Press Release

Raleigh, North Carolina, March 6, 2008 Elster Provides Revolutionary Choice to Allow Utilities to Leverage AMI Solutions

 Elster Integrated Solutions, part of Elster Group, a world leader in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), integrated metering, and utilization solutions to the gas, electricity and water industries today announces they have entered into a collaborative initiative with Landis+Gyr Inc. to provide interoperable AMI solutions for greater customer choice. 

The alliance will allow the two companies to develop an AMI endpoint that combines Elster’s EnergyAxis® System mesh radio frequency technology with Landis+Gyr’s solid-state, residential FOCUS™ meter platform. Once completed, the endpoint will offer utilities using the EnergyAxis System a choice when considering metering options. Already in development, the EnergyAxis-enabled FOCUS endpoint is expected to be commercially available in the second half of this year. 

With this combined AMI solution, utility customers benefit by having true two-way communications, interoperability, choice of endpoints and the ability to extend their existing enterprise networks to a smart grid network.

"We are very happy to be working with a trusted metering company like Landis+Gyr to deliver choice to utility customers,” said Victor Sitton, vice president, product marketing for Elster. “True system interoperability requires cooperation and coordination between premiere AMI solution providers like Elster and trusted device endpoint vendors. Elster is pleased to be leading the AMI industry and to provide interoperable AMI solutions with customer choice for electric, gas and water meter endpoints.”

“This exciting alliance with Elster enables us to deliver FOCUS meter endpoints in the EnergyAxis System allowing utilities the benefit of Elster’s AMI technology,” said Steve Schamber, director of product management for Landis+Gyr. “The single-circuit board design of Landis+Gyr’s FOCUS meter is well suited for AMI applications like Elster’s and facilitates an easy and inexpensive retrofit, increased reliability and better overall endpoint performance. This is a winning combination.”

The EnergyAxis System delivers proven AMI technology to manage installed smart devices and communicate related information. The system provides the foundation for energy conservation, demand response, smart home solutions and is part of the smart grid of the future. It supports gas, electricity and water while its open and interoperable architecture lowers investment risk by providing maximum flexibility for the integration of third-party solutions and emerging technologies via open and standards-based interfaces.

The EnergyAxis System is currently the most widely deployed two-way radio frequency mesh network AMI technology in the world. EnergyAxis systems are operating in urban, suburban, rural, residential, commercial and industrial applications and range from high density metropolitan environments to lightly populated areas including remote rural villages in Alaska. EnergyAxis System installations span the globe with deployments in North America, Central America, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean.