TELKONET INC - Annual Report: 2022 (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, 2022

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

For the transition period from __________ to ___________

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. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

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 and non-voting common equity stock held by non-affiliates (based upon the closing sale price of $0.05 per share on the OTCBB) of the registrant as of June 30, 2022: $11,968,491

Number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s par value $0.001 common stock as of March 24, 2023: 299,212,282.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Certain portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement, in connection with its 2023 annual meeting of stockholders, to be filed within 120 days of December 31, 2022, 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.

On August 6, 2021, the Company entered into a stock purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with VDA Group S.p.A., an Italian joint stock company (“VDA”), pursuant to which VDA would, at the Closing (as defined in the Purchase Agreement), contribute $5 million to Telkonet (the “Financing”) and, in exchange, Telkonet would issue to VDA (the “Issuance”): (i) 162,900,947 shares of the Company’s common stock; and (ii) a warrant to purchase 105,380,666 additional shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Warrant”) (the Issuance and the Financing referred to collectively herein as the “VDA Transaction”). The Closing occurred on January 7, 2022.

Following the issuance of 162,900,947 shares of the Company’s common stock to VDA upon the Closing, VDA owns 53% of the issued and outstanding common stock on a fully diluted as exercised/converted basis, resulting in a change of control of the Company. VDA could eventually own as much as 65% of the issued and outstanding common stock on a fully diluted as exercised/converted basis if it fully exercises the Warrant. 

The Company has elected not to apply pushdown accounting adjustments to the Company’s financial statements related to the change in control as allowed by Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-17.

Form 8-K was filed on March 29, 2023, announcing the Company’s intention to voluntarily deregister its common stock from the requirements of Sections 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and suspend its reporting obligations under Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Telkonet intends to file a Form 15 to effect the deregistration and suspension with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) shortly after Telkonet’s filing of its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022, to be filed on or before March 31, 2023 (the “2022 10-K”). The filing of the 2022 10-K will be Telkonet’s final periodic SEC filing. For more details, please see Note P SUBSEQUENT EVENTS.

Recent Developments

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

We believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and any lingering effects of the pandemic may continue to have, an adverse effect on many of our customers and suppliers, which has had an adverse effect on our results of operations and may affect our future results of operations.

We cannot predict the extent to which any lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may affect our future business or operating results, which is highly dependent on inherently uncertain future developments, including the severity of outbreaks of COVID-19, the effects of new variants, the actions taken by governments and private businesses in relation to COVID-19 containment, the availability, deployment and efficacy of vaccines, and the transition from COVID-19 being a pandemic to an endemic illness.

In geographies where we, our customers and our suppliers operate, health concerns and political or governmental developments in response to COVID-19 have resulted in, and could in the future result in, economic, social or labor instability or prolonged contractions in the industries in which our customers operate, slowdowns in our sales process, customers not purchasing at all or at reduced volumes, customers failing to make payments, slowdowns in our product development efforts, or other effects that may have a material adverse effect on our business or our results of operations and financial condition.

Recently, the effects of the pandemic have been most severe in China, where we employ several members of our product development team. Because our platform is offered as a subscription-based service, the effect of the pandemic may not be fully reflected in our operating results until future periods, if at all.

The hospitality industry, our largest market that generally accounts for a majority of our revenue, has suffered as much as any since the onset of the pandemic. While the industry is trending toward recovery, the situation remains fragile. The effects of supply-chain issues, inflation, rising interest rates labor shortages, and subsequent rising wages, all present some level of pandemic uncertainty for the foreseeable future. STR and Tourism Economics reports that the U.S. hotel industry achieved revenue per available room (RevPAR) in 2022 that was above 2019 levels on a nominal basis, but would not be fully recovered (when adjusted for inflation) until 2025¹.

Preservation of Liquidity and Expense Management

The Company is focused on preserving liquidity, managing expenses, and targeted sales and new product growth. The Company has taken, and is continuing to take, a number of actions to preserve cash. These actions include decreasing the use of engineering consultants, exploring cheaper alternatives for our facility leases, cancelling all non-essential travel and limiting the Company’s attendance at trade shows (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. 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 Company’s 401(k) match was reinstated in January 2023.

