Itron Reaches Agreement with Avista for AMR Technology in Idaho; New Technology Reduces Avista's Operating Costs While Providing Greater Efficiency

Business Wire, April 14, 2005

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Itron Inc. (NASDAQ:ITRI) announced today a contract with Avista Utilities to install automated meter reading (AMR) technology for 107,000 customers in Northern Idaho.

The project has begun with installation for residential customers in Coeur d'Alene, and will expand to include Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry, Post Falls, Rathdrum, Dalton Gardens and Lewiston this year.

When the conversion is complete, meter readers will not need to enter customers' property to gain access to record energy consumption data. The Itron deployment includes more than 60,000 CENTRON solid-state electricity meters equipped with Itron embedded AMR technology and 52,270 Itron AMR gas endpoints for installation on natural gas meters. The data will be gathered remotely using low-frequency radio waves by equipment installed on distribution facilities and in Avista vehicles.

With the price of gasoline soaring higher than ever, the utility will see cost savings from taking more vehicles off the road, since fewer trucks will be needed to read meters.

"The Avista project is exciting because the utility is making a real strategic move that will benefit the company for the next 20 to 30 years," said Russ Vanos, vice president and general manager for Itron's Hardware Sales. "We are pleased that they chose our products for this phase of their AMR project."

About Itron

Itron is a leading technology provider and critical source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries. More than 3,000 utilities worldwide rely on Itron's award-winning technology to provide the knowledge they require to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Itron creates value for its clients by providing industry-leading solutions for electricity metering; meter data collection; energy information management; demand response; load forecasting, analysis and consulting services; distribution system design and optimization; web-based workforce automation; and enterprise and residential energy management. To know more, start here: www.itron.com.