Albany Water, Gas & Light to Use Mobile AMR for All Meters, All Types.

Business Editors

SPOKANE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 7, 2003

Itron Inc. (Nasdaq:ITRI) -- By the summer of 2004, the Albany, Ga., Water, Gas & Light Commission will be reading all of its gas, water and electric meters via mobile automated meter reading (AMR) technology, the utility announced today. Through a business arrangement facilitated by Hometown Connections, the utility will install Itron Inc.'s AMR system to download usage data to vehicle-based collection units from more than 94,000 meters.

A subsidiary of the American Public Power Association and a licensed Business Associate of Itron, Hometown Connections negotiates lower purchase prices and service arrangements from industry suppliers on behalf of all APPA members. Albany WG&L is an APPA member. With more than 2,800 clients worldwide, Itron is a leading global solutions provider and critical source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries.

Hometown Connections offers APPA members discounts on meter reading technology that allows any size utility to quickly or gradually expand into fully automated meter reading. For example, a utility can start with a handheld device into which meter readers manually type data. ERT (encoder, receiver, transmitter) modules can be installed on the meters to allow for radio transmission of readings to the handheld device or to mobile data collection units in a vehicle. Over the next 12 months, Albany WG&L will be converting some of its existing meters and replacing others with new units fitted with ERTs. The utility will then read the meters from a mobile unit located in an existing utility vehicle.

John Hengesh, vice president and general manager of Itron's Water and Public Power Business Unit, said, "When the installation is complete in 2004, Albany WG&L will be among the first utilities in the United States to be using Mobile AMR for all of its gas, water and electric meters. The ability to collect data reliably and efficiently from all three meter types using the same AMR system on the same schedule is a critical capability for thousands of smaller utilities and municipalities that provide a combination of water, electric and gas service to their customers."

Itron's widely deployed Mobile AMR technology uses vehicles that drive by and read ERT module-equipped meters via radio without the need for a utility employee to get out of the vehicle to enter the property to access the meter. Mobile AMR also eliminates the problem of employees transposing figures or making other data entry errors when reading meters. Albany officials recognize that Mobile AMR saves staff time and money by dramatically improving meter reading efficiency and accuracy.

Lee Hauesler, assistant general manager, Albany WG&L, said, "We were struggling with a high-rate of turnover among our meter reading staff, spending large amounts of time training new employees. We were also losing revenue to theft and tampering, and we were looking at ways to reduce costs across all aspects of utility operations. When we approached our joint action agency in Georgia, MEAG Power, about automating the meter reading process for all of our residential meters, MEAG suggested we turn to Hometown Connections and Itron."

As an official sales affiliate of Hometown Connections, Georgia's MEAG Power played a central role in helping the Albany WG&L decide to install Itron's AMR solution for all of its meters. "Our utility has enjoyed a long and trusted relationship with our joint action agency, MEAG Power," Hauesler said. "When our friends at MEAG assured us of the best possible pricing on Itron equipment and pledged that staff members of MEAG and Hometown Connections would support the project planning and execution, we knew that Itron was the correct choice."

"With the selection of Itron's Mobile AMR, Albany has demonstrated its leadership in public power by leveraging state-of-the-art technology to enhance its meter reading process," said Tim Blodgett, president and chief executive officer, Hometown Connections. "From our work with hundreds of APPA members, we understand how carefully utilities make decisions about their metering systems. A poor choice of equipment or vendor can cripple operations. We selected Itron as the official meter reading partner of Hometown Connections because Itron's products are the best on the market today."

About Itron

Itron is a leading technology provider and critical source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries. More than 2,800 utilities worldwide rely on Itron technology to deliver the knowledge they require to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Itron delivers value to its clients by providing industry-leading solutions for meter data collection, energy information management, demand side management and response, load forecasting, analysis and consulting services, transmission and distribution system design and optimization, Web-based workforce automation, commercial and industrial customer care and residential energy management. For more information: www.itron.com.

About Hometown Connections International, LLC 

Hometown Connections is a majority-owned subsidiary of the American Public Power Association (APPA), a Washington, D.C.-based national service organization representing the interests of the nation's more than 2,000 community-and state-owned electric utilities. Hometown Connections supports APPA members by securing national group pricing and service arrangements from leading industry suppliers. For more information: www.hometownconnections.com.

About Albany Water, Gas & Light Commission

The City of Albany, Georgia Water Works was established in 1892, followed by The Albany Electric Plant, founded in 1900. In 1912, The Water, Gas and Electric Commission was created to serve the citizens in Albany and Dougherty County. WG&L also bills for the city's sewer and garbage collection. The utility's 271 employees serve 39,000 customers and maintain 99,000 meters. WG&L has over 395 miles of gas mains and 537 miles of water lines. For more information: www.albanyutil.org/site/.

Itron's website can be found at www.itron.com