Verdiem, Puget Sound Energy, and Issaquah Schools Make PCs Run Green.

Business Editors/High-Tech & Energy Writers

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 2004

Issaquah School District Joins the Growing List of Northwest

Institutions Partnering with Their Utilities to Add Energy-Saving

Software to Their Networks and Reap Cost Savings

Always on the hunt for ways to operate more efficiently and reduce costs, the Issaquah School District has found a source of energy savings right under their students' fingers: the district's 5,000 personal computers. The 14,000-pupil school system east of Seattle, Washington, has invested in a software product from Verdiem Corporation that will measure, manage, and minimize the electrical consumption of the PCs spread throughout the Issaquah network. And to make sure that the software's payback begins as soon as possible, the purchase has been speeded by Issaquah's power supplier, Puget Sound Energy (PSE), in the form of a 50% rebate that has already gone back to the district.

PCs are prodigious energy users. Not because of each computer's individual consumption, but because of their increasing numbers in organizations of all shapes and sizes. According to studies by the Department of Energy and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories, the average PC can waste 100-300 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year simply by using full-power modes when no user is present. In school environments this waste can mount even higher, with classrooms and student labs full of PCs that frequently run through nights and weekends.

The Surveyor Network Energy Manager, Verdiem's signature product, allows network IT and MIS administrators to easily synchronize PC power settings throughout a district and enable low-power modes from one central location. The product can tell PCs to shut down automatically after-hours, periodically check to ensure that established energy efficiency polices are in place, and provide detailed reports on its own effectiveness in either kilowatt-hours saved or in dollars saved.

Puget Sound Energy, Verdiem, and the Issaquah School District worked together to establish a three-way partnership that delivered energy and cost savings to the district. Tests of Surveyor's energy-saving capabilities started at two Issaquah locations last year, confirming that the software would unobtrusively save a minimum 113 kWh per year on each PC, while delivering a simple payback in 12 to 18 months. PSE then offered to rebate 50% of the district's purchase price, dramatically shortening the payback time, and Issaquah Assistant Superintendent Dean Mack gave his approval for the purchase. According to Mack, "We're always looking for ways to save energy and money. With Surveyor's good test results and PSE's pivotal contribution, we were ready to go ahead. It's since been rolled out to over 90% of the district."

This isn't the first time a power company, a software maker, and a school district have come together to provide a solution that saves energy and money for cash-strapped school systems. Last year, the Snohomish Public Utility District became the first public power provider to support Surveyor's purchase in the education sector by paying 50% of Surveyor's cost for two customers -- Edmonds School District and Edmonds Community College. Since then, over 4,000 PCs in these locations have been quietly saving energy dollars -- right under their students' fingers.

About Verdiem

Verdiem (formerly EZConserve) is the leading developer of energy efficiency software for computer networks. Verdiem's Surveyor Network Energy Manager is a software utility that allows school districts, community colleges, and other public-sector organizations to painlessly reduce the energy consumption of their PC networks, reduce their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, and achieve a rapid payback. The development of Surveyor was supported by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, and the product has been approved as a conservation measure by the utilities and power producers throughout North America. Visit Verdiem's web site at www.verdiem.com or the Alliance's website at www.nwalliance.org for more information.