In addition to the actions noted above, on April 21, 2020, the Company entered into an unsecured promissory note, dated April 17, 2020, with Heritage Bank for a $913,063 loan under the PPP (“the First PPP Loan”). In January 2021, the Company applied for forgiveness of the amount due on the First PPP Loan. On February 16, 2021, the outstanding principal and interest accrued of $7,610 on the First PPP Loan was fully forgiven.

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¹ “STR, TE make modest upgrade to first U.S. hotel forecast of 2023”, STR and Tourism Economics 23 January 2023

On April 27, 2021, the Company entered into a second unsecured promissory note, dated as of April 26, 2021, for a second PPP loan (“the Second PPP Loan” and, together with the PPP Loan, the “PPP Loans”), with Heritage Bank under a second draw of the PPP administered by the SBA and authorized by the Keeping American Workers Employed and Paid Act. In September 2021, the Company applied for forgiveness of the amount due on the Second PPP Loan. On September 15, 2021, Heritage Bank confirmed that the Second PPP Loan granted to the Company, in the original principal amount of $913,063 plus accrued interest of $3,044 thereon, was forgiven in full.

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 Loans.

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.

Markets & Products

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 usage². 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.

EcoSmart Product Suite:

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² Lodging Staff, ‘Here’s Where Hotels Spend the Most on Energy’, Lodging Magazine.com, 2018,

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

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.

Rhapsody Platform

Telkonet launched a new platform in 2020 named Rhapsody. Although the Rhapsody Platform shares many similarities with the 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.³ 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.

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³ https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/commercial-buildings.php

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.

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 FY2017.4 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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⁴ 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 needs⁵. 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 present 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.

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⁵ https://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/publications/pubdocs/Healthcare.pdf

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.

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 year ended December 31, 2022, 81% 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, 2022, two customers represented approximately 20% and 17% of total net revenues, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2021, one customer represented approximately 18% of total net revenues.

Intellectual Property

Telkonet has acquired certain intellectual properties, including but not limited to patent US-10564660-B2 granted 2/18/20 on the water heater energy management controller and a provisional patent US-20200022243-A1 granted 20/1/16 on the lighting dimmer module and method of calibration. While we view these patents 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.

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, 2022, the Company had a current liability of approximately $200,000, of which $60,000 is included in accounts payable and $140,000 in other accrued liabilities (See Note F – Current Accrued Liabilities for further breakdown of accrued liabilities), along with a non-current liability of $220,000 included in accrued royalties – long-term recorded on its Consolidated Balance Sheet. The corresponding expense was recorded in 2020 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 Item IA – Risks Relating to Our Financial Results, given the fact that 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, 2022 and 2021, the Company spent $1,070,473 and $1,129,957, 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 2023 include:

Additional Information

Employees

As of December 31, 2022, we had 29 full-time employees and 1 part-time employee.

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.

Available information

Our internet address is: https://telkonet.com/.

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

We expect to continue to incur operating losses and have negative operating cash flows for the foreseeable future.

Since inception through December 31, 2022, we have incurred cumulative losses of $129,953,413 and have never generated enough funds through operations to support our business. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company had a cash flow deficit from operations of $3,598,322. 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, capacity under the Company’s $1 million revolving credit facility with Heritage Bank of Commerce (“Heritage Bank”), the sale of a wholly-owned subsidiary, and management of working capital levels.

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 475,000,000 shares of common stock under our Amended Restated and Articles of Incorporation. As of March 24, 2023, we have issued 299,212,282 shares of common stock and have approximately 107,907,513 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.

If we fail to remain current on our reporting requirements, we could be removed from the OTCQB, 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 OTCQB that are also 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 OTCQB. If we fail to remain current on our reporting requirements, we could be removed from the OTCQB. 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.

We believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and any lingering effects of the pandemic may continue to have, an adverse effect on many of our customers and suppliers, which has had an adverse effect on our results of operations and may affect our future results of operations.

We cannot predict the extent to which any lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may affect our future business or operating results, which is highly dependent on inherently uncertain future developments, including the severity of outbreaks of COVID-19, the effects of new variants, the actions taken by governments and private businesses in relation to COVID-19 containment, the availability, deployment and efficacy of vaccines, and the transition from COVID-19 being a pandemic to an endemic illness.

