Houston Residents Can Stay Cool This Summer While Saving Money and Conserving Energy With New Home Energy Efficiency Program

Houston, TX – May 15, 2012 – Last year’s record-setting heat and drought in the Houston area sent electric bills through the roof and utility experts are predicting more of the same this summer, which will continue to put a strain on the electric grid in Texas. Houston residents can now be among the first in the nation to sign-up for e5^SM, a new home energy efficiency program aimed at saving energy and money without giving up comfort.

The new program, developed by Earth Networks^SM, owner of WeatherBug^® and operator of the largest weather network, and EnergyHub, is designed to save residents money, help communities prevent power outages, and give Houstonians control of their thermostats and energy use from anywhere, anytime through the web and mobile devices. Participation is free, and Houston-area residents receive a discount on WiFi thermostats compatible with the program. In addition, qualifying participants receive a Home Efficiency Score Card along with a $25 Home Depot Gift Card for doing their share to conserve energy.

Get Started Before Summer Heats Up: http://earthnetworks.com/e5houston.aspx

Weather is the single-largest factor when it comes to home energy use. The patent-pending e5 program uses real-time neighborhood-level weather conditions from Earth Networks – WeatherBug, combined with Internet-connected thermostats and award-winning software tools from EnergyHub, to help homeowners save on their electric bills while conserving energy during times of peak use.

Using this data, e5 determines how each home heats and cools in response to weather conditions and automatically pre-heats or pre-cools during non-peak hours to maximize energy efficiency while maintaining comfort within the home. For example, if the forecast shows temperatures rising at 1 pm during a summer heat wave, e5 may pre-cool the home earlier in the morning when energy demand is lower and less electricity is required to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the day.

The e5 program, which stands for ease, energy, efficiency, environment and earth, is different from other energy saving programs because it:

• Places homeowner comfort first. With e5, comfort is the number-one priority. The e5 program uses the consumer’s own temperature settings to cool or heat the home before the warmest or coolest part of the day. Even on the hottest days of the year, e5 keeps the home’s temperature within two to three degrees of the consumer’s settings.
• Puts the homeowner in control. Choose and install your own program-compatible thermostat. Once installed, participants select their settings and temperature preferences through a user-friendly website. Homeowners can then change their settings from anywhere through the web or using mobile applications on iPhone and Android smartphones.
• Taps into the world’s largest neighborhood-level weather network. Energy-saving adjustments are made based on neighborhood-level weather conditions and forecasts. This minimizes energy consumption and costs, while keeping a comfortable temperature within the home.
• Provides a Home Efficiency Score Card. The e5 program uses advanced thermodynamic equations and associated variables to create a model that ranks the efficiency of your home and the impacts of temperature, wind and solar fluctuations. From these rankings, e5 creates a customized list of suggestions for improving energy efficiency and saving money.

The program is open to all Houston-area residents with single-family homes of any size, and many other types of homes such as townhouses and larger condominiums. The first 2,500 homeowners who qualify and enroll will receive a $25 Home Depot gift card along with their Home Efficiency Score Card in September. This Score Card will provide the homeowner with personalized home performance information and tips to achieve even greater efficiency.

“We are making this service available to all residents in our Greater Houston electric service territory to help them conserve energy, especially during the hot summer months,” says Jarrett Simon, Manager, Program Implementation, CenterPoint Energy. “We are partnering with Earth Networks and EnergyHub to provide the e5 program to help lower residential energy usage and curb peak demand in and around Houston.”

How to Get Started with the e5 Program:

1. Sign up for the program at http://earthnetworks.com/e5houston.aspx and receive a promo code to purchase a discounted Wi-Fi thermostat at the online e5 store. Or you can purchase an e5-compatible thermostat at Home Depot or HomeDepot.com.
2. If you already have an e5-compatible Wi-Fi thermostat that is installed and connected to the Internet, go to https://my.radiothermostat.com/filtrete/e5.html to upgrade your thermostat to e5 for free. To view e5- compatible thermostats, visit: http://earthnetworks.com/e5/E5FAQ.aspx#e5_compatible_thermostats.

Who can participate in the e5 Program: Houston-area residents with single-family homes of any size, and many other types of homes, such as townhouses and larger condominiums.

To learn more about e5: Learn more about the benefits of e5 and sign-up for the program by going to: http://earthnetworks.com/e5houston.aspx.

About Earth Networks^SM
As a provider of comprehensive atmospheric data for nearly 20 years, Earth Networks is “Taking the Pulse of the Planet” with the world’s largest weather observation, lightning detection, and greenhouse gas monitoring networks and is establishing a network for collecting data within the planetary boundary layer. The company’s popular WeatherBug website, desktop application and mobile apps for major smartphone platforms provide real-time neighborhood-level weather and advanced severe weather alerts to millions of consumers. Enterprise solutions from Earth Networks enable organizations and markets, including energy and utilities, agriculture, schools, sports and recreation, emergency operations and government entities, to safeguard lives, prepare for weather and climate events and improve business operations. Founded in 1993, Earth Networks (www.earthnetworks.com) is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with additional locations in Mountain View, Calif.; New York, NY; Milan, Italy and a local presence in 50 countries worldwide.

About EnergyHub
EnergyHub, Inc. develops software and hardware solutions that help consumers, utilities, and service providers reduce energy consumption and save money. EnergyHub solutions allow homeowners to understand and control energy use in real time and encourage people to take actionable steps to reduce consumption. Utilities also benefit from EnergyHub technology as it enables them to identify and manage peak loads, implement effective demand response programs, and improve operating efficiency. EnergyHub, based in Brooklyn, New York, is a privately held, venture-backed company and is deploying its energy management technologies with a variety of utilities across North America. For more information on how EnergyHub can help homeowners realize savings through energy efficiency visit the EnergyHub website and Mercury smart thermostat platform page.