Frost & Sullivan Honors Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation and Madison Water Utility with Excellence in Resourcefulness Awards at Itron Utility Week

LIBERTY LAKE, Wash. — Oct. 16, 2017 — Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), a world-leading technology and services company dedicated to the resourceful use of energy and water, announced today that Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation (Central Hudson) and the City of Madison, Wisconsin’s water utility (Madison Water Utility) have been recognized with this year’s Frost & Sullivan’s Excellence in Resourcefulness Awards during Itron Utility Week in Houston, Texas. The annual awards honor utilities who have demonstrated their commitment and ability to significantly reduce wasted energy and water based on a recent and successful technology implementation.

 

Central Hudson, a subsidiary of Fortis Inc., is a transmission and distribution energy company serving approximately 300,000 electric and 80,000 natural gas customers in eight counties of New York State’s Mid-Hudson Valley. The energy company was recognized for its demand response program, CenHub Peak Perks, developed as part of a 10-year plan to address future capacity issues by considering non-wires alternatives. Targeting three distinct zones in Central Hudson’s service territory, the carefully crafted program serves residential, small business and large commercial and industrial customers. The foundation for the program is the Itron IntelliSOURCE Enterprise demand response management system that automates every phase of the program and enables control of demand response assets in the field. Central Hudson has installed Wi-Fi smart thermostats for controlling HVAC loads as well as load control switches for HVAC and pool pumps. Customers with the installed Wi-Fi thermostats also receive a web portal that enables them to manage their home's heating and cooling system securely through their smart phone, tablet or computer.

 

According to Frost & Sullivan, Central Hudson “demonstrated an exemplary project that is based on a comprehensive vision, the identification of strong technology partners and automated technologies,” earning it this year’s excellence award for energy resourcefulness.

 

Madison Water Utility, which provides water to more than 250,000 customers in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area, was recognized for the implementation of Project H2O. The rollout of this project included installing 66,000 Itron water communication modules in homes and businesses to improve billing accuracy, enhance customer engagement and accurately detect water leaks in a timely manner. The smart water AMI program enabled Madison Water Utility to respond to residential leaks within 72 hours of detection. With this program, customers can track hourly water usage and set limits on a yearly, monthly and daily basis, which empowered about 4,000 customers to sign up for threshold usage and nearly 10,000 to actively monitor their usage online. According to Frost & Sullivan, Madison Water Utility “has demonstrated exceptional results from both societal and business standpoints,” earning it this year’s excellence award for water resourcefulness.  

 

“The winners of this year’s Frost & Sullivan’s Excellence in Resourcefulness Awards both succeeded in creating commendable programs that manage water and energy more resourcefully. Central Hudson’s program empowered its customers to closely monitor electricity usage, lowering overall consumption, which distinguished them as clear winner in the energy category,” said Farah Saaed, global program manager digital grids at Frost & Sullivan. “The clear vision and smooth rollout of Madison Water Utility’s smart water program directly benefited customers with reduced water bills and detailed usage information, making them the exemplary winner in the water category.”  

 

As a part of the selection process, Frost & Sullivan conducted in-depth research and interviews, and evaluated utilities against industry best practices and the decision criteria, including societal impact and business impact for each category. Indicators for societal impact included improving customer awareness and participation; enabling behavioral change to reduce waste through customer engagement and technology-driven programs; and yielding impressive waste reduction results that benefit the overall served community. Indicators for business impact included drafting a clear vision to address excessive waste through technology implementation; achieving operational effectiveness as a result of successful strategy for sustainability; and strengthening a utility’s brand image as a leader for sustainability.