In this CEDIA Expo 2025 interview from the VW ID. Buzz van, Joe Piccirili, CEO and founder of RoseWater Energy, traces the origin of the company back to a problem he saw repeatedly during his decades in the AV and custom integration industry: premium systems that were well-designed and properly installed still failed at the worst possible moments.
Piccirili points to his time running Sound Advice and later distributing brands like Crestron and Lutron through Avid as formative experiences. After ruling out product build quality and installation errors, he says the common denominator became clear. The issue was power, specifically the quality and consistency of power delivered to today’s microprocessor-heavy homes.
While surge protection often dominates the conversation, Piccirili argues that voltage sags are the more frequent and damaging threat. When voltage drops, devices draw more current, generate excess heat, and place stress on sensitive electronics. With microprocessors now embedded in nearly every room of the home, he says unreliable power undermines everything from lighting and control systems to appliances and safety technologies.
That realization led Piccirili to launch RoseWater Energy in 2008 with the goal of building a “complete” residential energy resilience solution at the panel level. Rather than designing to a price point, he focused on combining voltage regulation, long-duration battery backup measured in hours or days, and direct solar integration so energy is never wasted.
Piccirili also explains that RoseWater handles delivery and installation with its own teams, citing the complexity of high-voltage work and the importance of consistency. For integrators, he frames the opportunity as a shift in mindset. Instead of leading with technical specs, dealers are encouraged to identify what aspects of a homeowner’s lifestyle are truly critical and design a resilience strategy around those priorities.
As weather events, insurance challenges, aging-in-place needs, and safety considerations converge, Piccirili sees power quality moving from a behind-the-scenes concern to a core pillar of modern residential design and a growing category for the integration channel.
