DTE Energy, Consumers Energy, And Nexant Join The Association For DR & Smart Grid

Washington, DC /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ - Three more leaders in demand response and smart grid have joined the Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid (ADS), the national DR and smart grid organization. They come aboard as ADS prepares for the upcoming National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid (www.demandresponsetownmeeting.com). The new members are DTE Energy, Consumers Energy, and Nexant.

ADS is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, that focuses on development and exchange of information among policymakers, utilities, technology companies, and other stakeholders. It includes as members companies and organizations, as well as individuals who consider themselves demand response (DR) and smart grid professionals.

"We are excited to have these new members join ADS and help us grow our ability to serve the needs of the DR and smart grid community," said Dan Delurey, Executive Director of ADS. "Together, DTE Energy and Consumers Energy provide power to a majority of the state of Michigan. Both utilities have developed a number of demand response programs and have important lessons from their deployments that they can share with the larger DR and smart grid community. Nexant is a leader in supporting companies in the energy industry in areas including demand response, smart grid, technology commercialization, and consumer engagement, and can thus provide a range of expertise to the DR and smart grid community.

"We are especially happy to have these new members come on board as we ramp up for the 11th annual National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid," said Delurey. "They have already begun to help us as we put together the agenda and program for the event coming up May 19-21 in Washington, DC."

DTE Energy is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include DTE Electric, an electric utility serving 2.1 million customers inSoutheastern Michigan, DTE Gas, a natural gas utility serving 1.2 million customers in Michigan and other non-utility, energy businesses focused on gas storage and pipelines, power and industrial projects, and energy trading. For more information, visit dteenergy.com.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.6 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. For more information, visit www.consumersenergy.com.

Nexant is a global energy industry leader, offering a comprehensive suite of best-in-class advisory services and software solutions designed to transform utility business processes, support implementation of smart grid and demand side initiatives, and provide energy industry and technology insights. Over the last decade, it has been developing and commercializing technology solutions and offerings that enable utilities, power producers, and energy resource companies to improve operational and financial efficiency, reduce risk, and enhance customer engagement across the energy value chain. For more information, visit www.nexant.com.

About the Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid
The Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid (ADS) is a nonprofit organization, originally formed as the Demand Response Coordinating Committee (DRCC) in 2004. ADS is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization consisting of professionals and organizations involved in demand response and smart grid. It provides services to meet the needs of its members that help them in the conduct of their work and in the attainment of their personal, corporate and governmental objectives. ADS seeks to establish and grow a demand response "community" of policymakers, utilities, system operators, technology companies, consumers, and other stakeholders.

Group Members of ADS are Ameren, American Public Power Association, Arizona Public Service, California ISO, Comverge, Conservation Services Group, Constellation, Consumers Energy, Corporate Systems Engineering, Dimplex, DTE Energy, Duke Energy, ENBALA, EnergyHub, EnerNOC, GE, ISO New England, Itron, Landis+Gyr, MISO, National Grid, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Navigant Energy Practice, Nexant, NYSERDA, Olivine, Inc., On-Ramp Wireless, OPower, Pacific Gas & Electric, PECO, PJM Interconnection, Reliant, Rodan Energy Solutions, Inc., San Diego Gas & Electric, Siemens, Silver Spring Networks, Southern California Edison, Southern Company, Steffes Corporation, Tennessee Valley Authority, and Vermont Energy Investment Corporation.

More information on ADS can be found at: www.demandresponsesmartgrid.org.