Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

A. BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

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A. BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
General

General

 

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Telkonet, Inc. (the “Company”, “Telkonet”) have been prepared in accordance with Rule S-X of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and with the instructions to Form 10-Q. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements.

 

In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. However, the results from operations for the six months ended June 30, 2020, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2020. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated December 31, 2019 financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company's Form 10-K filed with the SEC.

Business and Basis of Presentation

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 Platform 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. The EcoSmart platform provides 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, military, educational, healthcare and other commercial markets. The EcoSmart platform is 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 condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Telkonet Communications, Inc. We currently operate in a single reportable business segment.

Going Concern and Management's Plan

Going Concern and Management’s Plan

 

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

 

Since inception through June 30, 2020, we have incurred cumulative losses of $126,708,137 and have never generated enough cash through operations to support our business. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2020, we had a cash flow deficit from operations of $488,107. Since 2012, the Company has made significant investments in the engineering, development and marketing of an intelligent automation platform, including but not limited to, hardware and software enhancements, support services and applications. The funding for these development efforts has contributed to the ongoing operating losses and use of cash. Operating losses have been financed by debt and equity transactions, credit facility capacity, the sale of a wholly-owned subsidiary and management of working capital levels. The report from our previous independent registered public accounting firm on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 stated there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

 

The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon generating profitable operations in the future and obtaining the necessary financing to meet its obligations and repay its liabilities arising from normal business operations when they come due. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to secure such financing at commercially reasonable terms, if at all. If cash resources become insufficient to meet the Company’s ongoing obligations, the Company will be required to scale back or discontinue portions of its operations or discontinue operations entirely, whereby, the Company’s shareholders may lose some or all of their investment.

 

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, nor the severity and duration of its impact. If the outbreak of COVID-19 is not effectively and timely controlled, our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows may continue to be materially and adversely impacted as a result of the deteriorating market outlook, the global economic recession, weakened liquidity, or other factors that we cannot foresee.

 

The Company’s sales and gross profits have decreased significantly resulting from a contraction in commercial demand for our products, a lower revenue conversion rate in our existing pipeline and significant one-off transactions from customers in 2019 that have not been, and are not expected to be, repeated in 2020. Due to travel restrictions, social distancing and shelter at home edicts, the hospitality industry, our largest market that generally contributes more than 50% of our revenue, has suffered as much as any. According to a new study prepared for the U.S. Travel Association by Tourism Economics, domestic travel spending will likely drop 45% by the end of 2020.1 According to data from STR, during the second quarter, an estimated 5,100 hotels closed temporarily in the U.S.1

 

At this time, the length or severity of this pandemic is unknown. Depending on the length and severity, the demand for our products, our customers’ ability to meet payment obligations to the Company, our supply chain and production capabilities, and our workforces’ ability to deliver our products and services could be impacted. Management is actively monitoring the impact of the global situation on its financial condition, liquidity, operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce. While we expect this disruption to continue to have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, the Company is unable to reasonably determine the impact at this time.

 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects (and potential further effects) on the Company’s operations and financial results, the Company has taken, and is continuing to take, a number of actions to preserve cash. These actions include suspending the use of engineering consultants, and cancelling all non-essential travel and the Company’s attendance at tradeshows (implemented prior to applicable government stay-at-home orders being put in place). In early April of 2020, management made the decision to furlough certain employees, instituted pay cuts for certain other employees and suspended the Company’s 401(k) match through the end of 2020. With the receipt of the PPP Loan (discussed below), the Company was able to bring back the furloughed employees, restore payroll to prior levels and delay suspension of the 401(k) match. However, the pandemic continues to impact the Company’s operations and financial results, and consequently, in late June of 2020 management once again made the decision to furlough certain employees, instituted pay cuts for certain other employees and suspended the Company’s 401(k) match through the end of 2020.

  

The actions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are in addition to the cost elimination and liquidity management actions that the Company began implementing in the second half of 2019, including reviewing opportunities to decrease spend with third party consultants and providers, strategically reviewing whether or not to fill employee positions in the event of vacancies, and implementing sales campaigns to sell slow-moving inventory and reduce existing inventory volumes. There is no guarantee, however, that these actions, nor any other actions identified, will yield profitable operations in the foreseeable future.

 

In addition to the actions noted above, on April 21, 2020, the Company entered into an unsecured promissory note, dated April 17, 2020 (“the PPP Loan”), with Heritage Bank of Commerce for a $913,063 loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) SBA 7(a) loan. The PPP SBA 7(a) loan program is being administered by the United States Small Business Administration (“SBA”) and was authorized by the Keeping American Workers Employed and Paid Act, which is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act that was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The principal amount of the Loan is $913,063, bears interest of 1.0% per annum and has a maturity date of April 21, 2022. See Note G – Debt for a summary of the terms.

