Volume Production is Expected to Increase Deployment Rate

TAMPA — January 22, 2008 — Today at the Distributech Conference & Exhibition, Aztech Associates Inc. announced volume orders for the In-Home Display may now be submitted with customer specified features. Aztech completed the first successful production run from a new Canadian manufacturing line this month. The new line is able to produce and ship In-Home Displays in volume in record time permitting utilities to plan large scale deployment.
Aztech also announced that just three months after the first In-Home Displays became available units are already deployed in six utility company trials. Geoff Salter, Aztech’s President and Chief Technology Officer, credits Vice-President, Operations Paul Muysson and the engineering team with overcoming the final obstacles to volume production in time for the production version to be shown at Booth 2331 on the floor of the Exhibition and time to meet an aggressive deployment schedule.
Gardner McBride, Vice-President Business Development, said: “We have been asked to meet with utility company teams charged with wringing every drop of conservation effect possible from homes where smart meters have been recently deployed. The new production line allows us to respond to situations where tens of thousands of In-Home displays must be put in service in a short time.” McBride when on to explain Aztech is often just one part of a larger utility education effort to assure conservation goals are met as planned. “Our In-Home Display product works very well with other programs by reinforcing the impact of these programs in addition to the typical 7% to 14% savings the early trials are confirming depending on use patterns in various parts of North America. “Utility customers can see the impact of a utility triggered thermostat reset in real time from their kitchen counter. They can watch both the Kilowatt use drop as well as the cost drop right on the graphical display right before their eyes.” Salter added, “You can push a button and see a bar graph display the relative savings over time. This makes it possible for a father or mother to show children the difference conservation steps make. Showing what happens when someone forgets to turn things off compared to a similar period of time when the family cooperated to save energy and dollars makes an important point to children. It also says parents can tell if the family rules were followed or not even days later if helps children learn good habits. Aztech can see some parents rewarding good behavior with special treats earned from energy conservation.”
Muysson pointed out the In-Home display production version uses a brighter screen to display information now easily readable from over fifteen feet away. The arched light bar at the top of the In-Home Display shows usage and rate information at a glance and special colorful light patterns can be programmed in on request to display messages from the utility company about service restoration for hours after an interruption using the back-up battery that comes with the In-Home Display. “This one feature can save a utility call center from being overloaded with questions during an interruption,” said Muysson. “The utility can also use the messaging feature to warn customers about violent weather or other emergences in the interest of public safety using a special light pattern feature to call attention to the message.”

Aztech Offers In-Home Displays as part of a “Pilot Study In-a-Box” to utilities
Many utility customers have already benefited from using In-Home displays but the amount of savings achievable from wide scale deployment varies with local conditions. For utilities who wish to test the In-Home Display on a representative group of customers Aztech provides a Pilot Study In-a-Box. Complete instructions and software is included to permit an accurate assessment of the conservation savings available from deploying the Aztech In-Home display to a large number of customers from the results achieved in the Pilot Study.

In-Home Display Availability
Customized In-Home Displays are available from distributors worldwide. Please call Aztech for a distributor contact near you.

About Aztech
Founded in 1993, Aztech has become a worldwide leader in specialty asset tracking devices for the oil, gas and nuclear shipping industry. The company used their radio telemetry experience to develop the In-Home Display technology and will offer continuous product improvements including creating In-Home Displays for other companies in the energy conservation field. Aztech is committed to offering a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through information — viewable at any time, any place and on an Aztech device and the web.
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Aztech In-Home Display is a registered trademark of Aztech Associates Inc. in the United States, Canada and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

For more information about Aztech Associates Inc.:
Geoff Salter, 613-384-9400 ext 24, gsalter@aztechinc.com