City of San Marcos selects NorthStar Utilities Solutions' MeterSense MDM

NorthStar Utilities Solutions' MeterSense MDM is selected by the City of San Marcos, TX. MeterSense will manage the information from the City's smart meters, filling gaps and elevating data quality before presenting energy usage information for customers to view via web portal. MeterSense is now the fastest growing MDM in the mid-size utility market. End Quote

We evaluated several Meter Data Management solutions and MeterSense came out on top

(1888PressRelease) March 18, 2010 - OTTAWA - NorthStar Utilities Solutions, a division of Harris Computer Systems, is pleased to announce that the City of San Marcos has signed an agreement to acquire their MeterSense Meter Data Management (MDM) solution, to further advance the City's smart metering project.

"We evaluated several Meter Data Management solutions and MeterSense came out on top," said Tom Taggart, Director of Public Services. "MeterSense gives us strong and flexible validation plus configurable workflows to automate manual tasks. We're confident that it will allow us to streamline our processes and get the maximum benefit out of our AMI system - in terms of both customer service and cost control."

MeterSense will manage the information from the City's smart meters, filling gaps and elevating data quality before presenting energy usage information for customers to view via web portal. With intuitive reports showing hourly usage online, the customers will be able to visualize their energy patterns and have the ability to control their costs. Ultimately, customers will have the opportunity to save money through Time-of-Use (TOU) rates. MeterSense ties together utility information systems such as the Geographic Information System (GIS), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Outage Management System (OMS), allowing the City to easily analyze operations and monitor their vital electric and water distribution infrastructure.

"We expect tremendous value from tying together multiple systems. It'll help us understand our operations without spending hours tracking down all the data," explained Ernest Cavazos, Utility Billing Business Office Manager. "That will allow us to focus on serving our customers better, with streamlined processes so we can do it more efficiently."

In addition to serving up verified usage data for customers, MeterSense will present information to utility personnel. For example, the City will have immediate access to better water usage information to identify leaks and notify customers proactively. Service personnel will be able to respond more quickly to restore power after electrical outages. Also, by deploying MeterSense, San Marcos will actually be able to eliminate some of the other systems and services they are using, further reducing costs and eliminating system interfaces.

"San Marcos is a great example of a utility with a vision to leverage technology in the drive for higher customer service and better efficiency," said Rob DiMurro, NorthStar Utilities Solutions' General Manager. "MeterSense plays a clear role in boosting the return on utilities' technology investments and we are proud to be a part of the San Marcos smart metering initiative."

About San Marcos
San Marcos Electric Utility is a municipally owned and operated retail electric distribution system purchased by the City of San Marcos in 1986. The Electric Utility serves residential, commercial, institutional and industrial customers. The Water-Wastewater Utility is owned by the City of San Marcos and operates a high quality wastewater treatment plant and water system rated superior by the State of Texas. The utility promotes water conservation and works closely with agencies such as the GBRA, the Edwards Aquifer Authority, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and other organizations to develop regional water policies.

Learn more about MeterSense
MeterSense will be on display one of the utility industry's premier trade shows: CS Week, May 24-28. Visit us to learn more about how MeterSense can help utilities turn their smart grid visions into realities.

About NorthStar Utilities Solutions
NorthStar has served the utility market for more than 30 years. We deliver integrated solutions for utilities' billing, customer information, and financial and meter data management needs. More than 200 customers in North America and the Caribbean use NorthStar solutions to manage revenues, deliver superior customer service, improve efficiencies and reduce costs.

For more information on NorthStar Utilities Solutions and the NorthStar product suite, please visit www.northstarutilities.com..

MeterSense - Enabling The Smart Grid

For additional information contact:
Ken Hayes
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
NorthStar Utilities Solutions
A division of Harris Computer Systems
256-686-1278 or 256-642-6368
khayes @ northstarutilities.com
sales @ northstarutilities.com

About Harris
Harris is a leading provider of utility customer information systems (CIS), billing, financial management, and meter data management software solutions. Since 1976, Harris has focused on providing feature-rich and robust turnkey solutions to public power and water markets as well as all levels of local government throughout North America. Harris' focus is on creating long-term relationships with our customers and ensuring that we meet the changing needs of our customers over time.

For further information on Harris Computer Systems and NorthStar please visit our website at http://www.harriscomputer.com, or call 888-847-7747 x 3183.

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