Accenture Builds Demand Response Billing System for Yokohama Smart City Project to Increase Energy Efficiency and Reduce Peak Demand

System field test will involve 1,900 households


TOKYO; August 1, 2013 - Accenture (NYSE: ACN) today announced the completion and deployment of a demand response customer billing system for the Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP), the largest smart city pilot in Japan.  

Field testing began last month in 1,900 homes in the city of Yokohama for the home energy management system, designed to increase energy efficiency and reduce peak demand for electricity. Using advanced analytics capabilities, the system will use weather forecasts and residents' energy usage data to analyze and predict times of high demand. It also will provide incentives for residents to reduce their electricity usage.

The results of the field test will help YSCP determine residents' habits, as well as their needs and preferences when it comes to energy use and conservation.

The demand response billing system built by Accenture also will support building energy management systems, electric vehicles (EVs) and vehicle charging stations within the areas served by the YSCP. A Community Energy Management System (CEMS) will combine the data that is generated with photovoltaic (PV) electricity sales data every 30 minutes. All of that information will be transmitted to the billing system on a daily basis, along with the unit cost of electricity, in order to calculate electricity bills based on the demand response tariff plan of each end user.

The billing results, along with electricity usage information, will be made available to residents online daily and will be accessible via tablet and mobile devices. The information will help Yokohama residents adjust their energy consumption in line with their needs, and will allow YSCP to more effectively manage the city's supply and demand of electricity.

Accenture developed and built the billing system based on SAP® Energy Data Management application and SAP Customer Relationship Management and Billing for Utilities, and will be responsible for operating the system until March 2015. 

A successful field test and the deployment of the energy management system in Yokohama will open the door for the rest of the country to initiate energy efficiency programs, further demonstrating Japan's commitment to reducing carbon emissions.

About Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP)
YSCP was launched in April 2010 by the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (METI) as a "Demonstration of Next-Generation Energy and Social Systems", an initiative to construct Japanese-style smart communities and develop similar systems abroad. This project is a wide-area trial of optimized energy control in Yokohama, a large city with a population of 3.7 million. It involves 4,000 homes, a total of 14 office buildings, condominiums, and factories, 2,000 EVs, and 27 MW in solar energy capacity. Accenture is responsible for building and operating a demand response billing system for a community energy management system "CEMS," which is being developed by Toshiba.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 266,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world's most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$27.9 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2012. Its home page is www.accenture.com

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Contacts:

Kentaro Kanda
Accenture
+ 81 45 330 7377
kentaro.kanda@accenture.com

Yosuke Shiroshita
Accenture
+ 81 45 330 7935
yosuke.shiroshita@accenture.com

Christine Yee Fields
Accenture
+ 216 535 5092
christine.fields@accenture.com

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