Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | NOTE 2—SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Principles of Consolidation and Presentation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. In these consolidated financial statements, “subsidiaries” are companies that are over 50% controlled, the accounts of which are consolidated with those of the Company. Significant intercompany transactions and balances are eliminated in consolidation; profits from intercompany sales, are also eliminated; non-controlling interests are included in equity. When the Company does not have a controlling interest in an entity, but exerts significant influence over the entity’s operating and financial decisions, the Company applies the equity method of accounting in which it records in earnings its share of income or losses of the entity. The Company applies the equity method of accounting to its investment in DSIT following the 2016 DSIT Transaction (see Note 3). See Note 21 – Subsequent Events with respect to the 2018 DSIT Transaction. Discontinued Operations In April 2016, the Company announced that it decided to cease operations of its GridSense subsidiary and initiate the liquidation of the GridSense assets. Following the decision to cease GridSense operations, the Company wrote down all GridSense assets to their estimated realizable values at the time and accrued for estimated severance costs and lease commitments. As a result of this decision, GridSense is reported as a discontinued operation in its consolidated financial statements for all periods presented (see Note 4). Functional Currency and Foreign Currency Transactions The currency of the primary economic environment in which the operations of Acorn and its U.S. subsidiaries are conducted is the United States dollar (“dollar”). Accordingly, the Company and all of its U.S. subsidiaries use the dollar as their functional currency. The financial statements of DSIT whose functional currency is the New Israeli Shekel (“NIS”) have been translated in accordance with applicable accounting principles. Assets and liabilities are translated at year-end exchange rates, while revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates during the year. Differences resulting from translation are presented in equity as Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. Gains and losses on foreign currency transactions and exchange gains and losses denominated in non-functional currencies are reflected in finance income (expense), net, in the Consolidated Statements of Operations when they arise. Cash Equivalents The Company considers all highly liquid investments, which include money market funds and short-term bank deposits (up to three months from date of deposit or with maturity of three months from date of purchase) that are not restricted as to withdrawal or use, to be cash equivalents. Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable consists of trade receivables. Trade receivables are recorded at the invoiced amount. Allowance for Doubtful Accounts The Company maintains allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of customers to make required payments. This allowance is based on specific customer account reviews and historical collections experience. If the financial condition of the Company’s funding parties or customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and does not require collateral. During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, $0 and $28 was charged to expense, respectively. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the balance in allowance for doubtful accounts was $11 and $11, respectively. Inventory Inventories are comprised of components (raw materials), work-in-process and finished goods, which are measured at net realizable value. OmniMetrix - Raw materials inventory is generally comprised of radios, cables, antennas, and electrical components. Finished goods inventory consists of fully assembled systems ready for final shipment to the customer. Costs are determined at cost of acquisition on a weighted average basis and include all outside production and applicable shipping costs. All inventories are periodically reviewed for impairment related to slow-moving and obsolete inventory. Non-Controlling Interests The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) requires that non-controlling interests be reported as a component of equity, changes in a parent’s ownership interest while the parent retains its controlling interest be accounted for as equity transactions, and upon a loss of control, retained ownership interest be re-measured at fair value, with any gain or loss recognized in earnings. The Company attributes income and losses to the non-controlling interests associated with OmniMetrix and DSIT (up to the 2016 DSIT Transaction – see Note 3). Property and Equipment Property and equipment are presented at cost at the date of acquisition. Depreciation and amortization is calculated based on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the depreciable assets, or in the case of leasehold improvements, the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful life of the asset, a portion of which is allocated to cost of sales. Improvements are capitalized while repairs and maintenance are charged to operations as incurred. Treasury Stock Shares of common stock repurchased are recorded at cost as treasury stock. When shares are reissued, the cost method is used for determining cost. In accordance with GAAP, the excess of the acquisition cost over the reissuance price of the treasury stock, if any, is charged to additional paid-in capital, limited to the amount previously credited to additional paid-in capital, if any. Any excess is charged to accumulated deficit. Revenue Recognition The Company’s revenue recognition policy is consistent with applicable revenue recognition guidance and interpretations. The Company recognizes revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, services have been rendered, the price is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. The Company assesses whether payment terms are customary or extended in accordance with normal practice relative to the market in which