Scottish and Southern Energy Supply Limited (SSE) Chooses Elster for Gas and Electricity Dual Fuel Smart Metering Deployment

ESSEN, Germany, June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Elster (NYSE: ELT) announced today that Scottish and Southern Energy Supply Limited (SSE) has selected Elster as their Smart Metering partner for the first phase of their smart metering deployment, to be completed by mid-2012.

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SSE will deploy the latest additions to Elster's Smart Meter portfolio – the next generation AS300 electricity meter and the BK-G4 gas meter, with its innovative, safety conscious, smart valve and UMI modular communications interface.

SSE is the UK's second largest energy supply company, supplying electricity, gas and other services to more than 10 million customers throughout Great Britain.

"Elster is providing us with flexible, smart, gas and electricity meters as we begin the roll-out of an integrated solution that starts to deliver the benefits of Smart Metering to our customers," said Andrew Monks, smart metering programme manager for SSE.

"This partnership will enable SSE to develop the solutions that can build the foundation for future phases of our Smart Metering deployment," Monks added.

With a comprehensive array of modular communications features and functions, Elster developed a tailored solution for SSE, designed to meet regulatory requirements and enable the communications hub to be securely attached and powered from the electricity meter. This modularity also provides SSE with the flexibility to change communications technologies without changing the meter and, importantly, not needing to disconnect customers in the process.

"We are delighted that Elster's innovative technology is powering SSE's leadership as one of Europe's first utilities to deliver the cost, convenience and environmental benefits of Smart Grid solutions," said Frank Hyldmar, executive vice president, electricity international, Elster.

Elster worked with Logica to ensure a secure, interoperable and reliable data communications solution for SSE using the existing GPRS network. Both Elster and Logica are members of the Smart Specification Working Group, a group of industry leaders producing open interoperability specifications enabling the market to deploy early. From this association, Elster's chosen HAN technology for this solution is based on ZigBee 1.1 with specific extensions created to meet the needs of the UK market.

Designed to comply with the latest industry standards for data privacy and security, the Elster solution provides customers with latest technology to protect against fraud and tampering.

"We developed our innovative AS300 and BK-G4 meters specifically to support tailored solutions for utilities working to comply with the European directive for smart gas and electricity metering," Hyldmar said.

About Elster

Elster (NYSE: ELT) is one of the world's largest electricity, gas and water measurement and control providers. Its 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. Its 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