OTTAWA, July 29, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Energate Inc., a leading provider of interactive energy management solutions that enable next generation energy management and that support the connected home, announced that PowerStream and Newmarket-Tay Power Distribution are both leveraging Energate's Consumer Connected Demand Response™ (CCDR) platform and the Sensus FlexNet™ communication system to deliver Ontario Power Authority's (OPA) peaksaver® PLUS program to residential customers as a means of reducing energy consumption during periods of peak demand.

This two-way Demand Response (DR) platform also provides customers with Wi-Fi connectivity to Energate's Consumer Portal and Mobile Application, giving consumers real-time visibility of their energy usage and convenient control of their usage with web and mobile tools, in-home information, and price responsive automatic load management. The Sensus FlexNet™ communication system is a long-range radio network that serves as a dedicated and secure two-way communications highway and requires less infrastructure than competing solutions.

"I am very pleased with Energate's CCDR platform and that Newmarket-Tay was able to be the first utility to have it installed over the Sensus FlexNet™ communication network," said Paul Ferguson, President and CEO of Newmarket-Tay Power Distribution. "It is clear to me that this is exactly the type of technology that we need to help us manage loads with a positive customer experience. I think that Energate is one of the industry's best kept secrets."

Newmarket-Tay Power Distribution, with over 30,000 residential customers, and PowerStream, the second largest municipally-owned local distribution company (LDC) in Ontario delivering power to more than 335,000 customers, are being followed by North Bay, Innisfil, Wasaga, Lakefront, Orillia, Orangeville and Sudbury LDCs who all have existing Sensus FlexNet™ communication systems.

CCDR is a comprehensive suite of hardware and software solutions that bridge the gap between utilities, aggregators, local distribution companies, and consumers. It does so by delivering to utilities a load management system that provides the ability to reduce peak demand with ad hoc or scheduled events. CCDR also provides consumers with ZigBee® and Wi-Fi-enabled smart thermostats, load control switches (both wired and plug-in), in-home displays, and mobile applications and web portals to help them make informed energy consumption choices. The consumer enablement dovetails with the smart energy programs being offered by utilities providing a positive experience.

"Energate's CCDR platform's end-to-end interoperability with our FlexNet™ communications network provides a powerful energy management solution for utilities and consumers," said Greg Myers, Vice President, Global Energy and Lighting at Sensus. "This is an important deployment of an end-to-end technology solution that enables utilities to communicate with their customers' home area networks."

PowerStream and Newmarket-Tay Power Distribution have deployed Energate's Foundation™, the industry's first extensible Home Energy Gateway that supports utility residential DR programs. Foundation™ combines an in-home display, load control, load management, automatic dynamic price response and an industry-leading smart thermostat in a simple, single unit with multi–radio capability. These combined capabilities provide information, insights, and control to monitor and manage all the home's energy usage.

"It is exciting to see Energate's CCDR platform fully integrated with the Sensus FlexNet™ communication network go live. Being the first third-party vendor to be end-to-end qualified by Sensus and then the first to go live is another validation of Energate's leadership in bringing utilities, aggregators, and local distribution companies fully integrated solutions that address peak energy use now and in the future," said Steve Dodds, Energate's Chief Executive Officer. "By working seamlessly between Sensus' network and Energate's CCDR platform, PowerStream's and Newmarket-Tay Power Distribution demand response initiative has become an excellent showcase for other utilities across North America."

About Energate

Energate Inc. provides interactive energy management solutions that enable next-generation energy management and the connected home. Energate's products include devices, middleware, and applications. With its Internet of Things interoperable architecture, Energate's vertically integrated Consumer Connected Demand Response™ platform provides management of two-way communication, devices, and demand response events. Energate's solutions have been employed by over 40 North American utilities.

About Sensus

Sensus is a leading clean technology solutions company offering smart meters, communication systems, software and services for the electric, gas, and water industries. Sensus technology helps utilities drive operational efficiency and customer engagement with applications that include advanced meter reading, data acquisition, demand response, distribution automation, home area networking and outdoor lighting control. Customers worldwide trust the innovation, quality and reliability of Sensus solutions for the intelligent use and conservation of energy and water. Learn more at www.sensus.com. To follow Twitter updates from Sensus, visit http://twitter.com/sensussmartgrid.

About Newmarket-Tay Power Distribution Ltd.

NewmarketTay Power Distribution (NTPD) is the local electricity distribution utility responsible for serving over 30,000 residential and business customers in Newmarket and Tay Township, Ontario. An industry leader and innovator in electricity distribution systems, NTPD is widely regarded as a utility with successful experience in managing community based conservation programs.