In geographies where we, our customers and our suppliers operate, health concerns and political or governmental developments in response to COVID-19 have resulted in, and could in the future result in, economic, social or labor instability or prolonged contractions in the industries in which our customers operate, slowdowns in our sales process, customers not purchasing at all or at reduced volumes, customers failing to make payments, slowdowns in our product development efforts, or other effects that may have a material adverse effect on our business or our results of operations and financial condition.

Recently, the effects of the pandemic have been most severe in China, where we employ several members of our product development team. Because our platform is offered as a subscription-based service, the effect of the pandemic may not be fully reflected in our operating results until future periods, if at all.

Due to travel restrictions and social distancing edicts, the hospitality industry, our largest market that generally accounts for a majority of our revenue, has suffered as much as any. For a more detailed discussion of the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry, see Item 1 – Recent Developments – Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic.

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 81% of total purchases in 2022, 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. 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.

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 81% of total purchases for the year ended December 31, 2022. 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.

We are subject to risks related to Inflation.

The general rate of inflation has increased in conjunction with overall imbalances in supply and demand recoveries from the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the underlying factors impacting inflation may include, but are not limited to, global supply chain disruptions, shipping bottlenecks, labor market constraints, and side effects from monetary and fiscal expansions. Inflationary pressures are expected to continue in 2023. If these inflationary pressures persist or worsen, and commodity prices continue to remain at attractive levels that stimulate increased industry activity, we may face shortages of service providers, equipment, and materials. Such shortages could result in increased competition which may lead to further increases in costs.

High inflation could continue to adversely impact us. Although inflation appears to be declining, during 2021 and 2022, our operations were impacted by the highest domestic inflation rates in decades. If inflation rates remain elevated, our operations will likely continue to be impacted. Potential impacts of high inflation include (i) lower revenue if inflationary pressures cause customers to defer, decrease or cancel their expenditures on our products and services, (ii) lower margins if we cannot offset the higher cost of our labor and supplies by raising our prices or reducing our other expenses, (iii) higher interest costs to the extent inflation places upwards pressure on prevailing interest rates and (iv) as noted above, potential difficulties retaining personnel if we do not match the salary increase expectations of our workforce.

We are in a period of increasing inflation and economic uncertainty. The economy is facing inflationary pressures which has resulted in a few challenges for our business, most notably in the form of a tight labor market where job candidates have considerable bargaining power which has driven wages up. Additionally, we are experiencing higher labor and benefit related costs to retain our existing personnel. We believe we will continue to see significant pressure in our labor and benefit related costs which impacts both our gross margins and net income. We also continue to monitor for weakened demand in our software and related consulting business segment due to significant customer concentration. Increased inflation could place pressure on our customers' timing of approval for consulting projects to move forward. Currently, it is difficult to estimate the financial impact to our software and related consulting revenue, if any. We actively market our sustainability solutions and services to new types of customers. We believe the growing awareness of environmental, social and governance ("ESG") matters creates a key opportunity for us because we have the expertise and technology needed to help companies achieve ESG objectives within the food supply chain.

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:

We may incur substantial damages due to Patent Infringement 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 earlier, 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, 2022 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, 2022, 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 around accounting for inventory. 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 in a timely manner. 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, 2022 and 2021 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 81% of total purchases for the year ended December 31, 2022. 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

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 Securities 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, 2022, we had outstanding employee options to purchase a total of 2,526,847 shares of common stock at exercise prices ranging from $0.14 to $0.19 per share, with a weighted average exercise price of $0.15. As of December 31, 2022, there was a warrant outstanding for 105,380,666 shares in favor of VDA, which was part of their purchase consideration in January 2022. 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 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.

In November 2021, the Company entered into a lease agreement for 425 square feet of commercial office space in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Originally expiring on November 30, 2022, the lease expiry date was extended to November 30, 2023 on September 12, 2022.

ITEM 3.  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

The Company continues to fulfill its obligations under the Wireless Network Patent License Agreement (the “License Agreement”) between SIPCO, LLC (“Sipco”) and IPCO, LLC dba IntusIQ (collectively, the “Licensors”) and the Company, dated November 30, 2020. The parties entered into the License Agreement in connection with the settlement of a lawsuit filed by Sipco as disclosed in more detail in the Company’s previously filed reports.

The minimum payments required under the License Agreement have been accrued for on the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets in accordance with GAAP, which specifies that when a liability is probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated, said liability should be recorded in the current reporting period. Per the License Agreement, the contractual minimum payments began on January 1, 2022 and continue until December 31, 2024, thus satisfying both criteria of probable and reasonably estimable. Accordingly, a long-term liability was recorded representing the sum of those contractual minimums. As of December 2022, the Company had a current liability of approximately $200,000, which $60,000 is included in accounts payable and $140,000 in other accrued liabilities (See Note F – Current Accrued Liabilities for further breakdown of accrued liabilities), along with a non-current liability of $220,000 included in accrued royalties – long-term recorded on its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

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 OTCQB under the symbol “TKOI.” The OTCQB 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 1, 2023, we had 274 holders of record of our common stock and 299,212,282 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.  [RESERVED]

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.

Recent Developments

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”), unless terminated by either party. 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 takes approximately 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, 2023.

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 each of the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company experienced approximately between 1% and 3% of returns related to product warranties. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recorded warranty liabilities in the amount of $13,663 and $46,650, 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, expected when the differences reverse. 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 exceed their 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, 2022 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2021

The Company’s operations and financial results have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 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, 2022, product revenues increased by 41% or $2.25 million when compared to the prior year. Hospitality revenues increased 12% to $5.29 million, government revenues increased 412% to $0.99 million, education revenues increased 411% to $1.43 million while MDU revenues decreased 73% to $0.08 million and healthcare revenues decreased 100% to $0.00 million. Product revenues derived from value-added resellers and distribution partners were $6.41 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of 41% compared to the prior year period. For the year ended December 31, 2022, international revenues increased 18% to $0.77 million when compared to the prior year period. The increase in international revenues was primarily driven by volumes from one existing customer.

Backlogs were approximately $3.00 million and $2.39 million at December 31, 2022 and 2021, 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, 2022, recurring revenue decreased by 11% or $0.08 million 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, 2022, product costs increased 38% compared to the prior year period based upon greater revenues. The variance was primarily attributable to increases in material costs of $1.08 million, logistical expenses of $0.16 million, inclusive of import tariffs and the use of installation subcontractors of $0.16 million, offset by decreases in inventory adjustments of $0.36 million. Material costs as a percentage of product revenues were 40%, an increase of 4%, 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, 2022, recurring revenue costs increased by 152% when compared to the prior year period. The variance was primarily due to increases in call center staffing.

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 on product revenue is influenced by pricing, revenue volume and the composition of those revenues.

Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased 44% or $1.12 million when compared to the prior year period. The increase in gross profit was primarily attributable to an increase in revenues of $2.25 million and a decrease in inventory adjustments of $0.22 million, partially offset by increases in material costs of $1.08 million resulting from increased product revenues, logistical expenses of $0.16 million and the use of installation subcontractors of $0.16 million. Material costs as a percentage of product revenues were 40%, an increase of 4%, compared to the prior year period. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the actual gross profit percentage increased by 3% to 47% compared to the prior year period. Tariffs imposed on Chinese imports resulted in an adverse impact of approximately 4% on the actual gross profit percentage for the year ended December 31, 2022, which was unchanged compared to the year ended December 31, 2021.

Gross Profit on Recurring Revenue

Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased 23% when compared to the prior year period. The decrease was primarily due to increases in call center staffing as well as a decline in revenues.

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, 2022, operating expenses decreased by less than 1% 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, 2022, research and development costs decreased by 5% when compared to the prior year period. The variance is primarily attributable to decreases in payroll expenses of $0.08 million, partially offset by increases incurred with third-party consultants of $0.03 million.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

For the year ended December 31, 2022, selling, general and administrative expenses increased by 1% compared to the prior year period. The variance is primarily attributable to increases in staffing payroll of $0.20 million and payroll taxes of $0.42 million, partially offset by decreases in legal fees of $0.46 million and third-party consulting fees of $0.12 million. The payroll tax increase was primarily the result of a non-recurring Employee Retention Credit (“ERC”) that reduced payroll taxes by $0.48 million in 2021, allowed under the CARES Act, which is a refundable payroll tax credit that encouraged businesses to keep employees on the payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Operating Loss

Operating loss for the year ended December 31, 2022 improved 44% to $1.25 million compared to the prior year of $2.22 million. This improvement is primarily due to an increase in gross profit resulting from an increase in revenues and relatively unchanged operating expenses as discussed above.

