ConsumerPowerline, Leading Provider of Demand Response and Energy Management Solutions, Announces the Completion of $17 Million Series A Financing

    NEW YORK, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- ConsumerPowerline, a leading
 strategic energy asset management firm whose marketplace innovations have
 produced millions in energy savings for its large industrial, commercial
 and residential customers, announced the completion of its $17 million
 Series A Preferred Financing. The round was led by Expansion Capital
 Partners, LLC, a leading Clean Technology venture capital firm, with
 co-investors Bessemer Venture Partners, as well as Schneider Electric
 Ventures, the New York City Investment Fund and Vantania Holdings, advised
 by Consensus Business Group.
     Diana Propper, partner at Expansion Capital Partners, and Justin Label,
 partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, will join ConsumerPowerline's board
 of directors. The placement was facilitated by America's Growth Capital.
     ConsumerPowerline will use the funds to aggressively expand Demand
 Response, smart metering technologies, permanent energy efficiency
 solutions and other products and services designed to pay end-users for the
 efficiencies that they offer to the national, regional and local energy
 markets.
     The company continues its record as a pioneer in the creation of the
 demand response industry. ConsumerPowerline created the first "aligned
 incentive" model, in which the firm shares in the incremental savings or
 revenues it generates for clients.
     Demand Response is a kind of electricity "insurance policy" in which
 large energy users help prevent widespread blackouts, brownouts and voltage
 reductions by using less power when the local and regional electric grid is
 under stress and a power outage looms. Energy companies can buy "negative
 watts" (negawatts), at the same rate as electricity for those peak hours--
 avoiding the far higher cost of outages, building new power plants or
 running dirty, uneconomic peaking plants.
     Using a web-based technology platform and an integrated national
 approach, ConsumerPowerline has become a trusted energy management partner,
 helping owners and operators of large commercial, residential,
 institutional and industrial facilities that have significant energy
 demands, gain greater control over energy expenditures and generate new
 sources of revenue.
     ConsumerPowerline's President Mike Gordon said, "The significant
 investment provided by Expansion Capital Partners and Bessemer Venture
 Partners, along with our other value-add investors, will allow
 ConsumerPowerline to grow our team, enhance our products and services and
 expand our national presence. With this venture funding, ConsumerPowerline
 will be able to bring attractive and lucrative efficiency products and
 services to a much wider range of customers."
     Diana Propper, partner of Expansion Capital Partners stated, "We are
 excited to be backing ConsumerPowerline's team. Energy efficiency and
 demand management have large and expanding markets. The company is strongly
 positioned in these markets, delivering measurable energy savings to its
 customers. The US has pressing needs to upgrade the reliability of the
 power grid and to reduce greenhouse gases -- ConsumerPowerline delivers
 solutions to both."
     Justin Label of Bessemer Venture Partners added, "ConsumerPowerline
 understands both complex energy markets and its customers' specific needs.
 The company has a proven track record, providing income from demand
 response programs and energy efficiency solutions to its loyal customer
 base. We are very pleased to be teaming up with the company in its next
 phase of growth."
     Gordon concluded, "Since our founding, ConsumerPowerline has been
 committed to building the best platform for our products and services. In
 the six years of our existence, we have paid our clients well in excess of
 $20 million, and have helped build an industry that has far and wide
 reaching positive implications for the greater economy. We have proven that
 Demand Response is a valuable, vital and growing component in the nation's
 broader energy management portfolio. ConsumerPowerline is focused on
 bringing our services, our products and our commitment to help our clients
 generate real revenues as well as to help them become better energy
 stewards. As such, we could not have a better group of investors to partner
 with. This unique team will enable us to further realize the company's full
 potential," he said.
     ConsumerPowerline was selected for the Inc. 500 list for 2006 and 2007,
 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Award, as well as the recipient of the Ernst &
 Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Emerging Business.
