Echelon Technology Makes Transforming Residences into ''Intelligent'' Homes as Easy as Plugging in a Power Cord

Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ:ELON), a global networking company providing technology and solutions for controls, smart metering, and energy and environment management, announced today that its technology has been incorporated into low-cost home automation devices manufactured by Secyourit GmbH, a German home control company. Secyourit’s SIENNA® sensors and actuators, which control electrical devices ranging from window blinds to lights, are aimed at meeting increasing consumer demand for energy conservation management and home automation features. Secyourit is an inaugural member of Echelon’s Digital Home® Alliance – a consortium of consumer goods manufacturers and service providers that is enabling the worldwide mass market for open and interoperable networked home control using Echelon’s technology. See today’s separate Digital Home Alliance announcement for further details. "The SIENNA product line makes the intelligent home a reality for everyone, with devices that are affordable and easy to install,” said Stefan Radig of Unielektro, a major distributor with 50 outlets in Germany. "For the first time, home automation products that deliver real value are accessible to everyday consumers, enabling home owners to reduce energy costs and increase comfort and security.” SIENNA products allow direct control of lights and other electrical devices in a home that contribute to the bulk of a homeowner’s electricity bill. Control and monitoring of such devices allow homeowners or service providers to actively reduce energy use when energy is expensive or scarce – energy saving behavior that helps consumers adopt a green lifestyle for saving money and helping the environment. The devices play an important role in Europe, where new home construction has declined, prompting more homeowners to take on do-it-yourself renovation projects. Catering to cost-conscious homeowners who demand non-technical installation, the SIENNA products can be added to existing homes without ripping open walls or installing new wiring. Even better, the devices are easy to install – the only tool required is a screwdriver – making a true home automation system simple enough for any homeowner to have. The SIENNA products are designed to be scalable to accommodate typical consumer buying habits, allowing homeowners to start with just a few components and later expand to a full automation system for a completely intelligent home. Secyourit’s SIENNA system utilizes Echelon’s power line communications technology to communicate over standard, in-house power lines and works with all commercially available switches and power outlets. A key feature of Echelon’s platform is its Interoperable Self-Installation (ISI) technology, which provides a simple, automatic discovery process for home devices and appliances to communicate with each other. Devices equipped with ISI software are ideally suited to the home environment because they do not need specialized software or programming to work. As soon as power is applied, the devices discover one another and configure themselves into fully functional control systems, making installation as easy as plugging in a power cord. System changes, such as the addition of a new device or changing a lighting scene, can take place at any time without any expertise or training on the part of the user. The SIENNA products cost from as little as 50 euros per module to 100 euros for modules that perform multiple functions, well within the reach of the average home owner, and will become available in the U.S. after technical modifications are made. "Echelon’s technology is enabling companies worldwide to develop control automation systems that are reliable, cost-effective and easy to install — useful in any industry but critical requirements for the home automation market,” said Anders Axelsson, Echelon's senior vice president of sales and marketing. "Home owners are becoming more energy conscious and want to be able to automate their homes without the hassle of complex installation. Our technologies are also allowing people to do this, transforming more residences into intelligent homes.” About Secyourit GmbH Secyourit GmbH delivers solutions for intelligent homes through technology that greatly simplifies electrical installations. This technology reduces installation costs, enhances living quality and provides an open platform for new applications. Secyourit believes in developing innovative systems which open the door to new possibilities. Further information regarding Secyourit can be found at http://www.secyourit.com. About Echelon Corporation Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ:ELON) is a pioneer and world leader in control networking — networks that connect machines and other electronic devices — for the purpose of sensing, monitoring and controlling the world around us. Echelon's LonWorks® platform for control networking was released in 1990 and has become a worldwide standard in the building, industrial, transportation, and home automation markets. Launched in 2003, Echelon's Networked Energy Services system is an open, extensible, advanced metering infrastructure that can bring benefits to every aspect of a utility's operation, from metering and customer services to distribution operations and value-added business. In 2005 Echelon introduced the world's first embedded control network infrastructure, the PyxosTM platform, extending the benefits of networking inside machines to the sensors and actuators that make them function. Echelon is based in San Jose, California, with international offices in China, France, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Further information regarding Echelon can be found at http://www.echelon.com. Echelon, LonWorks, Digital Home and the Echelon logo are registered trademarks of Echelon Corporation registered in the United States and other countries. Pyxos is trademarks of Echelon Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. This press release may contain statements relating to future plans, events or performance. Such statements may involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with uncertainties pertaining to the timing and level of customer orders and demand for Echelon products and services; the ability of Echelon products to perform as designed; the growth of the LonWorks industry; and other risks identified in Echelon's SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Echelon undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.