Retx and Apogee Form Strategic Alliance to Offer Tested Solutions to National Energy Crisis

3/6/2001

ATLANTA, GA- Retx, Inc. and Apogee Interactive Inc. today announced the formation of a strategic alliance to seamlessly provide a full-range of electric load management solutions addressing the nation’s electricity crisis. Adding Apogee’s premier Demand ExchangeSM to Retx’s load management product suite extends their offering from the near-real-time to include the energy trading and scheduling needed for a comprehensive demand response solution.
Ross Malme, President and CEO of Retx says, “This alliance between two industry leaders allows us to scale our applications much more quickly in a way that ensures demand response is a major asset in dealing with the energy crisis and helping to get price volatility under control. It’s the kind of forward thinking solution which is vital to every energy company, as well as regulators and ultimately end-use customers.”

“There is no one silver bullet to the energy challenges this country faces,” says Joel Gilbert, Apogee’s CEO, who predicted the current crisis more than 3 years ago. “Supply and demand must be linked, and our Demand Exchange provides one more option to extreme price volatility and capacity issues. We’re confident the Demand Exchange combined with Retx’s near-real-time load management and backroom applications will provide an end-to-end solution for customers and their energy suppliers.”

Retx, through its Customer Choice Manager (CCM), provides transaction management and software applications to utilities and energy service companies to manage retail customer choice. Retx, also through its Load Management Dispatcher (LMD), provides for economic dispatch of end-use customer load in near real time. Apogee’s Demand Exchange provides day-ahead—and longer—demand response options.

As a part of the strategic alliance, the companies will work together to create a nationwide network to address energy market conditions. Says Malme, “Historically we have had to rely almost exclusively on supply-side solutions to address the country’s energy capacity needs. But the wedding of our two product lines puts customer demand into the formula as an integral and very real part of an energy portfolio while also improving the load management capabilities of the industry in a sensible and cost effective manner. Technology such as this ensures everyone can be a winner.”

Retx works throughout North America with electric and gas distribution utilities, load serving entities, ISOs (Independent Service Operators), and retail energy service providers that have or will deregulate or unbundle their energy services. The company provides fully integrated and secure Web-based services customized for each company, including customer enrollment, meter information management, retail settlements, curtailment management, performing compliance responses, assisting with audit capability, and more. Retx also works with energy companies to plan and prepare for customer choice in future deregulating marketplaces. ...

Apogee Interactive is a leading provider of e-business, marketing, regulatory and training services to energy companies throughout the U.S. and Canada. The company developed The Demand Exchange Internet auction platform and settlement software in 1999 and piloted it among more than a dozen utilities last year. It is projected to achieve in excess of 120,000 megawatt-hours of peak load reductions by the end of this year. Apogee also provides a full range of other Internet and training solutions, including Study-Center.com, an extensive competency-based e-learning system for the energy industry. For more information, visit www.apogee.net.

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Retx and Apogee Form Strategic Alliance to Offer Tested Solutions to National Energy Crisis
3/6/2001
ATLANTA, GA- Retx, Inc. and Apogee Interactive Inc. today announced the formation of a strategic alliance to seamlessly provide a full-range of electric load management solutions addressing the nation’s electricity crisis. Adding Apogee’s premier Demand ExchangeSM to Retx’s load management product suite extends their offering from the near-real-time to include the energy trading and scheduling needed for a comprehensive demand response solution. Ross Malme, President and CEO of Retx says, “This alliance between two industry leaders allows us to scale our applications much more quickly in a way that ensures demand response is a major asset in dealing with the energy crisis and helping to get price volatility under control. It’s the kind of forward thinking solution which is vital to every energy company, as well as regulators and ultimately end-use customers.” “There is no one silver bullet to the energy challenges this country faces,” says Joel Gilbert, Apogee’s CEO, who predicted the current crisis more than 3 years ago. “Supply and demand must be linked, and our Demand Exchange provides one more option to extreme price volatility and capacity issues. We’re confident the Demand Exchange combined with Retx’s near-real-time load management and backroom applications will provide an end-to-end solution for customers and their energy suppliers.” Retx, through its Customer Choice Manager (CCM), provides transaction management and software applications to utilities and energy service companies to manage retail customer choice. Retx, also through its Load Management Dispatcher (LMD), provides for economic dispatch of end-use customer load in near real time. Apogee’s Demand Exchange provides day-ahead—and longer—demand response options. As a part of the strategic alliance, the companies will work together to create a nationwide network to address energy market conditions. Says Malme, “Historically we have had to rely almost exclusively on supply-side solutions to address the country’s energy capacity needs. But the wedding of our two product lines puts customer demand into the formula as an integral and very real part of an energy portfolio while also improving the load management capabilities of the industry in a sensible and cost effective manner. Technology such as this ensures everyone can be a winner.” Retx works throughout North America with electric and gas distribution utilities, load serving entities, ISOs (Independent Service Operators), and retail energy service providers that have or will deregulate or unbundle their energy services. The company provides fully integrated and secure Web-based services customized for each company, including customer enrollment, meter information management, retail settlements, curtailment management, performing compliance responses, assisting with audit capability, and more. Retx also works with energy companies to plan and prepare for customer choice in future deregulating marketplaces. ... Apogee Interactive is a leading provider of e-business, marketing, regulatory and training services to energy companies throughout the U.S. and Canada. The company developed The Demand Exchange Internet auction platform and settlement software in 1999 and piloted it among more than a dozen utilities last year. It is projected to achieve in excess of 120,000 megawatt-hours of peak load reductions by the end of this year. Apogee also provides a full range of other Internet and training solutions, including Study-Center.com, an extensive competency-based e-learning system for the energy industry. For more information, visit www.apogee.net. # # #