TORONTO, Aug. 14, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Longo's, a family-run grocery chain with 18 stores throughout the Greater Toronto Area, announced today that it is participating in the "Count Me In! Community Challenge," a friendly competition between more than 80 communities in Ontario commemorating the anniversary of the August 14, 2003 blackout.
"As a family-run business with deep ties to the communities we serve, Longo's is proud to participate in the 'Count Me In! Community Challenge' as a way to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability," said Jerry Buligan, Director Risk Management, Longo's.
Longo's Walkers Line store (2900 Walkers Line, Burlington, Ontario) will participate in the "Count Me In! Community Challenge" by enacting its demand response energy reduction plan from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. local time. Longo's energy reduction plan includes dimming non-essential lights and implementing other energy savings measures. Longo's has partnered with EnerNOC, Ltd. (Nasdaq:ENOC), a demand response provider located in Oakville, Ontario, to participate in the Challenge, and more broadly, to enroll approximately a dozen of Longo's sites into the Ontario Power Authority's (OPA) Demand Response 3 (DR3) Program.
When Ontario's electricity system requires peak-load shedding, the OPA dispatches EnerNOC's demand response network, which responds by enacting the energy reduction plans of its network. In exchange for their participation, businesses in EnerNOC's network receive financial incentives for standing by, ready to respond, as well as additional payments based on how well they perform during an event. EnerNOC customers also receive free basic access to PowerTrak(r), EnerNOC's energy management software application, which enables sites to identify new energy efficiency opportunities.
"Demand response is a key strategy for managing Ontario's electricity supply and will become increasingly important in the future," said Ontario Power Authority Vice President, Communications, Ben Chin. "Companies that participate in a demand response program are demonstrating a savvy business outlook; they're also contributing to Ontario's ability to meet the most ambitious conservation targets in North America."
"Better energy management isn't just an environmental imperative -- it's also a business imperative. We're proud to enable Longo's participation in the 'Count Me In! Community Challenge,' and more importantly, help businesses throughout Ontario take a proactive approach to better energy management," said Gregg Dixon, EnerNOC's Senior Vice President of Marketing.
"At Longo's we feel that community initiatives such as this one that have the added bonus of creating a positive environmental impact is a clear win-win situation. By participating in the Challenge, we'll be doing our part to try and ensure that the power blackout of 2003 is not repeated, and yet at the same time, we expect that our customers will be minimally impacted during any power curtailment periods," explained Mr. Buligan. Longo's expects to have 10 of its 18 stores participating in the program.
About the Ontario Power Authority's "Count Me In! Community Challenge"
"Count Me In! Community Challenge Day" is part of a broader effort to help Ontario achieve the most ambitious conservation targets in North America -- the equivalent of taking 1 in 5 electricity users off the grid by the end of 2025 -- and to create a true "culture of conservation."
It is an extension of the "Blackout Day Challenge" developed by the City of Woodstock. It has been organized by the Ontario Power Authority in conjunction with Mayor Michael Harding of Woodstock and is supported by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the Electricity Distributors Association, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Hydro One, and the Independent Electricity System Operator, which is responsible for assessing the outcome of the megawatt challenge.
Results of the province-wide challenge will be announced at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario Annual Conference on the morning of August 19th in Ottawa. For more information, visit the website at: www.countmeinontario.ca.
About Longo's
A family-owned organization, Longo's first opened its doors in Toronto in 1956 and now has 18 stores across the Greater Toronto Area, with more scheduled to open soon. Inspired by their founders, Longo's team of food experts are dedicated to exceeding customer expectations by offering the best food experience to every customer every time by providing Fresh & Unique Offerings; Everyday Foods & Groceries; Services for Ease; and Education and Ideas for Adventures in Food.
About EnerNOC
EnerNOC, Inc. (Nasdaq:ENOC) is a leading provider of clean and intelligent energy solutions, which include demand response services, energy efficiency, or monitoring-based commissioning services, energy procurement services, and emissions tracking and trading services. These solutions help optimize the balance of electric supply and demand, provide cost-efficient alternatives to traditional power generation, transmission, and distribution resources, and drive significant cost-savings for its customers. The Company uses its Network Operations Center, or NOC, and PowerTrak(r) enterprise software platform to remotely manage and reduce electricity consumption across a growing network of commercial, institutional, and industrial customer sites, making demand response capacity available to grid operators and utilities on demand while helping end-users of electricity achieve energy savings, environmental benefits, and improved financial results. For more information visit www.enernoc.com.
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