Net Loss

For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company had a net loss of $1.29 million compared to a net loss of $0.41 million during the prior year. This net loss variance is primarily due to $1.84 million of non-cash gains on debt extinguishment in connection with full forgiveness of the PPP Loans in 2021.

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, 2022 and 2021, 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, 2022, the Company reported a net loss of $1,285,237 and had cash used in operating activities of $3,598,322, and ended the year with an accumulated deficit of $129,953,413 and total current assets in excess of current liabilities of $4,643,011. At December 31, 2022, the Company had $3,243,594 of cash and $1,000,000 of availability on its Credit Facility. The Credit Facility is a $1,000,000 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 $1,000,000. As of December 31, 2022, we had a total borrowing base of approximately $1,000,000, an outstanding balance of $0, and a cash management services reserve of $0, resulting in the availability of $1,000,000 on the Credit Facility.

Since inception through December 31, 2022, we have incurred cumulative losses of $129,953,413 and have never generated enough cash through operations to support our business. For the year ended December 31, 2022, we had a cash flow deficit from operations of $3,598,322. 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.

As discussed above, 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 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.

Revolving Credit Facility

On September 30, 2014, the Company entered into a loan and security agreement (the “Heritage Bank Loan Agreement”) with 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 10.50% at December 31, 2022 and 6.25% at December 31, 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.

On September 30, 2021, the Company entered into a twelfth amendment to the Heritage Bank Loan Agreement to extend the revolving maturity date to December 31, 2021, unless earlier accelerated under the terms of the Heritage Bank Loan Agreement. In addition, subject to certain conditions as specified in the twelfth amendment, Heritage Bank consented to the VDA Transaction (as described above under the “Business and Basis of Prese0ntation” section in Note A – Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies) between the Company and VDA, and acknowledged and agreed that certain events occurring in connection with the Transaction, including the change of control of the Company resulting from the Transaction, do not constitute Events of Default as defined in the Loan Agreement.

On December 13, 2021, the Company entered into a thirteenth amendment to the Heritage Bank Loan Amendment to extend the revolving maturity date to March 31, 2022, unless earlier accelerated under the terms of the Heritage Bank Loan Agreement. In addition, the Heritage Bank Loan Amendment reduced the credit extension amount to $1,000,000 and reduced unrestricted cash maintained in the Company’s accounts at Bank to be at least $1,000,000.

On March 10, 2022, the Company entered into a fourteenth amendment to the Heritage Bank Loan Amendment to extend the revolving maturity date to June 30, 2023, unless earlier accelerated under the terms of the Heritage Bank Loan Agreement.

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 $1 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 $0 and $403,089 at December 31, 2022 and 2021 respectively, and the remaining available borrowing capacity was approximately $1,000,000 and $460,000, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants.

Paycheck Protection Program

The Company has received two loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”) administered by the United States Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) and authorized by the Keeping American Workers Employed and Paid Act, which is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, enacted on March 27, 2020.

On April 17, 2020, the Company entered into an unsecured promissory note for $913,063 (“the First PPP Loan”). In January 2021, the Company applied for forgiveness of the amount due on the First PPP Loan. On February 16, 2021, Heritage Bank confirmed that the First PPP Loan granted to the Company, in the original principal amount of $913,063 plus accrued interest of $7,610 thereon, was forgiven in full.

On April 27, 2021, the Company entered into an unsecured promissory note, dated as of April 26, 2021, for a second PPP loan (“the Second PPP Loan” and together with the First PPP Loan, the “PPP Loans”), with Heritage Bank under a second draw of the PPP administered by the SBA and authorized by the Keeping American Workers Employed and Paid Act. In September 2021, the Company applied for forgiveness of the amount due on the Second PPP Loan. On September 15, 2021, Heritage Bank confirmed that the Second PPP Loan granted to the Company, in the original principal amount of $913,063 plus accrued interest of $3,044 thereon, was forgiven in full.

