Marinas to Become More Energy Efficient with Echelon's TechnologyPleasure Ports and Marinas Latest in Trend to Utilize Control Networks for Energy Savings Solutions(San Jose, CA - December 1, 2005) - Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON), the leading technology supplier for the widely-used LonWorks® control networking standard, today announced that its technology is to be used to remotely control and monitor pleasure ports and marinas in the Mediterranean to reduce energy and maintenance costs and increase security and safety by managing access control. The PASS’PORT solution from Indigo Instruments, the first integrated energy management, reservation booking and control application of its kind, is designed to reduce operating costs by up to 25% in ports and marinas. PASS’PORT is being introduced this week at the Salon Nautique International de Paris event in France. “Marina and port operators are looking for a way to increase their level of service in order to make their harbors more attractive to boat owners across the Mediterranean’s large network of pleasure ports. Our unique solution offers dramatically improved energy efficiency and energy theft prevention to marina operators, enhanced security to marina patrons, and increases convenience and customer loyalty while generating new business opportunities for harbors to sell added-value services such as remotely controlled alarms on boats,” said Emmanuel Baret, INDIGO Instruments’ CEO. “We chose Echelon’s technology and DotVision’s Enterprise Monitoring Software for our solution because this combination is a reliable, proven way of remotely monitoring and commanding devices, combining the best performance and price available.” Typical factors increasing operational costs for marinas include electricity theft when boat owners plug into electrical outlets without authorization, accounting for up to 10% of all energy costs. The physical check-in procedure required upon arrival to turn on and off electricity and water supplies increases operational expenses by approximately 15% annually. Other cost-escalating items include overseeing security access and lighting control for the port, which currently allow no customization to the standard on/off schemes or schedules. INDIGO Instruments’ PASS’PORT solution uses Echelon’s technology to remotely monitor and control various subsystems in pleasure ports and marinas. Installed on each pier are multiple electric and water distribution cabinets which can accommodate up to four boats each. Each cabinet houses devices based on Echelon’s power line signaling technology, such as switches, valve controllers, and energy meters, all accessed via Echelon’s i.LON® 100 e3 Internet Server. Other devices on the power line based network include door controllers, access cards, and lighting controllers for outdoor lighting, air and water temperature sensors, and wind speed sensors. Software from DotVision, a leading provider of human machine interface (HMI) software and enterprise monitoring applications, provides integrated Web access to analyze energy consumption, identify outages, display security video camera feeds as well as reserve a slip for a specific boat. The installation utilizes existing electricity wiring to dramatically reduce the costs of implementing the system and achieve the reliability requirements of the target market.
The solution allows harbor masters to remotely connect and disconnect electricity in individual boat slips, measure how much electricity was used by each occupant for billing purposes, and manage other systems such as security access control and lighting systems for the entire port. Harbor masters can become more efficient in day-to-day operations, saving time by remotely identifying and resolving failures or alarms, and by forecasting maintenance repairs and downtime. Moreover, energy costs can be effectively measured and allocated to a specific boat, simplifying the billing process. The system will be adapted for use in camping grounds to allow self-service check-in for campers and recreational vehicle campers, allowing the distribution of electricity, water, access control, wireless internet, and swimming pool automation. The increased convenience will enable after-hour check-ins without employing extra staff, creating a substantial savings for camp ground owners and operators. “We are pleased to be a part of this unique solution that exemplifies the value of an open control networking approach to energy and remote monitoring and control solutions,” said Bea Yormark, Echelon’s president and COO. “There are real, measurable benefits to be gained by utilizing control networks to modernize common tasks and processes. This can help any business become more efficient, maximizing budgets and staff allocation, and help to reduce energy and maintenance costs.” About INDIGO Instruments About DotVision About Echelon Corporation Echelon is based in San Jose, California, with international offices in China, France, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Further information regarding Echelon can be found at http://www.echelon.com. ### Echelon, LonWorks, i.LON, and the Echelon logo are registered trademarks of Echelon Corporation registered in the United States and other countries. Pyxos is a trademark of Echelon Corporation 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, including risks associated with uncertainties pertaining to the timing and level of customer orders and demand for Echelon products and services, the growth of the LonWorks industry; risks associated with completion of existing LonWorks projects by INDIGO Instruments and DotVision, the initiation and successful completion of additional projects using LonWorks based solutions by the INDIGO Instruments and DotVision; 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 Information
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