control shares acquired in a control share acquisition. In addition, our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a change in our management or control over us that shareholders may consider favorable. Among other things, our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws:

These provisions could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control, whether or not it is desired by, or beneficial to, our shareholders.

We do not currently intend to pay dividends on our common stock

We do not expect to pay cash dividends on our common stock. Any future dividend payments are within the absolute discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, working capital requirements, capital expenditure requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions, business opportunities, anticipated cash needs, provisions of applicable law and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. We may not generate sufficient cash from operations in the future to pay dividends on our common stock.

Our common stock is subject to “Penny Stock” restrictions.

As long as the price of our common stock remains at less than $5 per share, we will be subject to so-called “penny stock rules” which could decrease our stock’s market liquidity. The Security and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has adopted regulations which define a “penny stock” to include any equity security that has a market price of less than $5 per share or an exercise price of less than $5 per share, subject to certain exceptions. For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules require the delivery to and execution by the retail customer of a written declaration of suitability relating to the penny stock, which must include disclosure of the commissions payable to both the broker/dealer and the registered representative and current quotations for the securities. Finally, the broker/dealer must send monthly statements disclosing recent price information for the penny stocks held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks. Those requirements could adversely affect the market liquidity of our common stock. There can be no assurance that the price of our common stock will rise above $5 per share so as to avoid these regulations.

Further issuances of equity securities may be dilutive to current stockholders.

It is possible that we will be required to seek additional capital in the near term. This capital funding could involve one or more types of equity securities, including convertible debt, common or convertible preferred stock and warrants to acquire common or preferred stock. Such equity securities could be issued at or below the then-prevailing market price for our common stock. Any issuance of additional shares of our common stock will be dilutive to existing stockholders and could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

The exercise of conversion rights, options and warrants outstanding and available for issuance may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

As of December 31, 2020, we had outstanding employee options to purchase a total of 3,349,793 shares of common stock at exercise prices ranging from $0.14 to $1.00 per share, with a weighted average exercise price of $0.16. As of December 31, 2020, we had warrants outstanding to purchase a total of 250,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.20 per share. The exercise of outstanding options and warrants and the sale in the public market of the shares purchased upon such exercise could be dilutive to existing stockholders and could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

ITEM 1B.  UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.

ITEM 2.  PROPERTIES.

In October 2013, the Company entered into a lease agreement for 6,362 square feet of commercial office space in Waukesha, Wisconsin for its corporate headquarters. On April 7, 2017, the Company executed an amendment to the existing lease to expand another 3,982 square feet, bringing the total leased space to 10,344 square feet, and extending the lease term for the total leased space from May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2026. The commencement date for this amendment was July 15, 2017.

In January 2016, the Company entered into a lease agreement for 2,237 square feet of commercial office space in Germantown, Maryland for its Maryland employees. In September 2018, the Company entered into a third amendment to the lease agreement extending the lease through the end of January 2022.

In May 2017, the Company entered into a lease agreement for 5,838 square feet of floor space in Waukesha, Wisconsin for its inventory warehousing operations. The Waukesha lease expires in May 2024.

ITEM 3.  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

On June 30, 2020, Sipco filed a lawsuit against the Company in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin (Case No. 20-CV-00981) alleging infringement on multiple EWM patents held by Sipco. See Note M – Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the License Agreement entered into on November 30, 2020 by and among the Company, Sipco, and IPCO, LLC dba IntusIQ in order to settle the Sipco Lawsuit, without the expense of costly litigation. Pursuant to the terms of the License Agreement, on November 30, 2020, Sipco and the Company filed a Stipulation of Dismissal in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin to stipulate to the dismissal of the Sipco Lawsuit in its entirety, with prejudice.

The Company is subject to legal proceedings and claims which arise in the ordinary course of its business. Although occasional adverse decisions or settlements may occur, other than the Sipco Lawsuit discussed above and which has been terminated, the Company believes that the final disposition of such matters should not have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

ITEM 4.  MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

None.

PART II

ITEM 5.  MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

Our common stock is currently quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol “TKOI.” The OTC Bulletin Board is not a stock exchange and any over-the-counter market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

Record Holders

As of March 24, 2021, we had 207 holders of record of our common stock and 136,311,335 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding.

Dividend Policy

The Company has never paid dividends on its common stock and does not anticipate paying dividends in the foreseeable future. It is also subject to certain contractual restrictions on paying dividends on its common stock under the terms of its Series A and B preferred stock.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

See Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters for information about securities authorized for issuance under the Company’s equity compensation plans.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

None.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

None.

ITEM 6.  SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

This item is not applicable.

ITEM 7.  MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the accompanying financial statements and related notes thereto.

Going Concern and Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Since inception through December 31, 2020, we have incurred cumulative losses of $128,255,391 and have never generated enough cash through operations to support our business. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we had a cash flow deficit from operations of $844,794. The Company has made significant investments in the engineering, development and marketing of its intelligent automation platforms, including but not limited to, hardware and software enhancements, support services and applications. The funding for these development efforts has contributed to, and continues to contribute to, the ongoing operating losses and use of cash. Operating losses have been financed by debt and equity transactions, Credit Facility capacity, the sale of a wholly-owned subsidiary, and the management of working capital levels. The report from our independent registered public accounting firm on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 and the report from our former independent registered public accounting firm on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 each state that there is a substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon generating profitable operations in the future and obtaining the necessary financing to meet its obligations and repay its liabilities arising from normal business operations when they come due.

The Company’s operations and financial results have also been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the health and economic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic are highly fluid and the future course of each is uncertain. We cannot predict whether the outbreak of COVID-19 will be effectively contained on a sustained basis. Depending on the length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for our products, our customers’ ability to meet payment obligations to the Company, our supply chain and production capabilities, and our workforces’ ability to deliver our products and services could be impacted. Management is actively monitoring the impact of the global situation on the Company’s financial condition, liquidity, operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce. While we expect this disruption to continue to have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition cash flows, and liquidity, the Company is unable to reasonably determine the full extent of the impact at this time.