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 Loans.

Cash Flow from Operations Analysis

Cash used in operating activities of operations was $3,598,322 and $1,699,615 during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, our primary capital needs included costs incurred to increase energy management sales, inventory procurement, and managing current liabilities. The working capital increase of approximately $3,434,000 during the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily related to a $947,000 increase in accounts receivables, an approximate $720,000 decrease in accounts payables, a $481,000 increase in inventories, an $883,000 increase in cash and cash equivalents and a $403,000 reduction in the line of credit. The working capital changes during the year ended December 31, 2021 were primarily related to an approximate $823,000 increase in accounts payable, a $563,000 decrease in net inventories, a $155,000 net increase in accrued liabilities, which includes an $11,000 decrease for interest forgiven on the PPP Loans, partially offset by an approximate $592,000 increase in prepaid expenses, a $161,000 increase in contract assets, and a $145,000 increase in accounts receivable. 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.

Cash used in investing activities was $88,000 in purchasing capital equipment in 2022, with no such expenditure in 2021. 

Cash provided by financing activities was $4,567,110 and $1,048,863 during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Proceeds from the $5,000,000 stock and warrants issued to VDA in connection with the VDA Transaction combined with the proceeds borrowed under the Heritage Bank Loan Agreement totaling $4,434,152, were partially offset by cash used for payments on the line of credit of $4,837,241 and repayment of Series B shares of $29,801 during the year ended December 31, 2022. Proceeds from the Second PPP loan were $913,063, proceeds borrowed from the line of credit were $6,764,968 and cash used for payments on the line of credit were $6,629,168 during the year ended December 31, 2021. 

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, 2022. 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, 2022 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, 2022 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, 2022 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, 2022 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, 2022 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, 2022, 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.

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS.

Not applicable.

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 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed within 120 days after December 31, 2022 (the “2022 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.

Insider Trading Policy

The Board adopted a written insider trading compliance policy to promote compliance with federal securities laws by directors, officers, employees, contractors and consultants of the Company and its affiliates, as well as any immediate family members sharing the household of any of the foregoing, and any entities controlled by any of the foregoing persons, including corporations, partnerships or trusts. The Company’s insider trading policy is included herein as Exhibit 19.1.

ITEM 11.  EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.

Pursuant to General Instruction G(3), information on executive compensation is incorporated by reference from the Company’s 2023 Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2022.

The Board, or any committee appointed by the Board to grant awards, grants awards without regard to the share price or the timing of the release of material nonpublic information and does not time grants for the purpose of affecting the value of executive compensation. Accordingly, it is our policy that our management team makes a good faith effort to advise the Board, or any committee appointed by the Board to grant awards, whenever it is aware that material nonpublic information is planned to be released to the public in close proximity to the grant of equity awards.

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 2023 Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2022.

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, 2022.

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 2023 Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2022.

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 2023 Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2022.

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 Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Telkonet, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company and subsidiaries”) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the years then ended 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, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

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 audits. 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 audits 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 audits, 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 audits 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 audits 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 audits provide 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 solution 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 solution customer contracts is recognized over time using an output measure based on the number of rooms installed. We identified revenue recognition on turnkey solution customer 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 solution customer contracts ongoing at year-end included the following, among others:

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

/s/ Wipfli LLP

Minneapolis, Minnesota

March 31, 2022

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

TELKONET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

DECEMBER 31, 2022 AND 2021

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

TELKONET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022 AND 2021

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

TELKONET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

JANUARY 1, 2021 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

TELKONET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

JANUARY 1, 2022 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2022

See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

TELKONET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022 AND 2021

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

TELKONET, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Continued)

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022 AND 2021

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

TELKONET, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2022 AND 2022

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.

VDA Transaction and Change in Control 

On August 6, 2021, the Company entered into a stock purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with VDA Group S.p.A., an Italian joint stock company (“VDA”), pursuant to which VDA would, at the Closing (as defined in the Purchase Agreement), contribute $5 million to Telkonet (the “Financing”) and, in exchange, Telkonet would issue to VDA: (i) 162,900,947 shares of Company Common Stock (the “Issuance”); and (ii) a warrant to purchase 105,380,666 additional shares of Common Stock (the “Warrant”) (the Issuance and the Warrant referred to collectively herein as the “VDA Transaction”). The Closing occurred on January 7, 2022.

