Echelon Speeds Development of Home Automation Products with Introduction of Power Line Chip Featuring Self-InstallationEchelon's New Smart Chip Simplifies Development of Next Generation Products for Energy Management, Home Monitoring and Control by Consumers and Utilities(San Jose, CA - April 3, 2007) - Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON), a leading provider of networking technology that is used to manage and reduce energy consumption, today announced a new power line based integrated circuit that promises to speed and simplify the creation of consumer friendly home automation products. Echelon's PL 3170 Power Line Smart Transceiver allows manufacturers to create networked home control products that install automatically when plugged into a wall – eliminating the fear and technology complexity that consumers associate with home automation. This new power line smart transceiver is the latest addition to the company's LonWorks® products and Digital Home® (www.digitalhome.com) technologies - hardware and software products that are helping to drive the worldwide home automation market. "Energy management is the key driver for home automation, and the devices that can help make a home more energy efficient – lights, fans, blinds, smart appliances, furnaces, air-conditioners, and power outlets – are already connected to the power wiring. With our power line technology, these devices are already connected to the network," said Bea Yormark, Echelon's president and COO. "The new power line smart chip adds automatic installation to what is, hands down, the most reliable solution on the home automation market today. Now manufacturers have a ‘no new wires' home automation solution that's also low cost, easy-to-develop, and doesn't require the help of an installer or electrician to install." Echelon's automatic installation software is known as Interoperable Self-Installation (ISI). Echelon's PL 3170 Smart Transceiver combines the industry's leading power line signaling technology with an applications processor and ISI software – all in a single chip. The new chip also allows appliance manufacturers to easily and inexpensively create products in accordance with the CECED (European Committee of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances) Household Appliances Control and Monitoring – Application Interworking Specification (AIS) standard. The PL 3170 Smart Transceiver can be used in conjunction with Echelon's full range of LonWorks products, or independently. The PL 3170 Power Line Smart Transceiver will be available in summer of 2007. Contact Echelon for volume pricing. More About Echelon's ISI and Power Line Technology In addition to normal operation, Echelon's Power Line Smart Transceivers provide reliable, bidirectional communications over switched-leg circuits, a common occurrence in over 50% of American homes when the Neutral wire is missing. Another unique feature of Echelon's Power Line Smart Transceivers involves its ability to measure electricity. Echelon chips installed in switches, outlets, plug-in modules and other popular products can share energy consumption information with consumers and utilities to help better manage energy in homes. More information about power line control networking can be found at http://www.echelon.com/products/oem/transceivers/smartpl/default.htm. More About the Digital Home Alliance About Echelon Corporation ### Echelon, Digital Home, 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 U.S. 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's Power Line Smart Transceivers, ISI software and other products and services in demand response and other applications; risks that these products do not perform as designed, and that liability may accrue as a result of the use of Echelon products and services in demand response; risks associated with the any changes that may occur in the directives regarding demand response, safety or other policies, and acceptance by local or regional government agencies of LonWorks based solutions; the growth of the LonWorks industry; 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
|
||||||