The Company’s sales and gross profits have decreased significantly resulting from a contraction in commercial demand for our products, a lower revenue conversion rate in our existing pipeline and significant one-off transactions from customers in 2019 were not repeated in 2020. Due to travel restrictions, social distancing and shelter at home edicts, the hospitality industry, our largest market that generally accounts for a majority of our revenue, has suffered as much as any. Rising cases of COVID-19 in certain areas, the emergence of new virus strains and a slow vaccine rollout have resulted in the reinstatement of restrictive social-distancing regulations that limit both group and individual travel. Business travel, which comprises the largest source of hotel revenue, remains nearly nonexistent. Although a slow return is expected in the second half of 2021, business travel is not expected to return to 2019 levels until at least 2023.⁹ According to an STR forecast, until group, business and international demand returns, U.S. hotel occupancy rates will not exceed 50% in 2021. Moreover, full recovery of revenue per available room (RevPAR) is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels until the end of 2024.¹⁰

In addition, on November 30, 2020, the Company entered into the License Agreement with Sipco and IPCO, LLC dba Intus^IQ in order to settle a patent infringement lawsuit without the expense of costly litigation. As of December 31, 2020, we had $528,000 in liabilities recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheet for future royalty fees ($28,000 accounts payable and $500,000 long-term liability). The corresponding expense was recorded in the selling, general and administrative line of the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The payment of the royalty fees is expected to have a material and adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations and liquidity. See Note M – Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the patent infringement lawsuit and the License Agreement.

See Part I, Item 1. “Business” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Liquidity and Capital Resources” section below for a discussion of the steps the Company has and is continuing to take to focus on preserving liquidity, managing expenses, and targeted sales and new product growth.

_______________________

⁹ Fox, Jena Tesse. “AHLA report ties recovery to optimistic leisure travelers.” Hotel Management January/February 2021: 10.

¹⁰ Fox, Jena Tesse. “STR, HVS chart “slow climb’ to full hotel industry recovery.” Hotel Management December 2020: 6.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates significant estimates used in preparing its consolidated financial statements including those related to revenue recognition and allowances for uncollectible accounts receivable, inventory obsolescence, recovery of long-lived assets, income tax provisions and related valuation allowance, stock-based compensation, and contingencies. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience, underlying run rates and various other assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from these estimates. The following are critical judgments, assumptions, and estimates used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606, the Standard”) supersedes nearly all legacy revenue recognition guidance. ASC 606, the Standard outlines a comprehensive five-step revenue recognition model based on the principle that an entity should recognize revenue based on when it satisfies its performance obligations by transferring control of promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for said goods or services.

Identify the customer contracts

The Company accounts for a customer contract under ASC 606 when the contract is legally enforceable. A contract is legally enforceable when all of the following criteria are met: (1) the contract has been approved by the Company and the customer and both parties are committed to perform their respective obligations, (2) the Company can identify each party’s rights regarding goods or services transferred, (3) the Company can identify payment terms for goods or services transferred, (4) the contract has commercial substance, and (5) collectability of all the consideration to which the Company is entitled in exchange for the goods or services transferred is probable. 

A contract does not exist if each party to the contract has the unilateral right to terminate a wholly unperformed contract without compensating the other party (or parties). Nearly all of the Company’s contracts do not contain such mutual termination rights for convenience. All contracts are in written form.

Identify the performance obligations

The Company will enter into product only contracts that contain a single performance obligation related to the transfer of products to a customer.

The Company will also enter into certain customer contracts that encompass product and installation services, referred to as “turnkey” solutions. These contracts ultimately provide the customer with a solution that enhances the functionality of the customer’s existing equipment. For this reason, the Company has determined that the product and installation services are not separately identifiable performance obligations, but in essence represent one, combined performance obligation (“turnkey”).

The Company also offers post-installation support services to customers. Support services are considered a separate performance obligation.

Determine the transaction price

The Company generally enters into contracts containing fixed prices. It is not customary for the Company to include contract terms that would result in variable consideration. In the rare situation that a contract does include this type of provision, it is not expected to result in a material adjustment to the transaction price. The Company regularly extends pricing discounts; however, they are negotiated up front and adjust the fixed transaction price set out in the contract.

Customer contracts will typically contain upfront deposits that will be applied against future invoices, as well as customer retainage. The intent of any required deposit or retainage is to ensure that the obligations of either party are honored and follow customary industry practices. In addition, the Company will typically be paid in advance at the beginning of any support contracts, consistent with industry practices. None of these payment provisions are intended to represent significant implicit financing. The Company’s standard payment terms are thirty days from invoice date. Products are fully refundable when returned in their original packaging without damage or defacing less a restocking fee. Historical returns have shown to be immaterial. The Company offers a standard one-year assurance warranty. However customers can purchase an extended warranty. Under the revenue standard, extended warranties are accounted for as a service warranty, requiring the revenue to be recognized over the extended service periods. Contracts involving an extended warranty are immaterial and will continue to be combined with support revenue and recognized on a straight-line basis over the support revenue term.

Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations

Revenues from customer contracts are allocated to the separate performance obligations based on their relative stand-alone selling price (“SSP”) at contract inception. The SSP is the price at which the Company would sell a promised good or service separately. The best evidence of an SSP is the observable price of a good or service when the entity sells that good or service separately in similar circumstances and to similar customers. However, turnkey solutions are sold for a broad range of amounts resulting from, but not limited to, tiered discounting for value added resellers (“VAR”) based upon committed volumes and other economic factors. Due to the high variability of our pricing, the Company cannot establish a reliable SSP using observable data. Accordingly, the Company uses the residual approach to allocate the transaction price to performance obligations related to its turnkey solutions. When support services are not included within the turnkey solution, the residual method is not utilized and no allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligation is necessary.

All support service agreements, whether single or multi-year terms, automatically renew for one-year terms at a suggested retail price (“SRP”). Support service renewals are consistently priced and therefore would support the use of SRP as the best estimate of an SSP for such performance obligations.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenues from product only sales at a point in time when control over the product has transferred to the customer. As the Company’s principal terms of sale are FOB shipping point, the Company primarily transfers control and records revenue for product only sales upon shipment.

A typical turnkey project involves the installation and integration of 200-300 rooms in a customer-controlled facility and usually takes sixty days to complete. Since control over goods and services transfers to a customer once a room is installed, the Company recognizes revenue for turnkey solutions over time. The Company uses an outputs measure based on the number of rooms installed to recognize revenues from turnkey solutions.

Revenues from support services are recognized over time, in even daily increments over the term of the contract, and are presented as “Recurring Revenue” in the Statements of Operations.

Contracts are billed in accordance with the terms and conditions, either at periodic intervals or upon substantial completion. This can result in billing occurring subsequent to revenue recognition, resulting in contract assets. Contract assets are presented as current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Contract liabilities include monthly support service fees, customer deposits, and billings in advance of revenue recognition. The long term portion of these liability balances represent the amount of revenues that will be recognized after December 31, 2021.

