OTTAWA, Canada, Jan. 21, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Energate, Inc., the leading provider of interactive energy management solutions, today announced that it is celebrating the company's ten-year anniversary. The company, that began its legacy a mere decade ago, has solidified itself as the premier solution for utility companies in North America—its Pioneer Smart Thermostat is in over 50,000 homes as part of Oklahoma Gas & Electric's SmartHours® program, part of OG&E's Positive Energy™ Smart Grid Program, which is the world's highest ranked Smart Grid project according to the Smart Grid 2013 Global Impact Report by VaasaETT Global Energy Think Tank.
To add to the celebratory nature of this anniversary, Energate's soon-to-be launched new brand will better reflect its position in the industry as the go-to-partner for interactive energy management. The new brand not only includes a completely updated look, but also, more importantly, a comprehensive infrastructure of communications vehicles that will vastly expand the amount and quality of information available to both the general public and utility companies.
"When we first founded Energate a decade ago, we had many different ideas on how the company could grow, but we knew that the combination of modern communications technology and energy management would be a huge opportunity," commented Michael Delage, cofounder of Energate. "Looking back at the evolution of our industry and the advent of the smart grid, Energate's team has been at the center of the connection to the home, and has made a profound impact on how people understand and control their energy use. I am overwhelmed with pride and admiration for all of those involved. It is a tremendous testament to the brilliant minds that drive Energate, from where we started in 2004 and the fledgling technology available at that time, to an industry leader in interactive energy management solutions."
Coupled with the company's banner decade, its celebration of 10 years in business, and an upcoming launch of its new brand, Energate is also promising a revolutionary new product that will deeply impact the way that utilities interact with their customers—bringing new heights to the data and control associated with Smart Grid technology. Though still confidential, the following statement was released by one of Energate's chief officers and founders:
"The driving force behind everything we do as a company is to ensure the best products and services—ones that continually challenge and exceed expectations—coupled with building the deepest trust of our clients," said Jorge Deligiannis, Energate's CTO and cofounder. "That is why we are incredibly excited as we await the release of a new type of product in the coming weeks. Though I risk divulging too much information, I can say this: from the development of our patented Silent Smart Switching technology to our best-in-class ZigBee radios, we will continue to have the most innovative and cutting-edge technology for utilities and their consumers."
As the company prepares for its upcoming celebrations and banner releases, it is also important to reflect on a decade of innovation—one that has spawned a revolution in an industry that was once known as stagnant. Today, it is one of the fastest evolving industries in the world.
"What is in a decade?" asked Jerry Kathnelson, the "Father" of the Smart Thermostat and cofounder of Energate. "When we [myself and co-inventor] invented the smart thermostat in 1975, I knew that it would fundamentally change the way that home comfort was managed. That said, I could never have imagined that a company could take our invention and not just impact an industry, but truly revolutionize it. As I reflect on all our achievements, I could not be more proud and humbled by such a fantastic story."
Here is a snapshot of Energate's history and accomplishments over the past 10 years:
2003
• Michael Delage writes and submits a business plan that wins the New Venture prize at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario.
2004
• Energate incorporates on January 20 and operates from Michael Delage's home.
2005
• Energate creates the first working Inspiration prototype—Inspiration introduced the iPod®-like, touch-sensitive "buttonless" thermostat.
• First commercial customer.
• Energate develops its auxiliary switch allowing Energate's thermostats to be installed in retrofits having as few as 2 wires, enabling replacement of old "mechanical" thermostats without having to pull additional wires.
2007
• Energate integrates its technology and launches products with three AMI vendors.
• Energate develops its own high-quality ZigBee radio and joins ZigBee Alliance to encourage open standards and helps develop the ubiquitous Smart Energy Profile.
• Pioneer, which became the start of Energate's Interactive Energy Management solutions, was the slimmest Smart Thermostat on the market and provided a friendly user interface while incorporating ZigBee technology.
• Energate sells to its first utility customer.
2009
• Energate releases ZIP Connect™, one of the early ZigBee to Internet bridges.
• Energate incorporates its ZigBee technology into load switches allowing direct load control for utilities using their ZigBee-enabled smart meters and AMI.
• Energate develops CORE middleware to provide the head-end management and control of field devices and delivers it to its first utility customer.
2010
• Energate releases Consumer Connected Demand Response (CCDR) platform that allows multiple communication paths, a wide range of devices, third-party device support, a load management system for utilities, and a consumer portal.
2011
• As a result of a very successful pilot, OG&E selects Energate for its expanding Smart Grid for deployment in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
2012
• Energate releases Foundation™ Smart Thermostat and Home Energy Gateway, an extensible platform for interactive energy management.
• Energate moves to its new 10,000 square foot corporate headquarters.
• Energate approved for Ontario's peaksaver PLUS® program.
2013
• Energate delivers Foundation with Internet connectivity using ZIP Connect.
• Energate releases its Wi-Fi module for Foundation.
For more information regarding Energate and its revolutionary Interactive Energy Management solutions, please visit www.energateinc.com.
About Energate
Energate is the leader in interactive energy management solutions and products for utilities and their residential customers.
Energate provides a complete solution that includes software, portals, mobile applications, and wireless devices such as gateways, smart thermostats, load control switches, and consumer energy displays. Energate solutions leverage the Smart Grid to mitigate supply and demand challenges, increase the use of renewables, and utilize dynamic rate structures.
With Energate's standards-based open Consumer Connected Demand Response (CCDR) platform, utilities can interactively address residential demand and can empower their customers to more effectively manage energy use while not compromising their comfort and convenience.
Founded in 2004, Energate is headquartered in Ottawa with offices in Toronto, Raleigh, Houston, Seattle, Spokane, and Los Angeles. For more information visit www.energateinc.com.