Crow Wing Power Wins National CRN Award; Recognized for Application of Consumer-Focused Technology from Hunt Technologies and Apogee Interactive

PEQUOT LAKES, MN, MAY 11, 2005 - Hunt Technologies and Apogee Interactive are pleased to recognize that Crow Wing Power, a central Minnesota electric cooperative, has received an Innovator Award from the Cooperative Research Network. The utility was recognized for the application of consumer-focused technology that utilizes Hunt's automatic meter reading (AMR) system data and an online energy viewer from Apogee to provide valuable information to the consumer.

Working with Hunt Technologies and Apogee Interactive, Crow Wing Power is able to offer its customers daily energy-use and weather data online to create accurate cost impact scenarios for consumers based on changes to appliances and consumption patterns. Crow Wing Power can also take advantage of a software application that provides customer service representatives with answers for customer high bill complaints. For the past three years, Crow Wing Power has received some of the top scores in the nation above other utilities for customer satisfaction, as noted by the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Hunt Technologies, a leading provider of AMR solutions to the electric, water and gas utility industry, recently began offering Apogee applications to customers of its Turtle AMR System and data hosting services. These applications include Apogee's HomeEnergyCalculator™, the customer-facing energy-use analysis tool; and BillingInsight™ Call Center System, the utility-facing software application that enables bill analysis for high bill call resolution.

According to one of the award judges, Crow Wing has succeed in creating a compelling reason for customers to visit their Web site, and helps the utility answer the number one customer question: "Why is my bill so high?"

"Congratulations to Crow Wing Power. This award recognizes their achievement enhancing customer service and illustrates the value of daily meter reads from the Turtle System" said Todd Headlee, chief operating officer at Hunt Technologies.

According to Apogee's Eric Watson, the integration of Apogee applications with Hunt's AMR system offers utilities the opportunity to provide a new level of customer service. "People who are familiar with Apogee's energy calculation products will be amazed at how much more valuable these applications become with integrated daily AMR and weather data," Watson said.

"We're really excited about how this new enhanced energy audit product will revolutionize utility members' abilities to manage their energy use. By showing energy use in relation to the day of the week and the weather, customers get a better understanding of the factors that influence energy use, and customer service representatives are able to settle and explain billing disputes more readily," said Char Kinzer, manager of public relations for Crow Wing Power.

Crow Wing Power, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative based in Brainerd, MN, received the Innovator Award in the category of cooperatives with 20,000 to 50,000 meters. The Cooperative Research Network announced award winners at the Connect Conference and Expo in New Orleans May 16. The Cooperative Research Network provides electric cooperatives with technical information and business tools that are the result of collaborative research into a wide range of technologies and services.

About Hunt Technologies, Inc.
Hunt Technologies uses innovative technology to deliver industry-leading automatic meter reading (AMR) solutions to the electric, water and gas utilities market. Based in central Minnesota, Hunt is a global provider of hardware and software for more than 450 utilities worldwide. For more information on Hunt Technologies, visit www.turtletech.com.

About Apogee Interactive Inc.
Apogee Interactive Inc. (www.apogee.net) is a leading provider of online solutions for the energy industry. Serving more than 200 utilities nationwide since 1994, Apogee's Web-based content and tools reach millions of electricity consumers daily. The company also provides eLearning systems, call center programs and load management platforms to utilities and their trade associations throughout North America and New Zealand.

Contact:
Hunt Technologies, Inc.:
218/562-5525

Apogee Interactive Inc.:
770/270-6501