Contract Fulfillment Cost

The Company recognizes related costs of the contract over time in relation to the revenue recognition. Costs included within the projects relate to the cost of material, direct labor and costs of outside services utilized to complete projects. These are presented as “Contract assets” in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are uncollateralized customer obligations due under normal trade terms. The Company records allowances for doubtful accounts based on customer-specific analysis and general matters such as current assessment of past due balances and economic conditions. The Company writes off accounts receivable when they become uncollectible. Management identifies a delinquent customer based upon the delinquent payment status of an outstanding invoice, generally greater than 30 days past due date. The delinquent account designation does not trigger an accounting transaction until such time the account is deemed uncollectible. The allowance for doubtful accounts is determined by examining the reserve history and any outstanding invoices that are over 30 days past due as of the end of the reporting period. Accounts are deemed uncollectible on a case-by-case basis, at management’s discretion based upon an examination of the communication with the delinquent customer and payment history. Typically, accounts are only escalated to “uncollectible” status after multiple attempts at collection have proven unsuccessful.

Inventory Obsolescence

Inventories consist of thermostats, sensors and controllers for Telkonet’s product platforms. These inventories are purchased for resale and do not include manufacturing labor and overhead. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value determined by the first in, first out (FIFO) method. The Company’s inventories are subject to technological obsolescence. Management evaluates the net realizable value of its inventories on a quarterly basis and when it is determined that the Company’s carrying cost of such excess and obsolete inventories cannot be recovered in full, a charge is taken against income for the difference between the carrying cost and the estimated realizable amount.

Guarantees and Product Warranties

The Company records a liability for potential warranty claims. The amount of the liability is based on the trend in the historical ratio of claims to sales. The products sold are generally covered by a warranty for a period of one year. In the event the Company determines that its current or future product repair and replacement costs exceed its estimates, an adjustment to these reserves would be charged to earnings in the period such determination is made. During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company experienced approximately between 1% and 3% of returns related to product warranties. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company recorded warranty liabilities in the amount of $45,328 and $58,791, respectively, using this experience factor range.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740-10. Under this method, deferred income taxes (when required) are provided based on the difference between the financial reporting and income tax bases of assets and liabilities and net operating losses at the statutory rates enacted for future periods. The Company has a policy of establishing a valuation allowance when it is more likely than not that the Company will not realize the benefits of its deferred income tax assets in the future.

Stock Based Compensation

We account for our stock based awards in accordance with ASC 718, which requires a fair value measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to our employees and directors, including employee stock options and restricted stock awards.

We estimate the fair value of stock options granted using the Black-Scholes valuation model. This model requires us to make estimates and assumptions including, among other things, estimates regarding the length of time an employee will retain vested stock options before exercising them and the estimated volatility of our common stock price. The fair value is then amortized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods of the awards, which is generally the vesting period. Changes in these estimates and assumptions can materially affect the determination of the fair value of stock-based compensation and consequently, the related amount recognized in our consolidated statements of operations.

Recovery of Long -Lived Assets

We review long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable in accordance with ASC 360-10. Recoverability is measured by comparison of the carrying amount to the future net undiscounted cash flows which the assets are expected to generate. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds its fair value.

Sales Tax

Unless provided with a resale or tax exemption certificate, the Company assesses and collects sales tax on sales transactions and records the amount as a liability. It is recognized as a liability until remitted to the applicable state. Total revenues do not include sales tax as the Company is considered a pass through conduit for collecting and remitting sales taxes.

Results of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019

The Company’s operations and financial results have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As further discussed below, the Company’s sales and gross profits have decreased significantly resulting from a contraction in commercial demand for our products, a lower revenue conversion rate in our existing pipeline and significant one-off transactions from customers in 2019 were not repeated in 2020. Further, significant uncertainty remains regarding the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – both in terms of the health and economic aspects – and the timing of any recovery in markets such as hospitality, our largest market that generally accounts for a majority of our revenue.

Revenues

The table below outlines our product versus recurring revenues from operations for comparable periods:

Product Revenue

Product revenue principally arises from the sale and installation of energy management platforms. The suite of products consists of thermostats, sensors, controllers, wireless networking products, switches, outlets and a control platform.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, product revenues decreased by 49% or $5.47 million when compared to the prior year due to year-over-year volume declines, which were partially offset by certain portfolio pricing increases that were implemented prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the decreases were primarily attributable to lower volume generated from value-added resellers and distribution partners. Product revenues derived from value-added resellers and distribution partners were $4.51 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, a decrease of 47% compared to the prior year period.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, all major industry sectors decreased when compared to the prior year period. Hospitality revenues decreased $3.63 million to $4.94 million, government revenues decreased $0.82 million to $0.21 million, education revenues decreased $0.60 million to $0.44 million and MDU revenues decreased $0.42 million to $0.14 million. For the year ended December 31, 2020, international revenues decreased $1.16 million to $0.76 million when compared to the prior year period. The decrease in international revenues was primarily driven by non-repeatable revenues from three customers in 2019 and limited international revenues in 2020.

Backlogs were approximately $2.64 million and $2.71 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Recurring Revenue

Recurring revenue is attributed to our call center support services. The Company recognizes revenue ratably over the service period for monthly support revenues and defers revenue for annual support services over the term of the service period. Recurring revenue consists of Telkonet’s EcoCare service and support program.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, recurring revenue decreased by 2% when compared to the prior year period. The decrease was related to decreased unit sales of call center support services.

Cost of Sales

The tables below outline product versus recurring cost of sales, along with respective amounts of those costs as a percentage of revenue for the comparable periods:

Costs of Product Revenue

Costs of product revenue include materials and installation labor related to Telkonet’s platform technology. For the year ended December 31, 2020, product costs decreased 47% compared to the prior year period based upon lower revenues. The variance was primarily attributable to decreases in material costs of $2.00 million, logistical expenses of $0.30 million, inclusive of import tariffs, the use of installation subcontractors of $0.63 million and salary expense of $0.10 million. Material costs as a percentage of product revenues were 39%, a decrease of 2%, compared to the prior year period.

Costs of Recurring Revenue

Recurring revenue costs are comprised primarily of call center support labor. For the year ended December 31, 2020, recurring revenue costs decreased by 73% when compared to the prior year period. The variance was primarily due to decreases in call center staffing as the Company migrated to a combination of internal and external solutions.

Gross Profit

The tables below outline product versus recurring gross profit, along with respective actual gross profit percentages for the comparable periods:

Gross Profit on Product Revenue

Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased 51% when compared to the prior year period, while the actual gross profit percentage decreased 1% to 39%. The decrease in gross profit was primarily attributable to a decline in revenues of $5.47 million partially offset by decreases in material costs of $2.00 million, logistical expenses of $0.30 million, inclusive of import tariffs, the use of installation subcontractors of $0.63 million and salary expense of $0.10 million. Tariffs imposed on Chinese imports resulted in an adverse impact of approximately 7% on the actual gross profit percentage for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to approximately 6% for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Gross Profit on Recurring Revenue

Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased 43% when compared to the prior year period. The increase was primarily due to decreases in call center staffing as the Company migrated to a combination of internal and external solutions decreased call center staffing.

