Toronto Hydro-Electric deploys Energy Axis meters

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - Toronto Hydro-Electric will deploy 400,000 EnergyAxis electricity meters for the first phase of the Ontario Smart Meter Initiative, one of the largest AMI projects in the world using interval data for residential metering.

Toronto Hydro-Electric System selected Elster's EnergyAxis System after piloting a variety of technologies and completing a competitive bid process. The system enables Toronto Hydro-Electric System to collect hourly interval and time-of-use metering data on electricity consumption from apartments, townhouses, and single-family residences. The system also has a two-way controlled mesh network which has the ability to penetrate most meter rooms, parking decks, and foliage in a dense urban environment.

Toronto Hydro-Electric System is committed to fulfilling its obligations under the Government of Ontario's Smart Meter Initiative, which is designed to help meet electricity demand challenges in the province. The Government of Ontario has established targets for the installation of 800,000 smart electricity meters by December 31, 2007 and the installation of smart electricity meters for all of the over 4.5 million Ontario electricity consumers by December 31, 2010.

"After testing the system for a year we concluded that the EnergyAxis System is suited for our interval data metering needs," says Blair Peberdy, vice president of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs at Toronto Hydro Corporation. "Elster Metering (Canada) has to date demonstrated its ability to meet Toronto Hydro's requirements for reliable delivery of large quantities of Measurement Canada sealed meters and provide local technical support."

"We are excited that Toronto Hydro has chosen to implement the EnergyAxis System to meet the Government of Ontario's Smart Meter Initiative," stated Jack Robertson, vice president and general manager of Elster Metering in Canada. "Toronto Hydro has put together an impressive program to meet its commitments to the Smart Meter Initiative. The company has a very knowledgeable team that understands the technology options and what it takes to make a project of this size a reality. I am very pleased at the confidence they have shown in Elster to deliver the technology they need now, and for the future."