Energate Bolsters Utility Industry Expertise With Appointment of Two New Members to Its Board of Directors

OTTAWA, Ontario, Sept. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Energate, Inc., a leading, innovative provider of residential Demand Response for utilities and home energy management solutions for their customers, today announced the appointment of Lisa V. Wood and John C. Fox to its board of directors.  Ms. Wood is the executive director of the Institute for Electric Efficiency (IEE), an electric utility industry organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency, demand response, and customer-side technologies.  Mr. Fox is senior managing director at Perseus, L.L.C., a merchant bank and private equity fund management company headquartered in Washington, D.C., and former COO of Ontario Hydro.  Ms. Wood and Mr. Fox join current Energate board members Tom Tamblyn (Chair), Bernhardt Zeisig, Peter Sommerer, Janet Griffin and Niraj Bhargava.

"John and Lisa bring tremendous industry insight to Energate's board of directors and the timing of their appointments couldn't be better given our accelerating traction in the demand response and home energy management market," said Energate CEO Niraj Bhargava.  "As we are fast becoming the premier provider of residential demand response and home energy management solutions, Energate will benefit greatly from their deep industry relationships and solid understanding of electric utilities."

Ms. Wood has written numerous articles and is a frequent speaker on smart pricing, demand response, energy efficiency, and smart grid issues in the electric power industry.  She serves as an advisor to Johnson Controls' Institute for Building Efficiency; is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University; and is a non-resident fellow in the Energy Security Initiative at the Brookings Institution.  Prior to the launch of IEE, Ms. Wood was a principal at The Brattle Group; prior to that she was a principal with PHB-Hagler Bailly.  She holds a Ph.D. in public policy and management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Prior to joining Perseus, Mr. Fox was chief operating officer of Ontario Power Generation Inc. (formerly Ontario Hydro), one of the largest electric utilities in North America.  He served as executive vice president of the Canyon Group, a Los Angeles-based marketing and management consultancy during 1992 and 1993. From 1981 to 1992, Mr. Fox held various management positions with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) in San Francisco.  He holds a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Toronto and an M.B.A. from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

"Having directed numerous market analyses for utilities across North America, I believe we are witnessing a major electric power market transition and that demand response and home energy management solutions are an integral part of that," said Ms. Wood.  "That's why my appointment to Energate's Board of Directors is particularly gratifying.  This is a company that is well-positioned to help utilities and consumers move demand response from the pilot to the commercial stage, and I look forward to providing insight in this important time of transition and growth for the company and the industry."

"As a veteran of the electric utilities industry, I've witnessed significant changes over the past 30 years and can see enormous changes coming in the next decade," said Mr. Fox.  "At the center of this movement is demand response and home energy management solutions and Energate is proving ready to be a real catalyst for change.  I'm honored by my appointment as a member of their Board of Directors and look forward to providing industry perspective to drive this market forward."

The Energate Board of Directors

Energate's Board Chair, Tom Tamblyn was principal shareholder and CEO for Tescor, an energy solutions company.  Tescor was subsequently sold to Duke Solutions, and has since advised many building owners and companies in the pursuit of energy-efficiency.

Bernhardt Zeisig is a senior partner at Cycle Capital with over 15 years of venture investing experience and 30 years of company building experience in both the U.S. and Canada, including being a Senior Partner at Boston-based Vimac Capital.  

Peter Sommerer is currently President of Erlauf Holdings Ltd., a private equity investment company located in Canada and serves on the Board of Directors of a number of privately held technology companies.  Between 1990 and 2008 Peter served as COO of the fast growing telecom success story, Newbridge Networks, which was subsequently sold to Alcatel.  

Janet Griffin has supported the successful growth of various communications and technology companies as an investment banker, consultant and investor.  Ms. Griffin began her career with Nesbitt Burns and developed a strong focus on growth ventures in the technology sector, serving their capital raising, and mergers and acquisitions advisory needs.

About Energate

Energate is a leading provider of residential demand response and home energy management solutions including software, wireless communications, gateways, smart thermostats, switches and consumer energy displays. Energate's Consumer Connected Demand Response™ (CCDR) platform allows utilities to immediately address residential energy demand and empowers consumers to more effectively manage their energy use. Energate products provide unprecedented interoperability that seamlessly connects the Smart Grid to consumers to deal with supply and demand challenges, the increased use of renewables and dynamic rate structures. Founded in 2004, Energate is headquartered in Ottawa with offices in Chicago, Toronto, Texas, and California. Visit www.energateinc.com.

SOURCE Energate, Inc.