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OpenPeak Debuts New Home Energy Management Solution for Utilities to Help Consumers Save Energy, Money and the Environment

Posted on: Monday, 29 June 2009, 09:00 CDT

Easy-to-Use Touch Screen Interface Allows Consumers to Monitor Real-time Energy Consumption; Enables Utility Providers to Build Customer Relationships with Added Value

BOCA RATON, Fla., June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenPeak Inc., the leading provider of touch screen multimedia devices and VoIP telephony systems, today announced the debut of its new Home Energy Management Solution that allows utility companies and their customers to more actively manage in-home energy consumption to save money and help preserve the environment.

The OpenPeak Home Energy Management Solution displays real-time energy usage and pricing in a graphic-rich centralized user interface that sits right on the kitchen counter, or anywhere else in the home, for easy access and monitoring. The interface allows users to make adjustments to household thermostats to optimize energy efficiency and take advantage of off-peak pricing opportunities.

The Home Energy Management Solution also enables utilities to better manage and communicate residential demand response programs to help conserve energy when demand is at its peak. For example, consumers who have signed up for a utility's demand response program can reduce their nonessential usage by cutting back on lighting and cooling in underused parts of their home when the electrical grid is near capacity - such as when too many air conditioners start laboring on a hot summer's day.

"Household budgets are tight these days, and people are more aware than ever about the need to conserve energy and protect the environment," said Dan Gittleman, CEO and founder of OpenPeak. "By leveraging the OpenPeak platform to provide consumers with easy touch-screen access to their energy usage information, we can help families not only reduce their consumption and save money, but also show them the benefits of their efforts by displaying real-time usage data. They can actually see how much money they're saving by making a few adjustments in their own home."

Based upon the highly intuitive, easy-to-use OpenPeak multimedia touch screen platform, the OpenPeak Home Energy Management Solution is designed for deployment by public utility companies to their customers. Through this interactive link right in the home, utility providers can create effective partnerships with their customers to help them better manage energy consumption, save money and the environment, and ultimately, add value to the relationship.

The device allows utility companies to deliver service updates to users on demand, such as pricing changes or cost saving opportunities. Plus, by leveraging OpenPeak's intuitive touch screen interface and suite of downloadable applications and content, the same device can deliver a complete communications package including news, sports, weather, social networking, calendaring and instant messaging and is compatible with a variety of communication standards, including ZigBee and Wi-Fi. The platform also provides utilities with a unique forward-flexibility for the deployment and support of new energy applications as they are developed.

"Using our natural resources and energy more efficiently is on the top of everyone's mind, and as a practical matter, the easier it is the more likely we are to do it," Gittleman said. "With the Home Energy Management Solution, it can't get much easier. It's a natural extension of the robust OpenPeak platform that puts the tools we need to be more environmentally conscious and save money right at our fingertips."

The Home Energy Management Solution is an extension of OpenPeak's flagship OpenFrame system, the first multimedia IP phone designed to function as a voice, data and rich media information device for the home. The products combine user-friendly touch-screen interfaces with the accessibility of rich media content into an all-in-one information command center.

OpenPeak's world-class, end-to-end design, engineering and delivery system allows telecom and utility providers to deliver a rich, interactive media experience to customers with the convenience and comfort of a durable touch-screen interface, along with VoIP telephone, where applicable. The platform supports both provider- and user-configurable content for a truly customized solution that enables service providers to attract new customers, increase customer loyalty and explore opportunities for down-stream revenue through partnerships with appropriate data and media content providers. Earlier this year, both Verizon and UK mobile operator O2 launched products utilizing the OpenPeak platform.

For more information about the OpenPeak Home Energy Management Solution, visit www.openpeak.com.

About OpenPeak

OpenPeak Inc. creates, designs, and develops innovative communication systems and devices that enable simple user control of home energy consumption, VoIP telephony, digital media, Internet content, messaging applications, and consumer electronics to provide an all-in-one voice, data and multi-media communications command center with an easy-to-use touch screen interface. OEMs benefit from OpenPeak's portable architecture, hardware reference designs, and turnkey solutions because they allow quick and cost-effective integration of advanced communication and control technology and applications into their platforms with a high degree of customization. More information is available at www.openpeak.com.

(C) 2009 OpenPeak Inc. All rights reserved. OpenPeak, OpenFrame, and ProFrame are either registered trademarks or trademarks of OpenPeak Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE OpenPeak Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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