Southern Pine Electric Power Association (SPEPA) Selects SmartSynch to Develop Smart Grid Infrastructure for Commercial and Industrial Customers

Innovative technology to enable SPEPA to extend energy management and efficiency benefits to larger energy consumers in central and southern Mississippi

Jackson, MS — October 15, 2009

SmartSynch, Inc., a Smart Grid infrastructure company utilizing  standard IP communications via public wireless networks, will help Southern Pine Electric Power Association develop a smart grid infrastructure to support energy management and efficiency activities for its commercial & industrial (C&I) customers in central and southern Mississippi. SPEPA will deploy 700 SmartSynch A3 SmartMeters™ throughout its 11-county footprint – making them the first electric cooperative in Mississippi to capitalize on SmartSynch’s partnership with AT&T to make smart grid technology utilizing existing public wireless networks an economically viable option for energy providers.

SmartSynch’s SmartMeter™ solutions measure how much electricity is used throughout the day, and enable utilities to retrieve, monitor and trend this data in 15-minute intervals via existing public wireless networks and the Internet. SPEPA customers may in turn tailor their daily energy consumption around this data, thus creating potential for reducing their monthly electricity bill and, at a broader level, contributing to global energy conservation. SmartSynch’s technology will also help SPEPA provide faster and safer response to customer service requests and power outages, while reducing meter reading and work order costs. SmartSynch is the only company in this industry to utilize public wireless networks on such a grand scale, having successfully introduced multiple smart grid solutions for more than 100 North American utilities.

“We believe SmartSynch’s technology provides more consistent data in a timelier manner, and is superior, where the multiple-channel, high-data requirements of our highest revenue customers are concerned,” said Jason Siegfried, Special Projects Coordinator for SPEPA. “From a value standpoint, leveraging AT&T’s wireless network enables us to strategically deploy solutions with ease, where they are most needed, and avoid spending capital building a proprietary communications network to retrieve the data they collect.”

Earlier this year, AT&T and SmartSynch unveiled a plan to provide utilities with a cost-effective option for leveraging smart grid technology to enable a point-to-point, IP-based configuration to residential and commercial/industrial customers.

“This is significant because it demonstrates how our solutions are uniquely qualified to provide power companies and their customers – regardless of size or geographic location – the detailed usage data needed to more effectively manage energy consumption,” said Stephen Johnston, SmartSynch’s Chief Executive Officer. “With SPEPA’s service territory ranging from densely populated areas to remote geographic locations, the functionality and economic advantages of utilizing AT&T’s secure public wireless network are unmatched.”

About SmartSynch
SmartSynch has been the only provider of standard, IP communicating end-to-end smart grid solutions utilizing public wireless networks for the utility industry since 2000. Our clean-tech innovations in the two-way delivery of real-time energy usage data over public wireless networks, in lieu of proprietary networks, have to date simplified deployments for 100 major North American utilities, while enabling their clean-energy initiatives and delivering greater Returns on Resources.

As a smart grid infrastructure company, SmartSynch’s IP-based solutions are capable of delivering grid intelligence to and from any device. Our products and services include SmartMeters™ and SmartBoxes™ that immediately IP-enable the grid, software solutions, and network management services for utilities and their customers, as well as clean-tech companies in need of remote communications and control functionality for products ranging from solar panels to plug-in hybrid vehicles.

IP-based public wireless networks enable utilities to strategically and rapidly deploy more secure and scalable smart grid solutions with minimal capital expenditures. IP networks and solutions may be remotely upgraded to interface with new technologies, since they are built upon open standards and leverage existing programs and tools. SmartSynch’s IP-based Smart Grid communications infrastructure encourages rapid application innovation and delivery of new functionality by allowing the broadest spectrum of ecosystem participants to focus on providing maximum benefits to utilities and their customers.

About SPEPA
Chartered in 1938 to serve 481 homes and farms, Southern Pine Electric Power Association has grown to be one of the largest electric cooperatives in the country. With 10,000 miles of distribution line, SPEPA serves over 64,000 meters in its eleven county service area. Annually, SPEPA delivers approximately two billion kilowatt hours to a diverse membership of residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial customers.

SPEPA recognizes the important role technology plays in its future and has several smart grid initiatives in place including advanced metering infrastructure and meter data management. With SPEPA’s mission being to provide reliable, safe, and efficient service at an affordable price, a prudent effort is made to keep the members’ best interest at the forefront when making technology investment decisions.

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