the sale is occurring. The Company’s sales arrangements generally include standard payment terms. These terms effectively relate to all customers, products, and arrangements regardless of customer type, product mix or arrangement size. If revenue recognition criteria are not satisfied, amounts received from customers are classified as deferred revenue on the balance sheet until such time as the revenue recognition criteria are met. Sales of OmniMetrix monitoring systems have multiple elements which include the sale of equipment and of monitoring services. Sales of OmniMetrix equipment do not qualify as a separate unit of accounting. As a result, revenues (and related costs) associated with sale of equipment are recorded to deferred revenue (and deferred charges) upon shipment for PG and CP units. Revenue and related costs with respect to the sale of equipment are recognized over the estimated life of the units which is estimated to be 24 months. Revenues from the prepayment of monitoring fees (generally paid 12 months in advance) are initially recorded as deferred revenue upon receipt of payment from the customer and then amortized to revenue over the monitoring service period. Warranty Provision OmniMetrix generally grants their customers a one-year warranty on their products. Estimated warranty obligations are provided for as a cost of sales in the period in which the related revenues are recognized, based on management’s estimate of future potential warranty obligations and limited historical experience. Adjustments are made to accruals as warranty claim data and historical experience warrant. The Company’s warranty obligations may be materially affected by product or service failure rates and other costs incurred in correcting a product or service failure. Should actual product or service failure rates or other related costs differ from the Company’s estimates, revisions to the accrued warranty liability would be required. Concentration of Credit Risk Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist principally of cash and cash equivalents, escrow deposits and trade accounts receivable. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents were deposited primarily with U.S. banks and brokerage firms and amounted to $481 at December 31, 2017. The Company does not believe there is significant risk of non-performance by these counterparties. See Note 19(d) with respect to revenue from significant customers and concentrations of trade accounts receivables. Financial Instruments Fair values of financial instruments included in current assets and current liabilities are estimated to approximate their book values, due to the short maturity of such instruments. Research and Development Expenses Research and development expenses consist primarily of labor and related expenses and are charged to operations as incurred. Advertising Expenses Advertising expenses are charged to operations as incurred. Advertising expense was $17 and $9 for each of the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Stock-Based Compensation The Company accounts for stock-based awards to employees in accordance with applicable accounting principles, which requires compensation expense related to share-based transactions, including employee stock options, to be measured and recognized in the financial statements based on a determination of the fair value of the stock options. The grant date fair value is determined using the Black-Scholes-Merton (“Black-Scholes”) pricing model. For all employee stock options, we recognize expense over the requisite service period on an accelerated basis over the employee’s requisite service period (generally the vesting period of the equity grant). The Company’s option pricing model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, including the expected stock price volatility, expected term, and forfeiture rate. Any changes in these highly subjective assumptions significantly impact stock-based compensation expense. Options awarded to purchase shares of common stock issued to non-employees in exchange for services are accounted for as variable awards in accordance with applicable accounting principles. Such options are valued using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. See Note 15(d) for the assumptions used to calculate the fair value of stock-based employee compensation. Upon the exercise of options, it is the Company’s policy to issue new shares rather than utilizing treasury shares. Deferred Income Taxes Deferred income taxes reflects the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes, as well as operating loss, capital loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are classified as non-current in accordance with ASU 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes. Valuation allowances are established against deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that the assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates or laws is recognized in operations in the period that includes the enactment date. See Note 17(e) for the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Income Tax Uncertainties The calculation of the Company’s tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations. The Company recognizes liabilities for uncertain tax positions based on the two-step process prescribed by applicable accounting principles. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step requires the Company to estimate and measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more likely than not being realized upon ultimate settlement. It is inherently difficult and subjective to estimate such amounts, as this requires the Company to determine the probability of various possible outcomes. The Company reevaluates these uncertain tax positions on a quarterly basis. This evaluation is based on factors including, but not limited to, changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law, effectively settled issues under audit, and new audit activity. Such a change in recognition or measurement would result in the recognition of a tax benefit or an additional charge to the tax provision in the period. The Company recognizes interest and penalties as incurred in finance income (expense), net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Basic and Diluted Net Income (Loss) Per Share Basic net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing the net income (loss) attributable to Acorn Energy, Inc. by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the year, excluding treasury stock. Diluted net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares outstanding plus the dilutive potential of common shares which would result from the exercise of stock options and warrants. The dilutive effects of stock options and warrants are excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share if doing so would be antidilutive. The weighted average number of options and warrants that were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share, as they had an antidilutive effect, was approximately 4,172,000 and 4,904,000 for the years ending December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The following data represents the amounts used in computing EPS and the effect on net income and the weighted average number of shares of dilutive potential common stock: Year ended December 31, 2017 2016 Net income (loss) available to common stockholders $ (1,169 ) $ 145 Weighted average shares outstanding: -Basic 29,423 28,488 Add: Warrants — 24 Add: Stock options — 19 -Diluted 29,423 28,531 Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share $ (0.04 ) $ 0.01 Fair Value Measurement The Company follows the provisions of the accounting standard which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and enhances fair value measurement disclosure. Under these provisions, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The standard establishes a hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use on unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the Company’s assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The hierarchy is described below: Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for assets or liabilities. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to Level 1 inputs. Level 2: Observable prices that are based on inputs not quoted on active markets, but corroborated by market data. Level 3: Unobservable inputs are used when little or no market data is available. The fair value hierarchy gives the lowest priority to Level 3 inputs. See Notes 15, 20 and 21. Recently Issued Accounting Principles Other than the announcement noted below, there have been no recent accounting pronouncements or changes in accounting pronouncements during the year ended December 31, 2017, that are of material significance, or have potential material significance, to the Company. In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The comprehensive new standard will supersede existing revenue recognition guidance and require revenue to be recognized when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in amounts that reflect the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Adoption of the new rules could affect the timing of revenue recognition for certain transactions. The guidance permits two implementation approaches, one requiring retrospective application of the new standard with adjustment of prior years and one requiring prospective application of the new standard with disclosure of results under old standards. The FASB issued several subsequent standards in 2016 and 2017 containing implementation guidance related to the new standard. These standards provide additional guidance related to principal versus agent considerations, licensing, and identifying performance obligations. Additionally, these standards provide narrow-scope improvements and practical expedients as well as technical corrections and improvements. Overall, the new guidance is to be effective for the fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2017. Companies are able to early adopt the pronouncement, however not before fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company will adopt this standard using the modified retrospective method. The adoption of the new revenue standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01 “Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities,” which revises an entity’s accounting related to (1) the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities and (2) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities measured at fair value. The ASU also amends certain disclosure requirements associated with the fair value of financial instruments. ASU 2016-01 is effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted under certain circumstances.” The Company is currently assessing the impact of ASU 2016-01 on its financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases, which is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted. Under Accounting Standards Update 2016-02, lessees will be required to recognize for all leases at the commencement date a lease liability, which is a lessee’s obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease measured on a discounted basis, and a right-to-use asset, which is an asset that represents the lessee’s right to use or control the use of a specified asset for the lease term. In September 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-13, Revenue Recognition (Topic 605), Revenue from Contracts with Customer (Topic 606), Leases (Topic 840) and Leases (Topic 842), which provides additional implementation guidance on the previously issued ASU 2016-02 Leases (Topic 842). The Company is currently evaluating the effect that the new guidance will have on its financial statements and related disclosures. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718),” to simplify several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and forfeitures, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted ASU 2016-09 on January 1, 2017, and the adoption of the standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805) – Clarifying the Definition of a Business. This new guidance clarifies the definition of a business in a business combination. The guidance is effective beginning the first quarter of fiscal year 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements. |