Mentel Inc. Presents at Kanagawa Prefecture's Open Innovation Results Presentation "Kanagawa Innovators Day Meetup Fes 2026"

Mentel Inc. (Headquarters: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Tomoki Inoue; hereinafter "Mentel") announced the demonstration results of a co-creation project with General Corporation (Headquarters: Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture; hereinafter "General") in the "BAK/YAK" division at the Kanagawa Prefecture Open Innovation Program Results Presentation "Kanagawa Innovators Day Meetup Fes 2026" (Venue: Kyocera Corporation Minato Mirai Research Center / Online), held on Tuesday, March 17th and Wednesday, March 18th, 2026.

Presentation Overview

This presentation reported the results of a demonstration experiment conducted from January to February 2026 for the co-creation project "Project to Wisely Use Home Air Conditioners by Promoting Energy-Saving Behavior with AI," which was selected for the decarbonization promotion track of Kanagawa Prefecture's "Business Accelerator Kanagawa (BAK)."

This project adopts an approach that induces voluntary energy-saving behavior by delivering "AI nudges (mechanisms to encourage behavioral change)" to residents through apps, rather than forced automatic control of air conditioners. It was realized through a collaboration between Mentel, which has expertise in energy-saving technology, and General, which develops air conditioning businesses including "nocria." For the analysis of resident types, General's nocria data was utilized to help deliver nudges tailored to individual behavioral characteristics.

Main Results of the Demonstration Experiment

The experiment, conducted with the cooperation of SOYOKAZE Co., Ltd. at the health-focused paid nursing home "Magellan Shonan Sajima" (Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture) and general households, yielded the following results.

An electricity saving effect of approximately 9% without compromising comfort

During the nudge delivery period (February), the average daily power consumption in general households decreased by 9.0% (from 4.97 kWh to 4.52 kWh), and in elderly facilities, a reduction of 8.8% was achieved (from 4.65 kWh to 4.24 kWh) (both figures adjusted for temperature).

90% of residents implemented voluntary behavioral changes

According to a questionnaire survey, about 90% of residents who received nudges reported implementing some form of behavioral change. Specific changes were confirmed, such as an increased awareness of moderating set temperatures (50.0%), checking for forgetting to turn off units (21.4%), and increased awareness through comparison with others (21.4%).

90% realized the value of the nudges

Regarding the continuation or recommendation of the system, over 90% of residents responded that they realized the value of the nudges, indicating the potential for a new style of electricity saving that is not about "endurance."

Effects Surpassing Equipment Renewal

In this demonstration, without introducing new equipment and using existing air conditioners in both general households and elderly facilities, the electricity saving rate from operational improvements (nudge delivery) (9.0%) surpassed the rate from updating to the latest popular models (3.8%). Since no capital investment is required, introducing this to 10,000 households is expected to result in an annual reduction of approximately 600t-CO2.

Future Outlook

Based on the results obtained in this demonstration, Mentel will further promote the social implementation of behavioral change through nudges and contribute to decarbonization in homes.

Contact: Mentel Inc. Email: contact@mentel.jp Web: https://menteru.jp/

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What is Business Accelerator Kanagawa (BAK)?

Kanagawa Prefecture operates the "Business Accelerator Kanagawa (BAK)" council, which aims to create collaborative projects between large companies with bases in the prefecture and high-quality venture companies, and to form a community for open innovation. Participants include large companies, venture companies, research institutions, and support organizations.

◾️ Program Overview

Program Name: Business Accelerator Kanagawa (BAK)

Organizer: Kanagawa Prefecture (Operator: eiicon company)

Website: https://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/docs/sr4/cnt/f537611/bak01.html

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About General Corporation

Business Overview: Development, manufacturing, sales, and service of products and parts in both the air conditioning and information communication fields.

◾️ Company Profile

Company Name: General Corporation Founded: January 1936

Representative: President & CEO Takeshi Ebisu

Location: 3-3-17 Suenaga, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa 213-8502

Website: https://www.generalww.com/jp/

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About Mentel Inc.

Business Overview: With the mission to "realize a more comfortable life in cities and buildings without wasting energy," the company proposes and provides solutions for energy saving and decarbonization in cities and buildings.

◾️ Company Profile

Company Name: Mentel Inc.

Founded: April 2023

Representative: Tomoki Inoue

Location: #311 HOME/WORK VILLAGE, 2-4-5 Ikejiri, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-0001

Website: https://menteru.jp/

Company Media: https://menteru-media.jp/

Contact: contact@menteru.jp