Operating Expenses

The tables below outline operating expenses for the comparable periods, along with percentage change:

The Company’s operating expenses are comprised of research and development, selling, general and administrative expenses and depreciation and amortization expense. During the year ended December 31, 2020, operating expenses decreased by 14% when compared to the prior year as outlined below.

Research and Development

Research and development costs are related to both present and future products and are expensed in the period incurred. Current research and development costs are associated with product development and integration. For the year ended December 31, 2020, research and development costs decreased by 32% when compared to the prior year period. The variance is primarily attributable to decreases in expenses incurred with third-party consultants of $0.41 million, certification expenses of $0.04 million and salary expense of $0.07 million.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

For the year ended December 31, 2020, selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by 8% compared to the prior year period. The variance is primarily attributable to decreases in trade shows of $0.25 million, audit fees of $0.09 million, marketing and advertising expenses of $0.11 million, salary and recruitment of $0.48 million, 401k employer match of $0.07 million and sales commissions of $0.18 million, partially offset by a $0.63 million increase in royalty fees, a $0.16 million increase in legal expenses and an $0.09 million increase in temporary staffing.

The $0.63 million in royalty fees was comprised of (a) a $0.60 million expense recorded in the third quarter of 2020 when the Company recorded an accrued liability of $0.60 million ($0.10 million as a current accrued liability and $0.50 as a long-term accrued liability) based on the Company’s best estimate of costs related to the settlement of the Sipco Lawsuit, and (b) a $0.03 million expense recorded in the fourth quarter of 2020 related to actual royalty payments made during the quarter. The quarterly payments through December 31, 2021 are variable based on a percentage of the Company and its affiliates’ sales of applicable products. Based on the Company and its affiliates’ applicable sales in the three months ended September 30, 2020 and the three months ended December 31, 2020, the royalty fee was approximately $0.06 for the third quarter of 2020 and approximately $0.03 million for the fourth quarter of 2020. Beginning on January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024, the quarterly payments are the greater of a percentage of sales of applicable products or the minimum dollar amount specified in the License Agreement. The amount recorded as an accrued liability on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet is based on the contractual minimum dollar amounts. See Note M – Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for summary of the terms of the License Agreement, including future payment obligations. There were no royalty fees in the year ended December 31, 2019.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Management believes that certain non-GAAP financial measures may be useful to investors in certain instances to provide additional meaningful comparisons between current results and results in prior operating periods. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and stock-based compensation (“Adjusted EBITDA”) is a metric used by management and frequently used by the financial community. Adjusted EBITDA provides insight into an organization’s operating trends and facilitates comparisons between peer companies, since interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and stock-based compensation can differ greatly between organizations as a result of differing capital structures and tax strategies. Adjusted EBITDA is one of the measures used for determining our debt covenant compliance. Adjusted EBITDA excludes certain items that are unusual in nature or not comparable from period to period. While management believes that non-GAAP measurements are useful supplemental information, such adjusted results are not intended to replace our GAAP financial results. Adjusted EBITDA is not, and should not be considered, an alternative to net income (loss), operating income (loss), or any other measure for determining operating performance or liquidity, as determined under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP). In assessing the overall health of its business for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company excluded items in the following general categories described below:

RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS

TO ADJUSTED EBITDA

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31,

Liquidity and Capital Resources

For the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company reported a net loss of $3,149,852 and had cash used in operating activities of $844,794, and ended the year with an accumulated deficit of $128,255,391 and total current assets in excess of current liabilities of $1,701,684. At December 31, 2020, the Company had $3,011,811 of cash and approximately $442,000 of availability on its Credit Facility. The Credit Facility is a $2,000,000 line of credit, which is subject to a borrowing base calculation based on the Company’s eligible accounts receivable and eligible inventory, each multiplied by an applicable advance rate, with an overall limitation tied to the Company’s eligible accounts receivable as well as financial covenants including a requirement to maintain a minimum unrestricted cash balance of $2,000,000. As of December 31, 2020, we had a total borrowing base of approximately $759,000, an outstanding balance of $267,289, and a cash management services reserve of $50,000, resulting in the availability of approximately $442,000 on the Credit Facility.

Since inception through December 31, 2020, we have incurred cumulative losses of $128,255,391 and have never generated enough cash through operations to support our business. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we had a cash flow deficit from operations of $844,794. The Company has made significant investments in the engineering, development and marketing of its intelligent automation platforms, including but not limited to, hardware and software enhancements, support services and applications. The funding for these development efforts has contributed to, and continues to contribute to, the ongoing operating losses and use of cash. Operating losses have been financed by debt and equity transactions, Credit Facility capacity, the sale of a wholly-owned subsidiary, and the management of working capital levels. The report from our independent registered public accounting firm on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 and the report from our former independent registered public accounting firm on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 each state that there is a substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon generating profitable operations in the future and obtaining the necessary financing to meet its obligations and repay its liabilities arising from normal business operations when they come due.

The Company’s operations and financial results have also been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the health and economic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic are highly fluid and the future course of each is uncertain. We cannot predict whether the outbreak of COVID-19 will be effectively contained on a sustained basis. Depending on the length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for our products, our customers’ ability to meet payment obligations to the Company, our supply chain and production capabilities, and our workforces’ ability to deliver our products and services could be impacted. Management is actively monitoring the impact of the global situation on the Company’s financial condition, liquidity, operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce. While we expect this disruption to continue to have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition cash flows, and liquidity, the Company is unable to reasonably determine the full extent of the impact at this time.

The Company’s sales and gross profits have decreased significantly resulting from a contraction in commercial demand for our products, a lower revenue conversion rate in our existing pipeline and significant one-off transactions from customers in 2019 were not repeated in 2020. Due to travel restrictions, social distancing and shelter at home edicts, the hospitality industry, our largest market that generally accounts for a majority of our revenue, has suffered as much as any. Rising cases of COVID-19 in certain areas, the emergence of new virus strains and a slow vaccine rollout have resulted in the reinstatement of restrictive social-distancing regulations that limit both group and individual travel. Business travel, which comprises the largest source of hotel revenue, remains nearly nonexistent. Although a slow return is expected in the second half of 2021, business travel is not expected to return to 2019 levels until at least 2023.¹¹ According to an STR forecast, until group, business and international demand returns, U.S. hotel occupancy rates will not exceed 50% in 2021. Moreover, full recovery of revenue per available room (RevPAR) is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels until the end of 2024.¹²

In addition, on November 30, 2020, the Company entered into the License Agreement with Sipco and IPCO, LLC dba Intus^IQ in order to settle a patent infringement lawsuit without the expense of costly litigation. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had a current liability of approximately $28,000 included in accounts payable and a non-current liability of $500,000 included in accrued royalties – long-term recorded on its Consolidated Balance Sheet. The corresponding expense was recorded in the selling, general and administrative line of the Consolidated Statement of Operations. The payment of the royalty fees is expected to have a material and adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations and liquidity. See Note M – Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the patent infringement lawsuit and the License Agreement.

