NORCROSS, Ga., Oct. 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comverge, Inc., the leading provider of Intelligent Energy Management solutions for Residential and Commercial & Industrial (C&I) customers, today congratulated its partner Gulf Power Company on the enrollment of 10,000 participants in the country's most successful automated dynamic pricing program. By offering both Time of Use (TOU) and Critical Peak Pricing (CPP), Gulf Power's Energy Select program is designed to deliver increased control and comfort to customers while also helping lower peak demand. The program has resulted in customer satisfaction rates as high as 97 percent, allowed program participants to take advantage of lower energy prices 87 percent of the time and delivered reliable peak demand reduction to Gulf Power.
"This is an important milestone for an automated residential dynamic pricing program and we'd like to congratulate the team at Gulf Power on the incredible results they are achieving with their Energy Select program," said Comverge President and CEO, R. Blake Young. "The success of this program highlights how using technology to automate dynamic pricing can significantly increase peak demand reduction and customer value. We are proud to be partnering with Gulf Power on this program and expect a range of utilities — from investor-owned to publicly-owned to cooperatives — to start taking advantage of automated dynamic pricing programs."
Gulf Power's Energy Select Program gives customers greater control over their energy usage by allowing them to automate the control of high-energy use appliances to automatically respond to pricing tiers and dynamic price signals. To operate the program, Gulf Power uses the Comverge IntelliSOURCE demand response management system (DRMS) and Comverge's portfolio of intelligent energy management devices. IntelliSOURCE enables Gulf Power to send near real-time price signals to the appliances which automatically respond by using the pre-programmed settings. This approach not only increases customer engagement, but importantly provides Gulf Power with reliable capacity that can be dispatched at the push of a button.
"Reaching this important milestone is a testament to the ongoing success of the Energy Select program," said David Eggart, Program Manager, Energy Select, Gulf Power. "We have worked closely with Comverge on the Energy Select program for the last 12 years and the customer satisfaction and operational results we have achieved are remarkable. Earlier this year we extended our partnership with Comverge and we are excited to continue to grow the program so more of our customers can benefit from having greater control of their energy use to lower their electricity bills."
Building on the success of the Gulf Power program and its extensive experience deploying sophisticated dynamic pricing programs, Comverge recently launched Comverge SmartPrice. An intelligent dynamic pricing solution, SmartPrice helps utilities quickly and cost-effectively realize the kind of benefits that Gulf Power has achieved with its Energy Select program. An integrated suite of hardware and software, SmartPrice also offers flexible deployment options by either using a consumer's broadband network, a cellular network or the utility's Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to enable a two-way information exchange.
About Comverge
Comverge delivers a comprehensive suite of intelligent energy management solutions that enable utilities, grid operators, and commercial and industrial organizations to optimize their energy usage in order to reduce costs, meet regulatory requirements, and support sustainability initiatives. With 30 years of experience helping customers implement innovative Demand-Side Management programs, Comverge has deployed more than five and a half million energy management devices, recruited over one million residential customers into mass market demand response programs, and served thousands of commercial & industrial customers. For more information, visit www.comverge.com and follow us at @Comverge on Twitter.
About Gulf Power
Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 430,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company's mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity while strengthening our communities. Visit online at GulfPower.com or on the company's Facebook page, "Gulf Power Company."