Landis+Gyr Tells Congressional Leadership the Smart Grid Industry is Creating Jobs

ATLANTA, Jan. 14, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Investments in building a smart grid are creating jobs now and leading to new business opportunities in the energy efficiency industry, Landis+Gyr North America CEO Richard Mora told leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives during a meeting in Washington, D.C.

“At Landis+Gyr, we have increased our U. S. employment by almost 10 percent during 2009, not including the jobs added by our partners at large installation projects,” Mora said. “The industry as a whole is creating a climate for research and product development that could lead to more growth in consumer energy management products.”

Mora joined five other members of the Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition in a panel discussion of the economic impact of automating the nation’s electric grid at the 2010 House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference & Jobs Summit on January 14.

Landis+Gyr is a leading developer of smart meters and grid automation technology. Of the 140 million electric meters in the U.S., approximately 40 million have been or are scheduled to be replaced by smart meters over the next three years. These smart meters serve as a communication hub between the utility and the consumer, providing utilities and consumers the ability to reduce peak power use, integrate alternative energy sources and improve overall efficiency.

“The more smart meters installed, the greater the long term economic impact could be as companies develop new energy management products that take advantage of the information and communications made available by these networks,” Mora said.

Federal policy supporting smart grid development over the past five years has helped domestic technology developers take a leadership position in grid automation. This has led to an increase in U.S. technology exports to the rest of the world, Mora added. But he also cautioned that maintaining the current momentum will require policies that encourage continued investment, and make incentives available to all utilities to continue deploying technology.

 

About Landis+Gyr

Landis+Gyr is the leading provider of integrated energy management solutions tailored to energy company needs. With a global presence and a reputation for quality and innovation, Landis+Gyr is unique in its ability to deliver true end-to-end advanced metering solutions. Today, the Company offers the broadest portfolio of products and services in the electricity metering industry, and is paving the way for the next generation of smart grid. With annualized sales of more than US$1.25 billion, Landis+Gyr operates in over 30 countries across five continents, and employs over 5,000 people with the sole mission of helping the world manage energy better. More information is available at landisgyr.com.

For more information:

Financial Community, please contact:
Stan March, Landis+Gyr, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications,
tel. 646-205-3119
Stan.March@landisgyr.com

Media please contact:
Aisling Garvey, FD
tel. 646-206-9821
aisling.garvey@fd.com