________________________

¹¹ Fox, Jena Tesse. “AHLA report ties recovery to optimistic leisure travelers.” Hotel Management January/February 2021: 10.

¹² Fox, Jena Tesse. “STR, HVS chart “slow climb’ to full hotel industry recovery.” Hotel Management December 2020: 6.

The Company has taken, and is continuing to take, a number of actions to preserve cash. These actions include suspending the use of engineering consultants and cancelling all non-essential travel and the Company’s attendance at tradeshows (implemented prior to applicable government stay-at-home orders being put in place). In early April of 2020, management made the decision to furlough certain employees, instituted pay cuts for certain other employees and suspended the Company’s 401(k) match through the end of 2020. With the receipt of the PPP Loan (discussed below), the Company was able to bring back the furloughed employees, restore payroll to prior levels and delay suspension of the 401(k) match. However, the pandemic continued to impact the Company’s operations and financial results, and consequently, in late June of 2020 management once again made the decision to furlough certain employees, instituted pay cuts for certain other employees and suspended the Company’s 401(k) match through the end of 2021. The furloughs and pay cuts continued through September 2020, at which time management determined it was necessary to discontinue the furloughs and pay cuts in order to retain necessary personnel for the Company’s ongoing operations.

The more recent actions described above are in addition to the cost elimination and liquidity management actions that the Company began implementing in the second half of 2019, including reviewing opportunities to decrease spend with third party consultants and providers, strategically reviewing whether or not to fill employee positions in the event of vacancies, and implementing sales campaigns to sell slow-moving inventory and reduce existing inventory volumes. There is no guarantee, however, that these actions, nor any other actions identified, will yield profitable operations in the foreseeable future.

In addition to the actions noted above, on April 21, 2020, the Company entered into an unsecured promissory note, dated April 17, 2020 (“the PPP Loan”), with Heritage Bank, a California state chartered bank (“Heritage Bank”) for a $913,063 loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). In January 2021, the Company applied for forgiveness of the amount due on the PPP Loan. On February 16, 2021, the outstanding principal and interest accrued on the PPP Loan was fully forgiven. See Note G – Debt in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a summary of the terms of the PPP Loan.

The Company also has a $2 million revolving credit facility with Heritage Bank (the “Credit Facility”), which is secured by all of the Company’s assets. The Company is currently in compliance with the financial covenants in the loan agreement for the Credit Facility.  However, based on the Company’s current level of operations and forecasted cash flow analysis for the twelve-month period subsequent to the date of this filing, without further cost cutting measures, working capital management, and/or enhanced revenues, the Company believes it is reasonably likely that it will breach the covenant to maintain a minimum unrestricted cash balance of $2 million at some time during 2021, potentially as early as the second quarter of 2021.  Violation of any covenant under the Credit Facility provides Heritage Bank with the option to accelerate repayment of amounts borrowed, terminate its commitment to extend further credit, and foreclose on the Company’s assets. As of December 31, 2020, the outstanding balance on the Credit Facility was $267,289 with a maturity date of September 30, 2021.

The Company has had discussions the possibility of a waiver or a change to the financial covenant with Heritage Bank. Any covenant waiver or amendment could lead to increased costs, increased interest rates, additional restrictive covenants, a decrease in the size of the credit facility, and other lender protections. There is no assurance, however, that the Company will be able to obtain a covenant waiver or amendment, in which case Heritage Bank could immediately declare all amounts due under the Credit Facility, terminate the Credit Facility, and foreclose on the Company’s assets. Currently, the Company has sufficient cash balances to pay the amounts due under the Credit Facility. However, depending on the timing of a default and the Company’s ongoing use of cash reserves and the Credit Facility to finance its near-term working capital needs, there is no assurance that at the time of a default that the Company would have sufficient cash balances to pay the amounts due at such time. The Company may also seek additional financing from alternative sources, but there is no assurance that such financing will be available at commercially reasonable terms, if at all.

The Company currently expects to draw on its cash reserves and utilize the Credit Facility to finance its near-term working capital needs. It expects to continue to incur operating losses and negative operating cash flows for at least one year beyond the date of these financial statements. The Credit Facility provides the Company with needed liquidity to assist in meeting its obligations. However, as discussed above, without further cost cutting measures, working capital management, and/or enhanced revenues, the Company believes it is reasonably likely that it will breach a financial covenant under the Credit Facility at some time during 2021, in which case, without a waiver or amendment, the Credit Facility could be terminated, and without additional financing, the Company may be unable to meet its obligations or fund its operations within the next twelve months. The Company’s Board also continues to consider strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, including but not limited to, a sale of the Company, an investment in the Company, a merger or other business combination, a sale of all or substantially all assets or a strategic joint venture. However, these actions are not solely within the control of the Company.

If cash resources become insufficient to meet the Company’s ongoing obligations, the Company may be required to scale back or discontinue portions of its operations or discontinue operations entirely, pursue a sale of the Company or its assets at a price that may result in a significant or complete loss on investment for its shareholders, file for bankruptcy or seek other protection from creditors, or liquidate all its assets. In addition, if the Company defaults under the Credit Facility and is unable to pay the outstanding balance, Heritage Bank could foreclose on the Company’s assets. The Company’s shareholders may lose some or all of their investment as a result of any of these outcomes. Accordingly, and in light of the Company’s historic losses and potential inability to access sources of liquidity to continue its operations, there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. There was also substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Revolving Credit Facility

On September 30, 2014, the Company entered into a loan and security agreement (the “Heritage Bank Loan Agreement”) with Heritage Bank of Commerce, a California state chartered bank (“Heritage Bank”), governing a revolving credit facility in a principal amount not to exceed $2,000,000 (the “Credit Facility”). Availability of borrowings under the Credit Facility is subject to a borrowing base calculation based on the Company’s eligible accounts receivable and eligible inventory each multiplied by an applicable advance rate, with an overall limitation tied to the Company’s eligible accounts receivable. The Credit Facility is secured by all of the Company’s assets. The Credit Facility is available for working capital and other general business purposes.

The outstanding principal balance of the Credit Facility bears interest at the Prime Rate plus 3.00%, which was 6.25% at December 31, 2020 and 7.75% at December 31, 2019. On October 9, 2014, as part of the Heritage Bank Loan Agreement, Heritage Bank was granted a warrant to purchase 250,000 shares of Telkonet common stock. The warrant has an exercise price of $0.20 and expires October 9, 2021. On November 6, 2019, the eleventh amendment to the Credit Facility was executed to extend the maturity date to September 30, 2021, unless earlier accelerated under the terms of the Heritage Bank Loan Agreement, and eliminate the maximum EBITDA loss covenant. The eleventh amendment was effective as of September 30, 2019.

