Cleveland Utilities Selects Elster for Smart Grid Project

CLEVELAND, Tenn. and RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Elster (NYSE: ELT) announced today that Cleveland Utilities has chosen Elster's EnergyAxis® Smart Grid solution to more efficiently and cost-effectively deliver electric services to its customer base.  Cleveland Utilities is an electric, water and wastewater utility located in Cleveland, TN.

Selected from a group of four finalists, the Elster EnergyAxis solution will form a network of 29,000 electric meters at residential and commercial and industrial locations. These Smart Meters will be deployed over the next three years, arming both Cleveland Utilities and its customers with the Smart Grid services required to more efficiently manage the delivery and consumption of electric power resources.

"Cleveland Utilities continues to invest in innovative technologies that enable us to more efficiently operate our electric system while meeting the evolving needs of our customers," said Tom Wheeler, general manager, Cleveland Utilities.

"As part of the Tennessee Valley Authority's plan for the Smart Grid, we are updating our electric grid infrastructure. Cleveland Utilities has a long and successful history with Elster, giving us the confidence to select the EnergyAxis Smart Grid solution for this exciting deployment," Wheeler added.

Elster REX2 and A3 Alpha electricity meters will provide Cleveland Utilities with an automated metering infrastructure that will collect the metering data required to reduce system demands and increase energy efficiency. The Smart Meters can be linked with controllable appliances and programmable thermostats to measure power usage for time-of-day pricing and help reduce energy consumption during peak demand. In addition, enhanced load control and personal energy monitoring capabilities will provide consumers insight into their power consumption and ways to curb usage.

"Elster has a proven track record with Cleveland Utilities, and we look forward to continuing our successful relationship with this pivotal Smart Meter roll out," said David Green, executive vice president, customers and markets, North America, Elster. "With a comprehensive suite of software, communications services and meter hardware, the Elster EnergyAxis solution has been selected for electric Smart Grid deployments, such as this one, around the world."

EnergyAxis, a field-proven Smart Grid solution with more than 4.5 million endpoints deployed with utilities around the world, enables utilities to:

• Realize operational efficiencies;
• Implement demand response programs that can conserve resources and reduce costs, especially during periods of peak demand;
• Improve customer service;
• Reduce outage response and repair time;
• Provide real-time information to end consumers to allow them to better manage their energy consumption; and
• Conserve environmental and economic resources by reducing the loss of electricity, gas and water as they move from the supply source to homes and businesses.

Elster worked with supply chain partner WESCO Distribution, Inc. to secure the contract with Cleveland Utilities.

About Cleveland Utilities

Cleveland Utilities is a municipally owned utility located in Cleveland, TN and provides electric, water and wastewater services to the residents of the city of Cleveland and a large portion of Bradley County.  

About Elster

Elster (NYSE: ELT) is one of the world's largest electricity, gas and water measurement and control providers. Our offerings include distribution monitoring and control, advanced smart metering, demand response, networking and software solutions, and numerous related communications and services – key components for enabling consumer choice, operational efficiency and conservation. Our products and solutions are widely used by utilities in the traditional and emerging Smart Grid markets.  

Elster has one of the most extensive installed revenue measurement bases in the world, with more than 200 million metering devices deployed over the course of the last 10 years. It sells its products and services in more than 130 countries across electricity, gas, water and multi-utility applications for residential, commercial and industrial, and transmission and distribution applications.

For more information about Elster, please visit www.elster.com.

SOURCE Elster