SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 28, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DistribuTECH -- Comverge, Inc., the leading provider of Intelligent Energy Management solutions for residential and commercial & industrial (C&I) customers, today announced that it has been selected by Fort Collins Utilities to implement an innovative residential demand response program. Using Comverge IntelliSOURCE software, IntelliTEMP DirectLink smart thermostats, IntelliPEAK DirectLink control switches and OpenADR protocol, the system relies on customer broadband connections to enable the robust information exchange required to deploy successful two-way demand response programs.
Fort Collins Utilities serves a city of approximately 148,000 residents with 65,000 electric and 34,000 water meters. The new Comverge demand response program, which is part of the Advanced Meter Fort Collins project, will help Fort Collins Utilities achieve the community's energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Comverge will deploy IntelliSOURCE, a powerful enterprise software platform that automates the lifecycle of a demand response program. Fort Collins Utilities will use IntelliSOURCE for program management; load and load reduction forecasting; event dispatch; post-event management; customer enrollment and provisioning and commissioning and management of devices over broadband and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) communications. Fort Collins customers will be able to manage their participation in the program and remotely control their thermostats via a customer portal on either a desktop or mobile device.
The Comverge solution allows Fort Collins Utilities to fully automate its demand response program and achieve rapid, predictable results when called upon. The hardware devices will use customer Wi-Fi connections to enable a rapid two-way information exchange. The "always on" DirectLink hardware solutions improve demand response programs by more precisely forecasting load drop available for a control event, monitoring the actual performance of connected devices and load drop during an event, and enabling real-time adjustments to the control strategy.
Once the hardware implementations are complete, Fort Collins Utilities and Comverge will implement the new IntelliSOURCE advanced applications for demand management optimization. These applications enable greater precision with load forecasting, as well as incorporate customer purchased hardware devices.
Fort Collins will then use the system to more accurately capture the peak hour of the year; run events of greater value to Platte River Power Authority (PRPA), the generation utility; and also enable Fort Collins and PRPA to use the load to participate in potential energy markets.
"We look forward to being able to offer this technology to engage our residential and commercial customers in an ongoing dialog on their energy use, and provide a load resource that is reliable and easily controlled," said Steve Catanach, Fort Collins Utilities Operations Manager.
Fort Collins also selected IntelliSUPPORT, Comverge's installation and customer care services, to deploy the hardware devices.
"We are pleased to be partnering with a forward-thinking utility like Fort Collins Utilities as it deploys its new demand response program with two-way communications," said Brent Dreher, SVP, Utilities, Comverge. "By selecting Comverge, Fort Collins will benefit from our proven expertise deploying successful demand response programs. With our innovative software and hardware solutions that enable a rich two-way exchange of information, Fort Collins will be able to transform the way it interacts with customers while also contributing to meeting its energy efficiency and other community goals."
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 on Twitter at @Comverge.