Tendril and Honeywell-offshoot Resideo have both acquired firms that will expand their smart-home oriented energy analytics offerings, in moves that are attempts to entice utilities looking to embrace demand-response (DR) capabilities for grid-balancing tasks. These are purchases that are going to take a while to pay off, but we’re already in the early stages of utilities gaining much more influence over the home than has been the case historically. Put simply, if a company can gather enough DR homes under its control, it can begin pitching to grid operators and utilities as if it were a more conventional grid asset, like a storage battery or a solar array. Using DR, this company can increase or lower the demand for energy…