 

On June 5, 2020, the PPP Flexibility Act of 2020 was signed into law. It amended the CARES Act and eased rules on how and when recipients can use loans and still be eligible for forgiveness. The PPP Flexibility Act of 2020 changed many aspects of the PPP, including: (1) extending the covered period for loan forgiveness purposes from eight weeks to the earlier of 24 weeks from the loan origination date or December 31, 2020; (2) lowering the amount required to be spent on payroll costs from 75% to 60% of the loan principal; (3) extending the loan maturity period from two years to five years for PPP Loans made on or after June 5, 2020; and (4) revising the loan payment deferral period until the date when the amount of loan forgiveness is determined and remitted to the lender.

 

At June 30, 2020, the PPP loan totaled $913,063, is presented on the balance sheet as current debt and excludes any possible forgiveness. No assurance is provided that the Company will obtain forgiveness of the PPP Loan in whole or in part.

 

At June 30, 2020, the Company had approximately $3,101,209 of cash and approximately $664,000 of availability on its credit facility. However, the credit facility requires that the Company maintain an unrestricted cash balance of $2,000,000, limiting the ability of the Company to use its cash reserves to fund its operations. As of June 30, 2020, the outstanding balance on the credit facility was $0.

 

The Company has used the proceeds of the PPP Loan to support its ongoing operations and currently expects to also draw on its cash reserves and utilize the credit facility to finance its near-term working capital needs. It expects to continue to incur operating losses and negative operating cash flows for one year beyond the date of these financial statements. The Credit Facility provides us with needed liquidity to assist in meeting our obligations or pursuing strategic objectives. Continued operating losses will deplete these cash reserves and could result in a violation of the financial covenants. Consequently, repayment of amounts borrowed 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 occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

The Company’s Board also continues to consider strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, including but not limited to, a sale of the Company, an investment in the Company, a merger or other business combination, a sale of all or substantially all assets or a strategic joint venture. However, these actions are not solely within the control of the Company. At August 14, 2020, no definitive alternatives had been identified.

 

Accordingly, and in light of the Company’s historic losses, there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

 

__________________

1 Fox, Jena Tesse. “COVID-19 Recovery: After disastrous spring, industry looks for bright spots.” Hotel Management June/July 2020:

Income (Loss) per Common Share

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 both the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, there were 3,599,793 shares of common stock underlying options and warrants excluded due to these instruments being anti-dilutive.

 

Shares used in the calculation of diluted EPS are summarized below:

 

    Three Months Ended
June 30,
   

Six Months Ended

June 30,

 
    2020     2019     2020     2019  
Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic     136,311,335       135,085,519       135,814,956       134,477,460  
Dilutive effect of stock options                       20,362  
Weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted     136,311,335       135,085,519       135,814,956       134,497,822  
Use of Estimates

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

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. 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 Contract With Customers

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 has enforceable rights and obligations. 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 EcoSmart 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 new 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 usually takes sixty days to complete. Since control over goods and services transfers to a customer once a room is installed, the Company recognizes revenue for turnkey solutions over time. The Company uses an outputs measure based on the number of rooms installed to recognize revenues from turnkey solutions.

 

Revenues from support services are recognized over time, in even daily increments over the term of the contract, and are presented as “Recurring Revenue” in the 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 Condensed 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 June 30, 2021.

 

Contract Completion 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 sheets.

Sales Taxes

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

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 six months ended June 30, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company experienced returns of approximately 1% to 3% of materials included in the cost of sales. As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company recorded warranty liabilities in the amount of $52,528 and $58,791, respectively, using this experience factor range.

 

Product warranties for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019 are as follows:

 

    June 30,
2020
    December 31,
2019
 
Beginning balance   $ 58,791     $ 46,103  
Warranty claims incurred     (10,838 )     (66,803 )
Provision charged to expense     4,575       79,491  
Ending balance   $ 52,528     $ 58,791  
Advertising

Advertising

 

The Company follows the policy of charging the costs of advertising to expenses as incurred. During the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company incurred advertising costs of $1,269 and $25,337, respectively. During the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company incurred advertising costs of $7,162 and $36,142, respectively.

Research and Development

Research and Development

 

The Company accounts for research and development costs in accordance with the 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 the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 were $291,849 and $425,670, respectively. Research and product development expenditures for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 were $661,092 and $912,296, respectively.

Stock-Based Compensation

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.

 

Total stock-based compensation expense in connection with options granted to employees recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of stockholders’ equity was $1,815 for both the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. Total stock-based compensation expense in connection with options granted to employees was $3,631 for both the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019.