EAST HANOVER, N.J., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Comverge, Inc. (Nasdaq: COMV), a leading provider of smart grid, demand management and energy efficiency solutions, today announced that it has been chosen by Puget Sound Energy (PSE) for the utility's Bainbridge Island, Wash., residential demand response pilot program.

The two-year pilot program, which began in October 2009, will evaluate how electric space, water heating and central air-conditioning customers can voluntarily manage their electric demand during peak use periods. This type of effort could provide a viable option for reducing strain on the electricity grid and an environmentally-friendly way to address the increasing energy needs of the growing number of PSE customers. The pilot outcomes and experiences can be incorporated in the utility's long-term planning process, guiding how the utility can optimally meet future customer energy needs.

"We're pleased to be a part of a program that will provide PSE with the insights needed to meet their individual customer needs and priorities while also allowing residential electric customers to be active participants in improving energy efficiency and reliability," said Comverge Interim President & CEO, Michael D. Picchi.

Comverge is providing the load control devices for PSE's Bainbridge Island pilot program including ZigBee®-enabled programmable 2-way communicating SuperStat PRO(TM) thermostats, Comverge ZigBee®-enabled Digital Control Units (DCU) and Internet-enabled Comverge ZigBee Gateways to be installed on several hundred participating PSE residential electric customers' electric space and water heating systems, and central air-conditioners. In addition, Comverge's Apollo(TM) Demand Response Management System software will manage the entire system, and could allow for seamless integration of future energy efficiency developments. Participants will have access to their energy data via the Apollo Power Portal, Comverge's consumer Web interface. This consumer portal will give them the ability to more actively monitor and control their energy footprint.

"It is this kind of forward thinking and consideration of alternative approaches that will create the solutions to our nation's most pressing energy challenges as we move toward the smart grid vision of the future," said Picchi.

About Comverge

Comverge, with over 3,300 megawatts of clean energy capacity under management, is a leading provider of clean energy solutions that improve grid reliability and supply electric capacity on a more cost-effective basis than conventional alternatives by reducing base load and peak load energy consumption. For more information, visit www.comverge.com. Apollo is a trademark of Comverge, Inc. SuperStat PRO is a trademark of Comverge, Inc.

About Puget Sound Energy

Washington state's oldest local energy utility, Puget Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electric customers and nearly 750,000 natural gas customers in 11 counties. A subsidiary of Puget Energy, PSE meets the energy needs of its growing customer base through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service and delivering energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible. For more information, visit www.PSE.com.

For Comverge Investors

This release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward looking statements include deployment of the Apollo system by utilities, implementation and operation of the software, expectations about reducing strain on the electric grid, and certain assumptions upon which such forward-looking statements are based. The forward-looking statements in this release are not, and do not constitute historical facts, do not constitute guarantees of future performance and involve a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including risks associated with Comverge's business involving our products, the development and distribution of our products and related services, regulatory changes, grid operator rule changes, economic and competitive factors, our key strategic relationships, and other risks more fully described in our most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K. Comverge assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the announcements described herein.

    For Additional Information
    Kristin Mastrandrea
    Communications Manager
    Comverge, Inc.
    973-434-7157
    kmastrandrea@comverge.com

SOURCE Comverge, Inc.