Trilliant Opens the Market for UK Smart Meter Roll-out

WINDSOR, England, November 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Smart Grid Leader Launches Industry Interoperability Group, Helping UK households to Unlock Potential Savings of 938M pounds Sterling a year

Today, global smart grid communications leader, Trilliant, has launched an Interoperability Group, which unifies multiple home energy management devices within a single eco-system.  The formation of the Group provides utilities with a clear, low risk route to help consumers cut their energy bills by up to 10% - by installing smart meters. 

The Interoperability Group is built around the Trilliant Communications Hub, which is the first generally available hub designed to support the initial deployment stage of smart meters and the first to address issues of multi-supplier and multi-device interoperability from the ground up.  It is already being delivered through a partnership between Trilliant and one of the 'big six' UK utility companies.

The Communications Hub Interoperability Group is a robust alliance, providing a simpler, cost effective way for UK utilities to adopt smart metering and to expedite the benefits of money saving energy management technology to consumers.  The benefits of deploying interoperable products will be manifold for utilities, government and consumers - lower development costs; introduction of consumer choice and less complex deployments.

Recent research commissioned by the European Smart Metering Industry Group found that UK households have the potential to achieve annual savings of 938 million pounds a year by measuring and managing their electricity use using smart meters.  The Government has identified smart meters as a key energy efficiency technology and is aiming for 52 million smart meters to be installed in 30 million homes and businesses in the UK between 2014 and 2019.  One of the key barriers to this roll out is the technical complexity of the multiple energy management devices on the market.  By unifying these manufacturers, Trilliant is aiming to limit the time and expense of separate standalone equipment roll-outs, and provide a simpler, more robust offering for utilities.

Jon Parr, Managing Director, EMEA, Trilliant, said:

"The Government has set an ambitious, but achievable, target for utilities to roll out smart meters in UK homes and businesses.  The Interoperability Group helps utilities start the roll-out faster, with less risk, by offering them an environment where multiple energy management devices and technologies can securely and effectively talk to one another."

The products brought to market through the Interoperability Group will cover a wide range of products, technologies and approaches, but are all oriented towards providing consumers with better information about their energy consumption, and empowering those consumers to make better decisions about energy use. 

Eight industry players and in-home display providers have come together within Trilliant's Interoperability Group, such as leading energy and water resource management solution provider, Itron, as well as Onzo a global leader in data and analytics for utilities, plus Chameleon, a manufacturer of smart meter in-home displays.

Joel Hagan, CEO, Onzo Ltd, said:

"Onzo is committed to providing products that empower consumers to take control of their energy, as well as meet the requirements of utilities and regulators. Onzo are delighted to be part of the Trilliant eco-system, which will create robust interoperability between different manufacturers, promoting innovation and customer choice, as well as significantly simplifying the complexities of the UK smart meter roll-out."

Mike Woodhall, Managing Director, Chameleon, said:

"The next two years is a critical period in the run-up to the mandated mass roll out of smart meters. By joining the Interoperability Group, Chameleon is playing its part in the simplification of technologies deployed in the marketplace. Interoperability is crucial to the positive engagement of customers. This, in turn, is vital to a successful roll out for the whole country. Through collaboration with other manufacturers on the open Trilliant platform we can help to bring immediate value to utilities and their customers."

About Trilliant

Trilliant provides communications solutions that deliver the benefits of the Smart Grid to utilities and their customers worldwide. These benefits include enhanced energy efficiency, improved grid reliability, lower operating costs and integration of renewable energy resources. Trilliant has more than 200 utility customers including Centrica, Iberdrola USA and Hydro One Networks, and is backed by prominent investors such as ABB, GE, Investor Growth Capital, MissionPoint Capital Partners, UMC Capital, VantagePoint Capital Partners and zouk ventures. For more information, visit http://www.trilliantinc.com.

About Onzo

Onzo is a global leader in big data and analytics for utilities. Onzo delivers valuable insight from the analysis of energy use and other data, transforming customer relationships, improving energy efficiency, shifting peak demand, offering new energy services and reducing operational costs.

Onzo's unique approach combines utility sector experience with an advanced capability in data analytics to create smart solutions that require minimal hardware, making it economic to deploy them at scale for the mass-market. Onzo's sensor, gateway and software enable high resolution energy use readings to be collected and returned from smart and non-smart meters. Its Data Analysis Engine is capable of handling different data resolutions from monthly to one-second reads, and can process trillions of data readings, extracting valuable insights, including the identification of individual appliances from whole house data.  Onzo offers a full range of customer touchpoints including a web portal, printed report, display, smartphone, email and SMS alerts. http://www.onzo.com

About Chameleon

Chameleon Technology creates innovative in-home displays and related feedback and awareness products for the global smart metering market.

Based on the most up-to-date technologies, its suite of products is stylish, practical, clever and easy to use. Chameleon's range of products comprise:

• IHDs for smart meters
• Intelligent Plugs
• Satellite Ambient Devices
• Apps for mobile and computer

Chameleon IHDs and associated services will help energy companies to personalise products and tariffs for existing customers, thus increasing customer loyalty and improving debt management.

With significant increases in energy costs expected over the coming years, alongside a stronger global commitment to environmental considerations, the importance of monitoring and reducing energy consumption will be at the top of the utility agenda for the foreseeable future. Chameleon Technology is perfectly placed to be an essential part of this process. http://www.chameleontechnology.co.uk