Following the issuance of 162,900,947 shares of Common Stock to VDA upon the Closing, VDA owns 53% of the issued and outstanding Common Stock on a fully diluted as exercised/converted basis, resulting in a change of control of the Company. VDA could eventually own as much as 65% of the issued and outstanding Common Stock on a fully diluted as exercised/converted basis if it fully exercises the Warrant.

The Company has elected not to apply pushdown accounting adjustments to the Company’s financial statements related to the change in control as allowed by Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-17.

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.

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. The allowance for doubtful accounts was $32,058 and $5,563 at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. 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.

Inventories

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. The reserve for inventory obsolescence was approximately $388,000 and $443,000 at December 31, 2022, and 2021, respectively.

Property and Equipment

In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ASC 360 “Property Plant and Equipment”, property and equipment is stated at cost and is depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The estimated useful lives range from 2 to 10 years.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company accounts for the fair value of financial instruments in accordance with ASC 820, which defines fair value for accounting purposes, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expanded disclosure requirements. Fair value is defined as an exit price, which is the price that would be received upon sale of an asset or paid upon transfer of a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The degree of judgment utilized in measuring the fair value of assets and liabilities generally correlates to the level of pricing observability. Financial assets and liabilities with readily available, actively quoted prices or for which fair value can be measured from actively quoted prices in active markets generally have more pricing observability and require less judgment in measuring fair value. Conversely, financial assets and liabilities that are rarely traded or not quoted have less price observability and are generally measured at fair value using valuation models that require more judgment. These valuation techniques involve some level of management estimation and judgment, the degree of which is dependent on the price transparency of the asset, liability or market and the nature of the asset or liability. The Company categorizes financial assets and liabilities that are recurring, at fair value into a three-level hierarchy in accordance with these provisions.

The Company’s financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, line of credit and certain accrued liabilities. The carrying amounts of these assets and liabilities approximate fair value due to the short maturity of these instruments (Level 1 instruments), except for the line of credit. The carrying amount of the line of credit approximates fair value due to the interest rate and terms approximating those available to the Company for similar obligations (Level 2 instruments).

Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews 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 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 their fair value. Based on the assessment for impairment performed during 2022 and 2021, no impairment was recorded.

Income (Loss) per Common Share

The Company computes earnings per share under ASC 260-10, “Earnings per Share”.  Basic net income (loss) per common share is computed using the weighted average shares outstanding. Diluted net income (loss) per common share is computed using the treasury stock method, which assumes that the proceeds to be received on exercise of outstanding stock options and warrants are used to repurchase shares of the Company at the average market price of the common shares for the year. Dilutive common stock equivalents consist of shares issuable upon the exercise of the Company's outstanding stock options and warrants. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were 108,704,218 and 3,349,793 shares respectively of common stock underlying options and warrants excluded due to these instruments being anti-dilutive.

Numerator for basic and diluted loss per share: 

Shares used in the calculation of diluted EPS for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are summarized below:  

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with United States of America (U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Estimates are used when accounting for items and matters such as revenue recognition and allowances for uncollectible accounts receivable, inventory obsolescence, depreciation and amortization, long-lived assets, taxes and related valuation allowance, income tax provisions, stock-based compensation, and contingencies. The Company believes that the estimates, judgments and assumptions are reasonable, based on information available at the time they are made. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740-10 “Income Taxes.” 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, expected when the differences reverse. 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.

The Company follows ASC 740-10-25, which prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. ASC 740-10-25 also provides guidance on de-recognition, classification, treatment of interest and penalties, and disclosure of such positions.

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 either 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 technical phone support services to customers. This service is 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 recognition 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 technical phone support services revenue and recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the contract.

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 takes approximately 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 Statement 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 deferrals for the monthly support service fees. Long-term contract liabilities represent support service fees that will be recognized as revenue after December 31, 2023.

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.

Sales Taxes

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.

