SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON), the world's leading control networking platform provider, and its partner Kapsch Smart Energy today announced that they have won several key pilots with leading Austrian utilities Wien Energie, IKB and Steiermark. The pilots, which together represent potential future orders of nearly 3.5 million smart meters and Networked Energy Services (NES) software platform licenses, are being prompted by a new energy edict in Austria that requires utilities to achieve specific grid modernization goals by 2019.

"As Austrian utilities work toward compliance with the new energy law, Echelon is winning important pilots by offering products that enable utility companies to not only meet the new mandates, but also improve the overall safety, efficiency and reliability of their energy grid," said Michael Anderson, Echelon's senior vice president and general manager, Grid Modernization. "These pilots represent early traction in a crucial phase of this growing market. With our continued success in demonstrating the value that NES offers to our customers, Echelon is well positioned to compete for large-scale deployment tenders once that process begins."

The Kapsch/Echelon pilots are designed to show that is it possible to fulfill Austria's demanding expectations for meter regulations and data security while still achieving the highest data availability on the market.

Together with its partner Kapsch, the Echelon NES platform is operating as a fully integrated solution with the Kapsch Smart Energy Management meter data management software, offering its customers a full-featured, utility-grade applications platform to support the immediate smart meter program requirements and offer future opportunities for many high-value grid applications. The pilots are scheduled to take place through 2014; utility companies are expected to begin rolling out smart meters throughout Austria in high volume beginning in 2015. In addition to meeting their 2019 legal goals, the utilities want smart meters and associated products that can:


    --  Monitor the health of the grid and pinpoint trouble spots.
    --  Make the grid more reliable, including reducing outages.
    --  Improve overall distribution grid efficiency.
    --  Encourage consumers to become active participants in energy
        conservation.

"Our meter-independent Kapsch Smart Energy Management software running on Echelon smart meters in these pilots gives utility companies greater control over their grids," said Christian Schober, CEO of Kapsch Smart Energy. "Although we are meter independent, we have achieved our best performance working together with Echelon."

According to feedback received from the pilot customers, Austrian utility companies appreciate solutions--like the ones offered by Echelon and Kapsch--that not only fulfill the minimum requirements needed to comply with the milestones set by energy law, but also provide tools for implementing robust grid modernization programs with benefits for both consumers and utilities.

About Kapsch Smart Energy

Kapsch Smart Energy (KSE) is a key player for complete, high-performance end-to-end smart metering and smart grid solutions. Starting from their own Kapsch Smart Energy Management central meter data management software, KSE realizes vendor-independent solutions for the emerging smart grid market. As a subsidiary of the Kapsch Group, Kapsch Smart Energy is always one step ahead when it comes to innovative, customer-specific solutions. Kapsch Smart Energy benefits from the diverse synergies of the Kapsch Group, one of the most important technology companies in Austria and a global player in the future markets of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

About Echelon Corporation

Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON), a foundational leader in the Industrial Internet of Things, delivers all the elements necessary to design, install, monitor and control industrial-strength 'communities of devices' within the lighting, building automation, grid, Internet of Things, 'maker' and other markets worldwide. Echelon develops and sells complete systems and subsystems for target applications, plus system-on-chips (SoCs), embedded software, and commissioning and management tools for OEMs. With more than 100 million Echelon-powered devices installed worldwide, the company helps its customers easily and safely migrate existing control systems to the most modern platforms, while bringing new devices and applications into an ever-growing global Industrial Internet. Echelon helps its customers reduce operational costs, enhance satisfaction and safety, grow revenues and perform better in both established and emerging markets. More information about Echelon can be found at http://www.echelon.com and at the company's blog at http://blog.echelon.com/.

Echelon and the Echelon logo are registered trademarks of Echelon Corporation registered in the United States and other countries. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

This press release may contain statements relating to future plans, events or performance. Such statements may involve risks and uncertainties, the risk that Echelon's offerings by themselves or combined with other applications or offerings do not perform as designed or do not offer the expected benefits and savings; risks associated with international sales; and other risks identified in Echelon's SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Echelon undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Contact:
 Colleen Martell
+1 (408) 832-0147
cmartell@echelon.com

SOURCE Echelon Corporation