David Collie, President, Burlington Hydro

Burlington, ON, Canada --- (METERING.COM) --- May 15, 2009 - The GridSmartCity™ program, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders from industry to government to work together to promote the growth of smart grids, has been launched by Burlington Hydro Electric Inc.

The new program will showcase how smart grids integrate electricity production, and delivery and consumption to produce a more efficient, reliable and responsive system that is better for the environment.

Present at the launch were Ontario deputy premier and minister of energy and infrastructure, George Smitherman, and Burlington Mayor Cam Jackson.

GridSmartCity™ partners will collaborate on smart grid projects to illustrate new technologies. These projects will help to fuel the growth of innovative green industries.

“GridSmartCity™ is about how we transform today’s electricity system into the smart grid of tomorrow,” said David Collie, president of Burlington Hydro. “Working together, GridSmartCity™ partners look to speed the development and deployment of smart grids and smart grid devices that enable utilities, industry, and consumers to use energy more wisely.”

GridSmartCity™ will assist consumers to learn more about smart grids, time differentiated prices and in-home energy management tools. A better understanding of their energy use helps consumers to manage their electricity cost more successfully.

A number of leading energy industry companies and corporate environmental leaders have joined the GridSmartCity™ program including, Grant Buchanan, president of S&C Electric, Jack Robertson, president of Elster Canada, Mel Ydreos, vice president of Union Gas, Scott Leslie, chief financial officer of Menova, Fidel Reijerse, president of RESCO Energy Inc. and Sandy Treagus, chief financial officer of Mountain Equipment Co-op.

The GridSmartCity™ initiative stems from recent discussions of the Ontario Smart Grid Forum. The Forum’s recent report, Enabling Tomorrow’s Electricity System, recommended that distribution utilities undertake demonstration projects on smart grid technologies (see Smart grid is a necessity for Ontario). GridSmartCity™ accelerates this process. It offers a unique platform for technology developers and other interested firms to combine all the major elements of a smart grid into an integrated suite of projects. Such projects will help to identify best practices, and new devices and processes that will demonstrate the full capabilities of a smart grid.