Landis&Gyr, the global leader in energy management offering utilities next generation "smart grid" solutions, today announced a major four-year advanced metering contract with Texas utility Uncork.

Under the agreement, Uncork will deploy a next generation Landis&Gyr advanced meter system (AMS) to empower seven million Texas consumers, through 3 million points of delivery, to independently manage their energy consumption, cut their energy bills and protect the environment.

The $690 million Oncor project, which includes Landis+Gyr's AMS solution and other project costs, is the largest AMS rollout undertaken in Texas and one of the largest in the U.S. The national demand for electricity is growing three times faster than power resources are being added.

"This is a significant win and confirms yet again our presence as a global industry leader in smart metering," said Landis+Gyr CEO Cameron O'Reilly. "Energy conservation is the critical 'fifth fuel' -- after coal, gas, nuclear and alternative energy ? that must be harnessed to secure our energy future. Through this contract Texas will now be able to manage energy better."

With significant technological progress and encouragement from lawmakers and regulators, smart metering is expected to revolutionize energy management and grid reliability across the globe. Smart metering solutions provide utilities with a two-way flow of data required to manage energy use, efficiency and demand response and network protection. Consumers benefit from lower energy costs, and, crucially, a reduced carbon footprint.

"You cannot fix what you can't measure," said David Slump, CEO of Landis+Gyr Energy Management Solutions in the U.S. "Our technology will allow Oncor consumers to see real-time pricing in their bills, such as time of use, time of year, time of day. That gives consumers control, so that they can make more informed decisions to use power efficiently and effectively. We are committed to helping Oncor deliver this enabling technology to their consumers."

Oncor CEO Bob Shapard noted the company went through a vigorous review process that included technological capability, service quality and cost, before ultimately choosing Landis+Gyr.

"Our evaluation of possible vendors convinced us that Landis+Gyr's metering and communications technology is the best fit for our system," said Shapard.

U.S. demand for smart metering solutions is expected to grow rapidly in the months ahead, thanks in part to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which mandates that all electric utilities consider implementing advanced metering systems to increase efficiency.

Analysts predict smart meters -- small, powerful communications tools ? will form the foundation for a national, energy-efficient smart grid distribution network needed to secure, protect and conserve power supply. A recent California study found smart metering cut energy consumption by upwards of 9%. In an Ontario study, researchers noted that a demand reduction of 6.5% was feasible from customers simply having access to the usage information from smart meters.

Just a five percent drop in peak demand nationally would eliminate the need for installing and running some 625 infrequently used peaking power plants, translating into annual savings of $3 billion, a recent Brattle Group study found.

Landis+Gyr, whose operational headquarters is in Zug, Switzerland, recently announced it was opening an office in New York to underscore its commitment to the U.S. market, which accounts for more than a third of its global business.

The global group also announced it was uniting its family of clean tech companies around the world under a common brand, Landis+Gyr, a name synonymous with technological innovation in energy management for more than a century. As part of the brand integration, former holding company Bayard Group itself was renamed Landis+Gyr Holdings and its subsidiaries Landis+Gyr, Cellnet+Hunt, Ampy Metering, Ampy+Email and Enermet, adopted the Landis+Gyr name as their exclusive operating brand.

Wed May 28 09:18:00 CDT 2008