 ConsumerPowerline's client list features notable public and private firms
 including: CB Richard Ellis, Stanley Works, Sears, Hines Property
 Management, Forest City Ratner Corporation, Co-op City, Macklowe
 Properties, RFR Realty, NYU Medical Center, Newmark Properties, Douglas
 Elliman Property Management, Cooper Square Realty, Wentworth Management and
 dozens of other substantial end-users of energy.
     Press Contact:
     Lewis Goldberg/Erika Kay
     KCSA Worldwide
     (212) 896-1216/ (212) 896-1208
     lgoldberg@kcsa.com / ekay@kcsa.com
     About ConsumerPowerline
     ConsumerPowerline is a full-service strategic energy asset management
 firm with a proven track record of helping its clients, large energy users,
 uncover hidden market revenues and cost savings opportunities available
 with their facility assets. ConsumerPowerline is one of the largest
 non-utility providers of demand response services in the U.S.
 (www.consumerpowerline.com)
     About Expansion Capital Partners
     Founded in 2002, Expansion Capital Partners, LLC, invests venture
 capital into the equity of expansion-stage, Clean Technology enterprises.
 Clean Technology Fund II, LP targets companies that offer dramatic
 improvements in resource efficiency and productivity, while creating more
 economic value with less energy and materials, or less waste and toxicity.
 The fund invests across the Cleantech sector including innovations in
 energy, advanced materials, water and wastewater, manufacturing and
 transportation. The firm seeks US and Canadian enterprises with current
 revenue of $2-30 million with solid prospects of attaining $30-$100 million
 in revenues within 3-5 years. Expansion Capital has offices in San
 Francisco and New York. (www.expansioncapital.com)
     About Bessemer Venture Partners
     Bessemer Venture Partners is a global investment group with offices in
 Silicon Valley, Boston, New York, Mumbai and Shanghai. As the oldest
 venture capital practice in the United States, Bessemer has partnered as an
 active, hands-on investor in Ciena, Ingersoll Rand, Parametric, Skype,
 Staples, VeriSign and W.R. Grace and over 100 other companies that have
 gone public. (www.bvp.com)
     About Schneider Electric Ventures
     Schneider Electric Ventures is a venture capital firm sponsored by
 Schneider Electric, the world leader in electrical distribution and
 automation & control (2006 revenue: USD 17,2 Bn). Schneider Electric
 Ventures invests in innovative companies in the Energy & Power, Advanced
 Materials & Electronics, and Communication & Security sectors. Schneider
 Electric Ventures is currently active in 18 companies in Europe and North
 America. (www.schneider-electric-ventures.com)
     About The New York City Investment Fund
     The New York City Investment Fund (www.nycif.org) is the vision of
 Henry R. Kravis, founding partner of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co., who
 serves as its Co-Chairman, along with Russell L. Carson, General Partner of
 Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe. The Investment Fund has raised over $100
 million to mobilize the city's world financial and business leaders to help
 build a stronger and more diversified local economy. To that end, the
 Investment Fund has built a network of top experts from the investment and
 corporate communities who help identify and support New York City's most
 promising entrepreneurs in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.
 The Investment Fund is the investment and the economic development arm of
 the Partnership for New York City (www.pfnyc.org), the city's leading
 business organization.
     About Consensus Business Group
     Consensus Business Group ("Consensus") is a multi-faceted principal
 advisor to the Trustees of a Family Trust which is its ultimate beneficial
 owner. Consensus advises on a broad range of activities, including
 structured finance and the acquisition, management and development of
 commercial and residential real estate. Consensus has significant
 shareholdings in property and property related companies and is now one of
 the UK's largest private property companies with $10bn of investments in
 commercial property and a portfolio of around 300,000 residential
 freeholds. Consensus has a strategic focus on the environmental and
 cleantech sector and has advised on more than $400m of private equity,
 venture capital, infrastructure and fund investments.
     Consensus has developed a number of propriety business models that
 involve technology transfer, industrial offset, and leveraging the
 synergies between cleantech investments and the extensive property
 portfolio. Consensus' activities are supported by a dedicated and
 experienced investment and structured finance team.(www.cbg.uk.com)
 
 

SOURCE ConsumerPowerline