August 9, 2011

Powered by Tantalus, Canadian Utility's Demand Response Program Comes of Age
Utility uses real-­time communications to meet aggressive conservation and peak reduction initiatives

Raleigh, NC – August 9, 2011 – Tantalus, a leading provider of real‐time Smart Grid communications, announced today that its longtime customer, Chatham‐Kent Hydro (CKH), has successfully achieved 100 percent implementation of time‐of‐use rates for residential and small commercial customers. Time‐of‐use programs have proven ability to shape energy loads.

While many utilities were required to meet this aggressive target, CKH was one of the few to succeed and did so in part by utilizing Tantalus' TUNet® (Tantalus Utility Network) communications system. Prior to this significant achievement, CKH was also recognized as a vanguard leader in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), winning the 2007 Chartwell Best Practice Award for Metering. Due to the evolvable nature of Tantalus' network, CKH was able to grow its Smart Grid beyond AMI without additional major infrastructure investment.

"Robust, rock‐solid, real time communications are the key to growing a Smart Grid. Those who chose communications networks that only met the minimum standards are now struggling to deploy capabilities beyond smart meters," said Hugh Bridgen, Director of Metering & Technical Services for Chatham‐Kent Hydro. "From the very start of developing our Smart Grid, we knew that it all boils down to communications' performance. Tantalus' system has proven its ability to evolve and grow with our community's needs, and we credit their technology for much of our success in the Peak Saver program."

As part of a larger government mandate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and delay capital expenditures for additional generation facilities, CKH has installed over 2,400 TUNet load management switches, and plans to double that number this year. The switches control air conditioners, pool pumps and other home, commercial and industrial energy loads. CKH has also deployed several hundred TUNet‐controlled Smart Thermostats, enabling the utility to manage home HVAC use for customers who opt into the program.

"The Tantalus TUNet system provided Chatham‐Kent Hydro with a communications platform that has adapted to the dynamic requirements set forth by government regulation," said Matthew Meloche, CKH Systems Engineering Lead. "At the same time, TUNet enables us to increase the quality of service we provide to our customers."

The program now utilizes the same TUNet technology to make consumers more aware of their energy usage through online energy data visibility, which can change consumer behavior and thus reduce energy demand. In addition to these energy savings, CKH's Smart Grid deployment has been remarkably cost‐efficient: a Deloitte financial analysis found that the utility spent only about a quarter as much on its Smart Grid deployment than did comparable utilities.

"Tantalus has partnered with Chatham‐Kent Hydro since 2004, so it's gratifying for us to see firsthand how TUNet technology enables their Smart Grid to evolve," said Tantalus CEO Eric Murray. "In choosing TUNet, Chatham‐Kent chose the right tool for the job, and we're confident that the network will continue to support the growth of Chatham‐Kent's grid as the community's needs develop."

About Tantalus

Tantalus provides two­way, real­time data communications networks to monitor and control electric, gas and water utilities. TUNet® (the Tantalus Utility Network) is an end­to­end WAN/LAN/HAN communications system that operates with 220 MHz RF, 900 MHz, and IP-­ based networks including Fiber, WiMAX and GPRS/cellular, either individually or in combination. TUNet's patented and patents pending technologies are purpose built for the Smart Grid. The Tantalus network unites a utility's applications, making advanced metering, outage management, power quality monitoring, load control, and distribution automation cost-­effective and practical throughout both urban and rural service areas. For more information, please visit www.tantalus.com.

About Chatham-Kent Hydro

The mission of Chatham-Kent Hydro ("CKH") is to deliver electricity from the transmission grid to customers in a safe, reliable and efficient manner. Chatham­Kent Hydro is committed to competitive rates, environmental responsibility and to being on the leading edge of technical innovation. For more information, please visit www.ckhydro.com