RALEIGH, NC - April 23, 2008
Utah-based Heber Light and Power Company announced today that it has selected the Sensus Metering Systems’ FlexNet advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solution. Heber’s plans call for deployment of the system to more than 9,000 residential and commercial electric customers.
“Our formal RFP process, our investigation of competitive AMI technology options, and our discussions with other utilities on vendor performance led our team to a unanimous conclusion in favor of the Sensus FlexNet AMI system,” said Tony Furness, Chief Financial Officer for Heber Light and Power. “The simplicity of this tower-based radio frequency solution yields low operations and maintenance costs over the life of the project and supports our requirements for rapid growth with minimal infrastructure. The open systems TCP/IP information system provides immediate compatibility with our existing networking and billing operations,” Furness explains.
Sensus’ Primary-Use licensed system for FlexNet, which provides up to 2 watts of power, allows for greater transmitter range from a minimal infrastructure.
“Sensus’ licensed-band RF solution mitigates our future risk, by ensuring that the system will operate without interference from other consumer devices over the life of the project,” Furness adds.
The FlexNet system provides Heber with two-way communications to Sensus iCon electric meters, enabling automated billing, on demand reads, remote connect/disconnect services, outage/restore notification and time of use rates. FlexNet also establishes the platform for additional customer and systems-related benefits in the future.
In fact, because of an average growth rate of up to 20 percent per year, more than 16,000 endpoints are expected to be installed in the Heber area in the future.
“Heber’s selection of FlexNet further strengthens our position as a leader in two-way AMI systems for customers large and small,” said Doug McCall, Director of AMI Marketing for Sensus Metering Systems. “We welcome Heber Light and Power to our rapidly expanding FlexNet AMI user community nationwide.”
About FlexNet
FlexNet provides the utility industry’s most reliable and flexible two-way AMI fixed network. Utility customers benefit from the dependable, mission-critical performance of a dedicated, primary-use, FCC licensed and protected communications network combined with ANSI compliant metering, IP-based wide area communications, open standards home area networking, advanced smart grid products, and IP-based information systems. Sensus delivers timely and accurate AMI communications through crystal-clear and massively redundant RF data paths with double the RF power of competing systems. This empowers utilities to communicate with a complete range of endpoint devices including smart water, gas and electric meters, intelligent home devices, and distribution automation equipment in any mix of rural and urban terrain. Forward-thinking utilities confidently choose FlexNet to provide a single-technology solution that reduces cost, mitigates technology risk, enables pricing flexibility and demand response, and improves operational efficiency through reliable performance, industry standards, cross-vendor compatibility, system scalability and future-proof operation.
About Heber Light and Power
Heber Light & Power, a Utah Energy Services Interlocal, provides electric service to nearly 9,000 customers in the beautiful Heber Valley. The Company, formed in 1909 by the communities of Heber City, Midway City and Charleston Town, operates an electric generation, transmission and distribution system covering 80 square miles in Wasatch County.
About Sensus Metering Systems
The Sensus Metering Systems companies are leading world-class providers of water, gas, heat and electric meters including comprehensive metering communications system solutions that comprise both automatic meter reading (“AMR”) and advanced metering infrastructure (“AMI”) systems. Additional linked businesses include Smith-Blair, Inc. a leading provider of pipe clamp & coupling products for the water, gas, and industrial markets; and Sensus Precision Die Casting a producer of complex, high quality die castings.
Issued 4/23/2008
All statements in this release, other than historical facts, are made in reliance on the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time. These statements reflect the Company’s current expectations regarding its financial position, revenues, cash flow and other operating results, business strategy, financing plans, forecasted trends related to the markets in which the Company operates, legal proceedings and similar matters. The Company’s expectations expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements may turn out to be incorrect. The Company’s actual results could be materially different from its expectations because of various risks. These risks, some of which are discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 333-113658) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 16, 2007, include its dependence on new product development and intellectual property, and its dependence on independent distributors and third-party contract manufacturers, automotive vehicle production levels and schedules, its substantial financial leverage, debt service and other cash requirements, liquidity constraints and risks related to future growth and expansion. Other important risks that could cause actual events or results to differ from those contained or implied in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company’s ability to integrate acquired companies, general economic and business conditions, competition, adverse changes in the regulatory or legislative environment in which the Company operates, and other factors beyond the Company’s control.
Topics: