ZigBee to Give More People Control of Their World in 2009

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Strong Membership Growth, Rapid Adoption by Utilities and Polished Brand Image Drives Success

San Ramon, Calif. – January 8, 2009 – The ZigBee® Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, commercial and consumer applications, continues gaining members. The Alliance finished 2008 with more than 300 members and is experiencing continued strong growth, especially with OEMs. Utilities selected ZigBee Smart Energy to be the leading wireless standard for implementing home area networks (HAN) as part of Smart Grid initiatives. Today, more than 25.3 million ZigBee-enabled smart meter implementations are underway by utilities in North America. A polished ZigBee logo, new Icons for easy identification of interoperable products, and a new tagline better representing the power of ZigBee usher in the New Year.

Utilities across the U.S. and Canada have validated ZigBee Smart Energy as the clear choice for next generation energy management solutions. Certified products using ZigBee Smart Energy will be demonstrated at the 2009 International CES ZigBee Tech Zone, South Hall 1 Booth 21719.

"ZigBee enjoyed unprecedented success in 2008 thanks to ZigBee Smart Energy," said Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance. "When you consider that already over 25 million homes in North America will be outfitted with a smart meter equipped with ZigBee with more on the way, the opportunities for our members to provide consumers with more control of their lives are incredible. Consumers will remotely control their homes and manage their energy use thanks to ZigBee Smart Energy’s inherent Internet connectivity."

ZigBee Alliance 2008 Milestones:

ZigBee Smart Energy profile was ratified in May 2008 and made publicly available in June. It offers companies a secure, easy-to-use wireless platform for developing products that enhance energy management and efficiency for consumers. ZigBee Smart Energy is being rolled out or used by a growing number of utilities. More than 25.3 million meters in North America are committed for installation in the coming years, with more expected in 2009.

ZigBee Smart Energy Certified Products are now available. Utilities and consumers can select from 20 certified products representing a range of devices needed to manage home energy consumption including electricity meters, thermostats and in-home displays.

ZigBee is now over 300 Members strong and growing. Members range from clean energy oriented start-ups to Fortune 100 industry leaders. The Alliance provides the most robust ecosystem that continues to be a powerful determining factor as companies specify ZigBee solutions. ZigBee is the only standards-based technology designed to address the unique needs of low-cost, low-power, wireless sensor networks for energy management and efficiency, home and commercial building automation, plus embedded network applications in the commercial, industrial and consumer markets.

[an error occurred while processing this directive] ZigBee and the HomePlug Power Alliance joined forces with support from major utilities including American Electric Power, Consumers Energy, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Reliant Energy, San Diego Gas and Electric, and Southern California Edison. Together, they will expand ZigBee Smart Energy to be the common wired standard for advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and home area networks (HAN). The initiative will provide the flexibility for utilities to integrate ZigBee or HomePlug devices when implementing smart metering programs, and will expedite the rollout of energy management and efficiency programs to consumers.

Interest in ZigBee solutions continues to grow with more than 90,000 recorded downloads of the standards.

Zigbee Brand:
ZigBee debuts a clean modern ZigBee logo, colorful Interoperability Icons and a new tagline at CES to better reflect its growing popularity. With growing adoption rates, the Alliance embarked on an initiative to assist Alliance members marketing ZigBee products and services in a clear and compelling manner. The new tagline, "Control your world," focuses on a key benefit ZigBee brings to people everywhere: gaining control of the many different devices that influence everyday life. In addition to the new ZigBee logo, the Alliance also introduced new Interoperability Icons for use with Certified Products. The Interoperability Icons create an easy way to identify products that interoperate as manufacturers offer more ZigBee solutions to the marketplace. The initial set of Interoperability Icons covers Public Application Profiles for commercial building, energy, home automation, personal healthcare markets and telecommunication services.

ZigBee: Control your world
ZigBee is the global wireless language connecting dramatically different devices to work together and enhance everyday life. The ZigBee Alliance is a non-profit association of more than 300 member companies driving development of ZigBee wireless technology. The Alliance promotes world-wide adoption of ZigBee as the leading wirelessly networked, sensing and control standard for use in energy, home, commercial and industrial areas. For more information, visit: www.ZigBee.org.

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