Cape Town, South Africa — 19 August, 2009 — Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI) is pleased to announce today that it has received the BEST Employers™ accreditation for 2009/2010 from CRF in South Africa. BEST Employers™ is a research-based employer brand accreditation and promotion project run annually by CRF International in South Africa. Besides receiving this internationally- recognised quality mark, Itron will also be included in the annual BEST Employers™ South Africa 2009/2010 publication, providing a pivotal platform to communicate its employer brand offering both locally and internationally.
Itron has been independently researched using CRF’s HR benchmark™ survey across several areas of talent and HR management such as organisational strategy, diversity management, employee training and development, social responsibility and performance management.
The HR approach at Itron encourages empowerment, accountability and self-development. The company is a pioneer of borderless careers, a concept where career paths are developed across various disciplines, with research, engineering, IT, sales, marketing, manufacturing, human resources and finance all benefiting from this fusion of expertise. Moreover, Itron’s policy is to compensate employees based on their contribution to accomplishing identified business goals.

As Christophe Viarnaud, General Manager, Southern & Eastern Africa, says: “We embrace the idea that diversity is a competitive advantage, therefore, we promote and protect it. A fundamental tenet of our core values is the belief that every Itron employee adds unique value to the company. Diversity expands our knowledge”.

About Itron
Itron Inc. is a leading technology provider to the global energy and water industries. Our company is the world’s leading provider of intelligent metering, data collection and utility software solutions, with nearly 8,000 utilities worldwide relying on our technology to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Our products include electricity, gas, water and heat meters, data collection and communication systems, including automated meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI); meter data management and related software applications; as well as project management, installation, and consulting services. To know more, start here: www.itron.com.

About CRF
CRF is an international publishing company that conducts research into best business practice in twelve countries on three continents. Its mission is to identify and certify (accredit) the top performers in HR, Strategy and Leadership. CRF works closely with leading, local research partners on each specific topic to ensure the quality management and implementation of all its projects, which culminate in an extensive benchmark report and the exclusive CRF Quality Seal. In conjunction with key media partners, CRF informs specific target groups about the achievements of these high-performing organisations, through exclusive publications and events. To know more, start here: www.crf.com.

For additional information, please contact:
Martin Buser
Communications-Manager Itron South-Africa
Tel. +27 (0) 21 928 1807
Martin.Buser@itron.com

Karine Mazé-Drijsen
Itron International Corporate Communications
karine.maze-drijsen@itron.com