The Heritage Bank Loan Agreement contains covenants that place restrictions on, among other things, the incurrence of debt, granting of liens and sale of assets. The Heritage Bank Loan Agreement also contains financial covenants. As discussed above, the EBITDA loss covenant was eliminated in the eleventh amendment to the Credit Facility. The sole remaining financial covenants are a minimum asset coverage ratio and a minimum unrestricted cash balance of $2 million, both of which are measured at the end of each month. A violation of either of these covenants could result in an event of default under the Heritage Bank Loan Agreement. Upon the occurrence of such an event of default or certain other customary events of defaults, payment of any outstanding amounts under the Credit Facility may be accelerated and Heritage Bank’s commitment to extend credit under the Heritage Bank Loan Agreement may be terminated. The Heritage Bank Loan Agreement contains other representations and warranties, covenants, and other provisions customary to transactions of this nature.

The outstanding balance on the Credit Facility was $267,289 and $624,347 at December 31, 2020 and 2019 and the remaining available borrowing capacity was approximately $442,000 and $424,000, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants.

See the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section above for a discussion of a potential default under the Credit Facility.

Paycheck Protection Program

On April 21, 2020, the Company entered into an unsecured promissory note, dated as of April 17, 2020 (“the PPP Loan”), with Heritage Bank under the PPP administered by the United States SBA and authorized by the Keeping American Workers Employed and Paid Act, which is part of the CARES Act, enacted on March 27, 2020. The principal amount of the PPP Loan was $913,063 and it accrued interest at a rate of 1.0% per annum and had a maturity date of April 21, 2022. The outstanding balance was $913,063 at December 31, 2020. In January 2021, the Company applied for forgiveness of the amount due on the PPP Loan. On February 16, 2021, the outstanding principal and interest accrued on the PPP Loan was fully forgiven. See Note G – Debt in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a summary of the terms of the PPP Loan.

Cash Flow from Operations Analysis

Cash used in operating activities of operations was $844,794 and $1,875,846 during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, our primary capital needs included costs incurred to increase energy management sales, inventory procurement, and managing current liabilities. The working capital changes during the year ended December 31, 2020 were primarily related to an approximate $1,418,000 decrease in net accounts receivable, a $235,000 increase in current contract liabilities, partially offset by an approximate $223,000 decrease in accounts payable. The primary working capital change during the year ended December 31, 2019 were primarily related to an approximate $1,202,000 increase in net accounts receivable, a $417,000 decrease in current contract liabilities, partially offset by an approximate $857,000 increase in accounts payable, a $418,000 decrease in net inventory, and a $326,000 decrease in prepaid expenses. Accounts receivable fluctuates based on the negotiated billing terms with customers and collections. We purchase inventory based on forecasts and orders, and when those forecasts and orders change, the amount of inventory may also fluctuate. Accounts payable fluctuates with changes in inventory levels, volume of inventory purchases, and negotiated supplier and vendor terms.

There was no cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2020. Cash used in investing activities was $5,318 to purchase computer equipment during the year ended December 31, 2019. 

Cash provided by financing activities was $556,005 and $502,873 during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Proceeds from the PPP loan were $913,063, proceeds borrowed from the line of credit were $5,835,000 and cash used for payments on the line of credit were $6,192,058 during the year ended December 31, 2020. Proceeds borrowed from the line of credit were $11,739,000 and cash used for payments on the line of credit were $11,236,127 during the year ended December 31, 2019.

See the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section above for a discussion of a potential default under the Credit Facility.

Inflation

We do not believe that inflation has had a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. If our costs were to become subject to significant inflationary pressures, we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs through price increases. Our inability or failure to do so could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company has no material off-balance sheet arrangements.

New Accounting Pronouncements

See Note B – New Accounting Pronouncements in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 15 of Part IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of new accounting pronouncements.

ITEM 7A.  QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

This item is not applicable.

ITEM 8.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

See the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto commencing on Page F-1.

ITEM 9.  CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.

This item is not applicable.

ITEM 9A.  CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that material information required to be disclosed in our periodic reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer each evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of December 31, 2020. Based on these evaluations, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures required by paragraph (b) of Rule 13a-15 and 15d-15 were not effective as of December 31, 2020 as a result of the material weaknesses discussed below.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurances regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the financial statements of the Company in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

With the participation of our Chief Executive Officer, our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020 based on the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Based on our evaluation and the material weaknesses described below, management concluded that the Company did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020 based on the COSO framework criteria.

Management did not properly design or maintain effective controls over certain aspects of the control environment and monitoring components of COSO. We did not have a sufficient complement of accounting and financial personnel with an appropriate level of knowledge to address technical accounting and financial reporting matters in accordance with GAAP and the Company’s overall financial reporting requirements. We also lack sufficient information technology resources to address our IT general control environment requirements. The failures within the control environment and monitoring components contributed to the following control activity level material weaknesses:

These control deficiencies could result in a misstatement of account balances resulting in a more than remote likelihood that a material misstatement to our financial statements may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Accordingly, we have determined that these control deficiencies as described above constitute material weaknesses.

As we continue to evaluate and work to improve our internal controls over financial reporting, our senior management may determine to take additional measures to address deficiencies or modify the remediation efforts. Until the remediation efforts that our senior management may identify as necessary, are completed, tested and determined effective, the material weaknesses described above will continue to exist. At present, the Company does not expect to hire additional personnel to remediate these control deficiencies in the near future.

In light of these material weaknesses, we performed additional analyses and procedures in order to conclude that our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2020 included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K were fairly stated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Notwithstanding the identified material weaknesses, our management has concluded that the audited financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 fairly state, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations, cash flows, and changes in stockholders’ equity as of and for the periods presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Under applicable Securities Law, the Company is not required to obtain an attestation report from the Company's independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting, and accordingly, such an attestation has not been obtained or included in this Annual Report.

Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm

Not applicable.

Changes in Internal Controls

Other than the material weaknesses discussed above, during the year ended December 31, 2020, there have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal controls over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B.  OTHER INFORMATION.

None.

PART III

ITEM 10.  DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.

Pursuant to General Instruction G(3), information on directors and executive officers of the Registrant and corporate governance matters is incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A in connection with our 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed within 120 days after December 31, 2020 (the “2021 Proxy Statement”).

Code of Ethics

The Board has approved, and Telkonet has adopted, a Code of Ethics that applies to all directors, officers and employees of the Company. A copy of the Company’s Code of Ethics was filed as Exhibit 14 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2003 (filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2004). In addition, the Company will provide a copy of its Code of Ethics free of charge upon request to any person submitting a written request to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.

ITEM 11.  EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.

Pursuant to General Instruction G(3), information on executive compensation is incorporated by reference from the Company’s 2021 Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2020.

ITEM 12.  SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.

Pursuant to General Instructions G(3), information on security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management and related stockholder matters are incorporated by reference from the Company’s 2021 Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2020.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

The following table provides information concerning securities authorized for issuance pursuant to equity compensation plans approved by the Company’s stockholders and equity compensation plans not approved by the Company’s stockholders as of December 31, 2020.

ITEM 13.  CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.

Pursuant to General Instruction G(3), information on certain relationships and related transactions and director independence is incorporated by reference from the Company’s 2021 Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2020.

ITEM 14.  PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.

Pursuant to General Instruction G(3), information on principal accounting fees and services is incorporated by reference from the Company’s 2021 Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31.

PART IV

ITEM 15.  EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.

EXHIBIT INDEX

The following exhibits are included herein or incorporated by reference:

ITEM 16.  FORM 10-K SUMMARY.

None.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

TELKONET, INC.

Index to Financial Statements

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors

Telkonet, Inc.

Waukesha, Wisconsin

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Telkonet, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material aspects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2020 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2020, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Going Concern Uncertainty

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note A to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has suffered operating losses, has negative operating cash flows and is dependent upon its ability to generate profitable operations in the future and obtaining the necessary financing to meet its obligations and repay its liabilities arising from normal business operations when they come due. These conditions raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and the significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of this critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Critical Audit Matter Description

Revenue recognition on turnkey customer contracts ongoing at year-end

As described in Note A to the financial statements, revenue from customer contracts which encompass both product and installation services are referred to as “turnkey solutions” and contain a single performance obligation. Revenue from turnkey contracts are recognized over time using an output measure based on the number of rooms installed. We identified revenue recognition on turnkey contracts ongoing at year-end as a critical audit matter because of the estimates used by management to measure progress and the impact these estimates have on revenue recognition.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

Our audit procedures related to evaluating the estimates used by management in the determination of the accounting for turnkey contracts ongoing at year-end included the following, among others:

We selected a sample of turnkey contracts ongoing at year-end and evaluated management’s calculation of revenue recognized over time by performing the following procedures:

/s/ Wipfli LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

March 31, 2021

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Shareholders and Board of Directors

Telkonet, Inc.

Waukesha, Wisconsin

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Telkonet, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2019, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Going Concern Uncertainty

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note A to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has suffered operating losses, has negative operating cash flows and is dependent upon its ability to generate profitable operations in the future and/or obtain additional financing to meet its obligations and repay its liabilities arising from normal business operations when they come due. In addition, as more fully described in Note A, the Company has been materially impacted by the outbreak of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. These conditions raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note A. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ BDO USA, LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor from 2013 to 2020.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

March 30, 2020

TELKONET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

DECEMBER 31, 2020 AND 2019

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

TELKONET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2020 AND 2019

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

TELKONET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

JANUARY 1, 2019 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2019

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

TELKONET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

JANUARY 1, 2020 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements

TELKONET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2020 AND 2019

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

TELKONET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Continued)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2020 AND 2019

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

TELKONET, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2020 AND 2019

NOTE A – BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

A summary of the significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements follows.

Business and Basis of Presentation

Telkonet, Inc. (the “Company”, “Telkonet”), formed in 1999 and incorporated under the laws of the state of Utah, is the creator of the EcoSmart and the Rhapsody Platforms of intelligent automation solutions designed to optimize energy efficiency, comfort and analytics in support of the emerging Internet of Things (“IoT”).

In 2007, the Company acquired substantially all of the assets of Smart Systems International (“SSI”), which was a provider of energy management products and solutions to customers in the United States and Canada and the precursor to the Company’s EcoSmart platform. In 2020, the Company launched the Rhapsody Platform, which simplifies the installation and setup of the Company’s newest products and integrations. Both platforms provide comprehensive savings, management reporting, analytics and virtual engineering of a customer’s portfolio and/or property’s room-by-room energy consumption. Telkonet has deployed more than a half million intelligent devices worldwide in properties within the hospitality, educational, governmental and other commercial markets. The platforms are recognized as a solution for reducing energy consumption, operational costs and carbon footprints, and eliminating the need for new energy generation in these marketplaces – all whilst improving occupant comfort and convenience.

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Telkonet Communications, Inc., operating as a single reportable business segment.

Going Concern and Management’s Plan

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which assumes the Company will be able to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business for the foreseeable future and, thus, do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of assets and liabilities that may be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern.

Since inception through December 31, 2020, we have incurred cumulative losses of $128,255,391 and have never generated enough funds through operations to support our business. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company had a cash flow deficit from operations of $844,794. The Company has made significant investments in the engineering, development and marketing of its intelligent automation platforms, including but not limited to, hardware and software enhancements, support services and applications. The funding for these development efforts has contributed to, and continues to contribute to, the ongoing operating losses and use of cash. Operating losses have been financed by debt and equity transactions, Credit Facility capacity, the sale of a wholly-owned subsidiary, and management of working capital levels. The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon generating profitable operations in the future and obtaining the necessary financing to meet its obligations and repay its liabilities arising from normal business operations when they come due.

The Company’s operations and financial results have also been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the health and economic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic are highly fluid and the future course of each is uncertain. We cannot predict whether the outbreak of COVID-19 will be effectively contained on a sustained basis. Depending on the length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for our products, our customers’ ability to meet payment obligations to the Company, our supply chain and production capabilities, and our workforces’ ability to deliver our products and services could be impacted. Management is actively monitoring the impact of the global situation on the Company’s financial condition, liquidity, operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce. While we expect this disruption to continue to have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition cash flows, and liquidity, the Company is unable to reasonably determine the full extent of the impact at this time.

The Company’s sales and gross profits have decreased significantly resulting from a contraction in commercial demand for our products, a lower revenue conversion rate in our existing pipeline and significant one-off transactions from customers in 2019 that were not repeated in 2020.