Guarantees and Product Warranties

The Company records a liability for potential warranty claims in cost of sales at the time of sale. The amount of the liability is based on the trend in the historical ratio of claims to sales, the historical length of time between the sale and resulting warranty claim, new product introductions and other factors. 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. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company experienced returns of approximately 1% to 3% of materials included in cost of sales, respectively. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recorded warranty liabilities in the amount of $13,663 and $46,650, respectively, using this experience factor range.

Product warranties for the years ended December 31 are as follows:  

Advertising

The Company follows the policy of charging the costs of advertising to expenses as incurred. The Company incurred $3,502 and $10,104 in advertising costs during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Research and Development

The Company accounts for research and development costs in accordance with ASC 730-10, “Research and Development”. Under ASC 730-10, all research and development costs must be charged to expense as incurred. Accordingly, internal research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Third-party research and development costs are expensed when the contracted work has been performed or as milestone results have been achieved. Company-sponsored research and development costs related to both present and future products are expensed in the period incurred. Total expenditures on research and product development for 2022 and 2021 were $1,070,473 and $1,129,957, respectively.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock-based awards in accordance with ASC 718-10, “Share-Based Compensation”, which requires a fair value measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to the Company’s employees and directors, including employee stock options and restricted stock awards. The Company estimates the fair value of stock options granted using the Black-Scholes valuation model. This model requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions including, among other things, estimates regarding the length of time an employee will hold vested stock options before exercising them, the estimated volatility of the Company’s common stock price and the number of options that will be forfeited prior to vesting. 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 the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

The expected term of the options represents the estimated period of time until exercise and is based on historical experience of similar awards, giving consideration to the contractual terms, vesting schedules and expectations of future employee behavior. The expected stock price volatility is based on the historical volatility of the Company’s stock for the related expected term.

Stock-based compensation expense in connection with options granted to employees was $0 and $7,262 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 respectively.

NOTE B – NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. ASU 2016-13 provides guidance for estimating credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including trade receivables, by introducing an approach based on expected losses. The expected loss approach will require entities to incorporate considerations of historical information, current information and reasonable and supportable forecasts. ASU 2016-13 also amends the accounting for credit losses on available-for-sale debt securities and purchased financial assets with credit deterioration. The guidance requires a modified retrospective transition method and early adoption is permitted. In November 2019, FASB issued ASU No. 2019-10, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses, Derivatives and Hedging, and Leases (“ASU 2019-10”), which defers the adoption of ASU 2016-13 for smaller reporting companies until January 1, 2023. The Company will continue to evaluate the impact of ASU 2016-13 on its consolidated financial statements.

Management has evaluated other recently issued accounting pronouncements and does not believe any will have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

NOTE C– REVENUE

The following table presents the Company’s product and recurring revenues disaggregated by industry for the year ended December 31, 2022.  

The following table presents the Company’s product and recurring revenues disaggregated by industry for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Sales taxes and other usage-based taxes are excluded from revenues.

Remaining performance obligations

As of December 31, 2022, the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations was approximately $0.4 million. Except for support services, the Company expects to recognize 100% of the remaining performance obligations over the next six months. As of December 31, 2021, the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations was approximately $1.2 million.

Contract assets and liabilities

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.

Often, the Company will require customers to pay a deposit upon contract signing that will be applied against work performed or products shipped. In addition, the Company will often invoice the full term of support at the start of the support period. Billings that occur prior to revenue recognition result in contract liabilities. The change in the contract liability balance during the 12 month period ended December 31, 2022 is the result of cash payments received and billing in advance of satisfying performance obligations.

Contract costs

Costs to complete a turnkey contract primarily relate to the materials cost and direct labor and are recognized proportionately as the performance obligation is satisfied. The Company will defer cost to complete a contract when materials have shipped (and control over the materials has transferred to the customer), but an insignificant amount of rooms have been installed. The Company will recognize any deferred costs in proportion to revenues recognized from the related turnkey contract. The Company does not expect deferred contract costs to be long-lived since a typical turnkey project takes approximately sixty days to complete. Deferred contract costs are generally presented as current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

The Company incurs incremental costs to obtain a contract in the form of sales commissions. These costs, whether related to performance obligations that extend beyond twelve months or not, are immaterial and will continue to be recognized in the period incurred within selling, general and administrative expenses.

NOTE D – ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

Components of accounts receivable as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 are as follows: