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Echelon Connects Everyday Devices to Energy Management Services at JavaOne

Showcases Dynamic Services for Homes Using Appliances, Lights, and Energy Information

(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.-June 4, 2001) - Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON) announced today that its LonWork® platform for networking everyday devices is a key enabling technology in Sun Microsystems' residential energy management and consumer home control and monitoring service showcase at the JavaOne Conference, taking place at San Francisco's Moscone Center today through June 8. Echelon's showcase in Sun's JavaOne Pavilion features several home services deployed across an Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGi)-compliant residential gateway, including direct appliance control and energy management interaction with products from Samsung, Continental Controls, ServGate, eTango, Echelon and Sun Microsystems. Each is an example of how service providers and device manufacturers, such as electric utilities and appliance makers, can leverage the LonWorks networking platform to deliver valuable in-home services to consumers. In addition, on June 6 Echelon will be hosting a technical session at JavaOne titled "Home Appliance Control Using the Java™ 2 Platform, Micro Edition on a Wireless PDA."

Echelon's showcase consists of a LonWorks based Samsung microwave oven, a Continental Controls WattNode™ energy consumption meter, several light dimmer modules, and a switch relay. All of the devices communicate with each other over the "home's" power wiring using Echelon's PLT-22 Power Line Transceiver. The residential gateway, provided by ServGate, uses Sun's Java Embedded Server™ (JES™) technology. JES is Sun's offering to manufacturers marketing residential gateways that are compliant with the OSGi services gateway model.

Internet command, monitoring and control services are integrated in eTango's @ttract Internet Home portal software using Echelon's recently announced LonWorks OSGi service bundle running on a ServGate gateway. Through the home portal users can control the microwave, receive real-time energy metering/consumption information from the WattNode, turn a space heater on or off, and control both direct and scene-selectable lighting.

Additionally, the residential gateway hosts an energy management/curtailment service that monitors the total power consumption of the network and shuts down devices when energy consumption exceeds a predetermined limit. In contrast to the rolling blackouts currently being implemented in California, this LonWorks energy curtailment service offers a controlled procedure whereby a user-defined list of appliances participate in the service and are shut down as needed in order to remain compliant with the service provider's set energy limit. Users may also override the energy curtailment program by selecting the override button from any Web-capable device such as a PC or PDA.

"Service delivery is a key to the home networking market," said Damian Inglin, Echelon's product marketing manager for network services products. "Echelon's recently announced LonWorks Bundle Deployment Kit makes it easy for service providers, application vendors, and manufacturers to build applications for the home that offer increased convenience, home control, and home management as well as cost savings through services such as energy curtailment. One of the many strengths of the OSGi platform is that it allows for the creation of applications that span multiple networks in the home. For example, through an application that analyzes usage and movement over time, an elderly person's home security system network that includes motion and sound sensors can combine with usage information from the home's appliances to ensure that there is a normal amount of activity in the house. Without intruding upon the person's privacy, the application could alert a concerned relative by email, page or phone if it detects that something might be amiss."

Echelon's LonWorks Bundle Deployment Kit allows for the creation of cost-effective, small footprint solutions enabled by Echelon's LNS™ management software located in the gateway operator's service center. The kit includes the ready-to-use bundles, tools and documentation needed to deploy LonWorks devices and services in an OSGi environment, plus a number of device access bundle examples to enable rapid prototyping by home appliance and home automation manufacturers, gateway operators and carriers. Parties interested in the pre-release LonWorks Bundle Deployment Kit can receive more information by contacting Echelon at osgibundle@echelon.com. Further information about OSGi can be found at http://www.osgi.org.

JavaOne Conference attendees who join Echelon's technical session on June 6 will learn how to build LonWorks enabled home appliance control applications on wireless PDAs as well as on OSGi compliant residential gateways using Sun's Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) platform. The session will provide an architectural overview, comprehensive code walk-throughs and a real-world wireless example hosted on a Palm™ Vx PDA.

About Echelon Corporation
Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON) is the world leader in networking everyday devices. The company offers a comprehensive line of hardware and software products for automating building, home, industrial, transportation, and utility applications using LonWorks® networks, an international, cross-industry, open standard for interoperable device networks. Echelon is Bringing the Internet to Life™ by linking the millions of everyday devices connected with LonWorks networks to the Internet.

Echelon is based in Sunnyvale, California with international offices in China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Further information can be found at http://www.echelon.com.

From October 23-24, Echelon and Messe Frankfurt GmbH are holding LonWorld™ 2001, the world's premier event devoted solely to LonWorks industry, in Frankfurt, Germany. LonWorld 2001 promises to be the largest-ever gathering of LonWorks developers, integrators, end-users, and other participants in the LonWorks industry. Interested parties should visit http://www.LonWorldexpo.com for further details.

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Echelon, LonWorks, LonMark, the LonMark logo, and the Echelon logo are trademarks of Echelon Corporation registered in the United States and other countries. Bringing the Internet to Life and LonWorld are trademarks of Echelon Corporation. Other marks belong to their respective holders.

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, demand for products and services, development of markets for Echelon's products and services, acceptance of Echelon's products for use in home networks, risks that the research and development activities with Enel are not successful, do not meet their target dates, or are terminated, or that the contemplated transactions are challenged by third parties, 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

Press Contacts:

 

Lyn Balistreri
Echelon Corporation
408-938-5202
lbalistreri@echelon.com

 

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