Itron Inc., of Liberty Lake, has released what it says is North America's first gas meter with an integrated remote disconnect valve that enables a utility to shut off the flow of natural gas to a customer for safety reasons without sending out a crew to handle the job.

The company acquired a remote disconnect switch that already was in use in meters elsewhere in the world when it bought Luxembourg-based Actaris Metering Systems in 2007, spokeswoman Kim Papich says. That switch has been in development by Itron since then for use in North America, and the company released the new meter that incorporates it in conjunction with the annual American Gas Association Conference, which was held in New Orleans recently, Papich says.

The switch in the new meter enables a utility to cut off gas flow remotely when a homeowner smells gas, when the meter's advanced leak detection system detects a gas leak, or when a line is ruptured in a certain area, perhaps because of an accident, Papich says. She says that capability helps gas companies enhance community safety, streamline operations, improve service, and control costs.

The meter also incorporates Itron's 100G Datalogging Gas ERT module, which encodes, receives, and transmits data. Papich says the module can store up to 40 days of gas usage data, which is helpful to utilities in analyzing customer usage and ensuring billing accuracy.

Separately, Itron President and CEO Malcolm Unsworth and two production workers from the company's Oconee, S.C., and Waseca, Minn., plants appeared at a press briefing with President Barack Obama at the White House recently. Itron received a $5.5 million tax credit for its investment in production facilities for clean energy manufacturing projects.

Also, McKinstry, a Seattle company that specializes in making buildings more energy efficient, recently announced that it had acquired Itron's Enterprise Energy Management Suite software group. McKinstry says the Internet-based software monitors buildings' energy and water use and will help it advise customers of ways to reduce structures' energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.