[August 09, 2011]

Vivint Launches Nation's First Smart Grid Training Facility

Vivint™, one of the nation's largest home automation companies, has opened the first smart grid training center of its kind, designed to prepare technicians for full scale AMI deployment, including the installation of home area network (HAN) and load control devices, EV chargers and much more. The 10,000-square-foot facility, located in Austin, Texas, also houses two fully equipped model smart homes outfitted with Vivint's home automation, energy and security solutions.

Richard Guerra, Vice President of Vivint's Smart Grid Division, will oversee the facility.

"It is very important that the data provided by a Smart Grid system be reliable and accurate," said Guerra. "This all starts with a quality installation. AMI vendors and utilities are demanding a higher level of quality when it comes to the deployment of their meters or 'cash registers.' If we want utilities and their customers to build the trust necessary for large-scale smart grid adoption and the incredible benefits it can bring, we must improve their experience dramatically."

"Vivint has many years of experience in developing and implementing robust training programs for our security, home automation installation and customer service technicians," said Alex Dunn, the company's COO. "When we launched our Smart Grid division earlier this year, we entered an industry that is young and still developing standards that ensure consistent, quality results for customers. With this training facility, Vivint is establishing a new benchmark for what it means to be a well-trained smart grid installer."

The Training Process: Vivint will hire technicians from the "project area" and bring them t the Austin training facility for an extensive training program that will be specific to the awarded contract. All individuals will be certified as a class D, C, B or A level technician. The training also includes all safety aspects, meter reading, handheld use, work order management, and customer service skills. Technicians will receive extensive practical training in identifying and exchanging electric and water meters correctly, as well as the retrofit process for water and gas. In addition to smart grid training, Vivint technicians will receive training on home area network, security, load control, energy and home automation installation.

Written and performance tests will be conducted throughout the training period. Installers who do not pass each milestone will review the materials and re-test. Only installers who successfully complete the entire training program will be certified and deployed to a customer site. All "project area" installation teams will be accompanied by a core of qualified Vivint supervisors.

About Vivint Energy and Smart Grid Solutions

Vivint Smart Grid Solutions is part of Vivint's Energy Division, which is dedicated to providing energy management, analytics and renewable energy solutions for consumers, and smart meter installations for utilities. With award-winning customer service and smart technology, Vivint Energy has an extensive installation and service footprint that covers 95 percent of the United States and Canada.

Vivint Smart Grid Solutions provides smart meter installation services for electric, gas and water automated meter reading (AMR) and advanced meter infrastructure (AMI) projects. The division has an extensive service footprint that covers 95 percent of the United States and Canada. With award-winning customer service and smart technology, the Vivint Smart Grid Solutions Division is dedicated to providing peak demand response, advanced energy management and analytic solutions for utilities while increasing energy efficiency for end consumers.

For more information, visit www.vivint.com/smartgrid and www.vivint.com/energy.

About Vivint

Vivint, Inc. is one of the largest home automation companies in North America. Operating throughout the United States and Canada, the company retains more than 5,000 employees and services close to 500,000 customers. With award-winning customer service and smart technology, Vivint is dedicated to enhancing security, increasing energy efficiency, and creating simple, affordable home automation solutions for its customers. For more information, visit www.vivint.com.

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