US Energy Leader Selects NZ-Developed Software

For immediate release

American Energy Leader Selects NZ-Developed Software

After Developing Software For The Early-Deregulating New Zealand And Australian Energy Markets, Peace Software Has Landed A Major Contract With An American Energy Leader Now Entering The Deregulation Process.

Auckland, 16 August 2000 - Peace Software announced today that an American Midwest leader in electricity supply, Nordic Electric L.L.C. of Ann Arbor, Michigan, has selected Peace’s Energy™ ECM (Energy Customer Management) software for management of its fast-growing deregulated retail business.
The largest independent, non-utility provider in Michigan, Nordic Electric supplies power to commercial heavyweights such as General Motors Corporation and the Daimler Chrysler Corporation. Nordic selected Peace following the firm’s proven success in pioneering software for energy sector deregulation.
Michigan and Ohio are moving to fully deregulated energy markets over the next 18 months.
John Baardson, CEO and owner of Nordic Electric, said his company’s decision to license Energy reflected the leading value of the software, first developed for New Zealand – the world’s first market to deregulate – and Australia.
“Energy presented the best value in terms of versatility and functionality for our specific market requirements,” Mr Baardson said.
Nordic plans to add rapidly to its customer base and increase its total energy load nearly ten-fold throughout Michigan and the Midwest by the end of this year.
Critical to achieving this goal was the need to invest in a superior web-based ECM solution capable of addressing complex commercial/industrial requirements and expanded grid volume, Mr Baardson said.
“Nordic’s rapid expansion in the deregulated utility market is the driving force behind our decision to implement an advanced, scaleable e-commerce solution.

“The deployment of Energy provides us with the optimal system to achieve greater productivity and synergy in the competitive marketplace,” he said.
Peace leverages native web technology and global, multi-discipline development teams to deliver value-based customer transaction services for the energy industry. Its Energy software was first developed in the deregulated markets of New Zealand and Australia and has since been successfully implemented in Canada and the United States.
Welcoming the Nordic Electric contract, Brian Peace, CEO and founder of Peace Software said: “Peace’s success in the US marketplace has been largely driven by the early adoption of Energy by market leaders in every deregulated state market, as they turn to Energy for advanced browser-based ECM functionality and rapid deployment.”
Energy is a proven Energy Customer Management (ECM) product suite, comprising seven components: Energy Commercial & Industrial (Energy C & I), Energy Customer Information, Energy B2C, Energy B2B, Energy Customer Enrolment, Energy Customer Interaction Centre Integration, and Energy Supply.
Nordic Electric said the inclusive, integrated nature of the Energy suite was a strong attraction because it provided a ‘total solution’, covering customer acquisition and enrolment, customer information, billing and accounts receivable, through to demand forecasting and settlement functionality.
Specifically, Nordic Electric will be using Energy C & I to manage large customer contracts and perform complex billing, including management of large volumes of electricity interval demand data.
A rapid deployment of the system is planned, with an initial Go Live targeted for late 2000. This aggressive deployment, facilitated by Peace’s experience in deregulated markets and Energy’s configurable framework, will enable Nordic to be ready to service an expanded customer base in Michigan, and eventually enter other Midwest markets.

“Nordic Electric L.L.C is a pioneer in the Michigan deregulated markets, and their growth provides an excellent example of how increased competition is enabling aggressive utility players to expand market share,” Mr Baardson said.
Peace will provide a complete solution, including Energy server, Internet web server hardware and system software.

About Peace Software
Peace Software is an experienced provider of Energy Customer Management (ECM) solutions to the deregulating energy industry. Peace’s innovative Energy™ software was developed in the deregulated markets of New Zealand and Australia and has been successfully implemented in Canada and the United States.
Energy offers unprecedented value through native Web support and a Browser User Interface (BUI); integrated eCommerce functions like electronic bill presentment (EBP), customer self care, and 3D visualization tools for decision support.
Energy addresses major ECM retail functions including customer information, consolidated billing, meter and premise management, price modelling, customer acquisition and enrolment, order tracking, forecasting, credit control, payment processing, contract management and settlement. Additional information about Peace is available at http://www.peace.com.
Founded in 1984, Peace Software develops and markets Energy™ a Web-based customer information and billing system designed to help energy retailers prosper in a deregulated utility environment. Originally developed for the Australia/New Zealand market, Energy was first installed in 1989, and since then has been successfully installed in more than 20 sites in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

About Nordic Electric L.L.C
Nordic Electric is the largest independent, non-utility power provider to retail customers in Michigan. An early innovator in the Michigan marketplace, the company has been delivering power to Michigan customers since 1995. Nordic prides itself on its strong customer focus resulting in high service quality and cost savings for the client. This involves providing reliable and competitive power supplies, innovative metering and real-time monitoring, advanced billing and bill analysis, and efficient operations. Additional information about Nordic is available at http://www.nordicelectric.com/.
ENDS

For more information, please contact:
Bridgette Paton-Tapsell, Botica Conroy & Associates, 09 303 3862, bridgettep@bca.co.nz

© Scoop Media