Cadence Joins Enermetrix.com Exchange for Energy E-commerce; Cadence to Use Internet Exchange to Obtain Best-Cost, Low-Risk Energy Contracts for Large National Chains.

Business/Technology Editors

MAYNARD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 17, 2000

Enermetrix.com, the leader in Internet commerce for energy, today announced that Cadence, a B2B e-commerce provider of facility and energy cost-reduction services, has joined Enermetrix.com's Exchange to provide The Cadence Network, Cadence's facility cost-reduction Web portal, with a simple, cost-saving energy purchasing system. Cadence will use the Enermetrix.com Exchange to further reduce facility service costs for national chains.

"In today's deregulating energy market, companies have more control over their purchases," said Mark Shunk, president and CEO of Cadence. "By joining Enermetrix.com's Internet energy exchange, Cadence will be able to offer a more efficient and targeted energy supply purchasing process to our customer base. That expanded solution set is quickly differentiating The Cadence Network as the leading online marketplace for facility cost reduction services."

The Cadence Network captures various facility expense information and presents that information via the Web, allowing customers to track costs by site, region or division. By adopting Enermetrix.com's Exchange, The Cadence Network will be able to increase the efficiency by which companies procure their energy, subsequently lowering their costs.

"Energy e-commerce is quickly becoming the best way for businesses to acquire natural gas and electricity," said Jeff DeWeese, president and COO of Enermetrix.com. "Cadence joins a rapidly growing list of energy service companies that are adopting Enermetrix.com's Exchange to help their customers make smart, efficient and cost-effective energy purchases."

Enermetrix.com offers the energy industry a system that completely manages the deregulation of energy markets in a manner that is beneficial for all of the market participants. Using the Web as a fast and efficient medium for matching available energy with consumer needs, Enermetrix.com standardizes the data exchanged in the transaction and allows buyers and sellers to execute much quicker and lower risk contracts. Enermetrix.com's Exchange allows customers to post their energy needs, including terms and conditions, online. Pre-qualified suppliers electronically enter bids to supply and deliver the energy. The best bid is electronically accepted in a real-time transaction.

About Cadence

Cadence is a B2B e-commerce company that specializes in facility cost-reduction services for national chains. The Cadence Network currently impacts the essential-service purchases of over 60,000 individual locations in North America in a variety of industries including retail, grocery, hospitality, financial services and restaurants. Cadence investors include Cinergy Corp., Florida Progress, New Century Energies, Insight Capital Partners, a global private equity firm, and MSD Capital, the private investment firm for Michael Dell. For more information, call [phone] or visit Cadence online at www.cadencenetwork.com.

About Enermetrix.com

Enermetrix.com is a privately held company headquartered in Maynard, Massachusetts, with operations throughout the United States. The Company created and operates the nation's most active Internet exchange for commercial, industrial and other aggregate energy transactions. Enermetrix.com is the leading provider of Internet commerce solutions to utilities, energy service companies and corporate energy buyers. Enermetrix.com revolutionizes how companies manage their business in deregulating energy markets.

InformationWeek named Enermetrix.com one of the top 100 E-businesses of 1999. In addition, the Company has twice been awarded the prestigious CIO WebBusiness 50/50 Award and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates nominated the Company for the highly distinguished Computerworld Smithsonian Institute Award for achievement in technology.

The Company's investors include InSight Capital Partners; GE Capital, a Company of General Electric (NYSE: GE); Duquesne Enterprises, a subsidiary of DQE, Inc. (NYSE: DQE); and Unitil Corporation (AMEX: UTL). For additional information regarding Enermetrix.com, visit the Company's Web site at www.enermetrix.com or call [phone].