Due to travel restrictions, social distancing and shelter at home edicts, the hospitality industry, our largest market that generally accounts for a majority of our revenue, has suffered as much as any. Rising cases of COVID-19 in certain areas, the emergence of new virus strains and a slow vaccine rollout have resulted in the reinstatement of restrictive social-distancing regulations that limit both group and individual travel. Business travel, which comprises the largest source of hotel revenue, remains nearly nonexistent. Although a slow return is expected in the second half of 2021, business travel is not expected to return to 2019 levels until at least 2023.¹³ According to an STR forecast, until group, business and international demand returns, U.S. hotel occupancy rates will not exceed 50% in 2021. Moreover, full recovery of revenue per available room (RevPAR) is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels until the end of 2024.¹⁴

In addition, on November 30, 2020, the Company entered into the License Agreement with Sipco and IPCO, LLC dba Intus^IQ in order to settle a patent infringement lawsuit without the expense of costly litigation. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had a current liability of approximately $28,000 included in accounts payable and a non-current liability of $500,000 included in accrued royalties – long-term recorded on its Consolidated Balance Sheet. The corresponding expense was recorded in the selling, general and administrative line of the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The payment of the royalty fees is expected to have a material and adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations and liquidity. See Note M – Commitments and Contingencies for a discussion of the patent infringement lawsuit and the License Agreement.

The Company continues to take, a number of actions to preserve cash. These actions include suspending the use of engineering consultants and cancelling all non-essential travel and the Company’s attendance at tradeshows (implemented prior to applicable government stay-at-home orders being put in place). In early April of 2020, management made the decision to furlough certain employees, instituted pay cuts for certain other employees and suspended the Company’s 401(k) match through the end of 2020. With the receipt of a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) (discussed below), the Company was able to bring back the furloughed employees, restore payroll to prior levels and delay suspension of the 401(k) match. However, the pandemic continued to impact the Company’s operations and financial results, and consequently, in late June of 2020 management once again made the decision to furlough certain employees, instituted pay cuts for certain other employees and suspended the Company’s 401(k) match through the end of 2020. The furloughs and pay cuts continued through September 2020, at which time management determined it was necessary to discontinue the furloughs and pay cuts in order to retain necessary personnel for the Company’s ongoing operations.

The more recent actions described above are in addition to the cost elimination and liquidity management actions that the Company began implementing in the second half of 2019, including reviewing opportunities to decrease spend with third party consultants and providers, strategically reviewing whether or not to fill employee positions in the event of vacancies, and implementing sales campaigns to sell slow-moving inventory and reduce existing inventory volumes. There is no guarantee, however, that these actions, nor any other actions identified, will yield profitable operations in the foreseeable future.

In addition to the actions noted above, on April 21, 2020, the Company entered into an unsecured promissory note, dated April 17, 2020 (“the PPP Loan”), with Heritage Bank of Commerce, a California state chartered bank (“Heritage Bank”) for a $913,063 loan under the PPP. In January 2021, the Company applied for forgiveness of the amount due on the PPP Loan. On February 16, 2021, the outstanding principal and interest accrued on the PPP Loan was fully forgiven. See Note G – Debt for a summary of the terms of the PPP and the PPP Loan.

The Company also has a $2 million revolving credit facility with Heritage Bank (the “Credit Facility”), which is secured by all of the Company’s assets. The Company is currently in compliance with the financial covenants in the loan agreement for the Credit Facility. However, based on the Company’s current level of operations and forecasted cash flow analysis for the twelve-month period subsequent to the date of this filing, without further cost cutting measures, working capital management, and/or enhanced revenues, the Company believes it is reasonably likely that it will breach the covenant to maintain a minimum unrestricted cash balance of $2 million at some time during 2021.  Violation of any covenant under the Credit Facility provides Heritage Bank with the option to accelerate repayment of amounts borrowed, terminate its commitment to extend further credit, and foreclose on the Company’s assets. As of December 31, 2020, the outstanding balance on the Credit Facility was $267,289 and the PPP Loan had a balance of $913,063 with a maturity date of September 30, 2021.

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¹³ Fox, Jena Tesse. “AHLA report ties recovery to optimistic leisure travelers.” Hotel Management January/February 2021: 10.

¹⁴ Fox, Jena Tesse. “STR, HVS chart “slow climb’ to full hotel industry recovery.” Hotel Management December 2020: 6.

The Company plans to discuss the possibility of a waiver or a change to the financial covenant with Heritage Bank in the near term. Any covenant waiver or amendment could lead to increased costs, increased interest rates, additional restrictive covenants, and other lender protections. There is no assurance, however, that the Company will be able to obtain a covenant waiver or amendment, in which case Heritage Bank could immediately declare all amounts due under both the Credit Facility, terminate the Credit Facility, and foreclose on the Company’s assets. Currently, the Company has sufficient cash balances to pay the amounts due under the Credit Facility. However, depending on the timing of a default and the Company’s ongoing use of cash reserves and the Credit Facility to finance its near-term working capital needs, there is no assurance that at the time of a default that the Company would have sufficient cash balances to pay the amounts due at such time. The Company may also seek additional financing from alternative sources, but there is no assurance that such financing will be available at commercially reasonable terms, if at all.

The Company currently expects to draw on its cash reserves and utilize the Credit Facility to finance its near-term working capital needs. It expects to continue to incur operating losses and negative operating cash flows for at least one year beyond the date of these financial statements. The Credit Facility provides the Company with needed liquidity to assist in meeting its obligations. However, as discussed above, without further cost cutting measures, working capital management, and/or enhanced revenues, the Company believes it is reasonably likely that it will breach a financial covenant under the Credit Facility at some time during 2021, in which case, without a waiver or amendment, the Credit Facility could be terminated, and without additional financing, the Company may be unable to meet its obligations or fund its operations within the next twelve months. The Company’s Board also continues to consider strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, including but not limited to, a sale of the Company, an investment in the Company, a merger or other business combination, a sale of all or substantially all assets or a strategic joint venture. However, these actions are not solely within the control of the Company.

If cash resources become insufficient to meet the Company’s ongoing obligations, the Company may be required to scale back or discontinue portions of its operations or discontinue operations entirely, pursue a sale of the Company or its assets at a price that may result in a significant or complete loss on investment for its shareholders, file for bankruptcy or seek other protection from creditors, or liquidate all its assets. In addition, if the Company defaults under the Credit Facility and is unable to pay the outstanding balance, Heritage Bank could foreclose on the Company’s assets. The Company’s shareholders may lose some or all of their investment as a result of any of these outcomes. Accordingly, and in light of the Company’s historic losses and potential inability to access sources of liquidity to continue its operations, there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. There was also substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

Financial instruments and related items, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and trade receivables. The Company places its cash and temporary cash investments with credit quality institutions. At times, such investments may be in excess of the FDIC insurance limit. The Company has never experienced any losses related to these balances. With respect to trade receivables, the Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers’ financial conditions and limits the amount of credit extended when deemed necessary. The Company provides credit to its customers primarily in the United States in the normal course of business. The Company routinely assesses the financial strength of its customers and, as a consequence, believes its trade receivables credit risk exposure is limited.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with an original maturity date of three months or less to be cash equivalents.