News Release

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 4, 2008--Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Acuity Brands Technology Services, Inc. ("ABTS"), has acquired for cash substantially all the assets of Guardian Networks LLC ("Guardian"), located in Kennesaw, GA. Guardian is a leading provider of remote asset management software and services that enable utility, municipal and other customers to efficiently monitor and manage facility and infrastructure assets such as lighting systems.

Guardian will become an integral part of the ROAM(R) business platform of ABTS. ROAM is a leading provider of streetlight monitoring, combining intelligent photocontrols, wireless communications, advanced diagnostics and network management services to establish connectivity between lighting systems and their owners/operators. ROAM products and services improve streetlight performance, reduce operating costs and improve billing accuracy. One of the largest ROAM deployments of streetlight monitoring and control systems in the nation is the City of Glendale, Arizona. ROAM allows the City of Glendale to pinpoint and repair specific lighting outages in a highly efficient manner.

"With this acquisition, we believe that ROAM becomes the country's most comprehensive lighting asset management system," said Crawford Lipsey, President of Acuity Brands Technology Services. "Guardian brings the Network Operations Center, customer interface software, work order management modules, and hand held deployment systems into ROAM. This end-to-end capability will allow us to better serve customers who require the highest quality systems for managing lighting assets."

"Guardian has worked with ROAM since its inception, so we are very excited to become part of the ROAM team," said Ted Russ, CEO of Guardian. "Guardian's unique portfolio of Machine to Machine technologies and business services, combined with Acuity Brands' strength in the marketplace, should accelerate ROAM's opportunities for growth."

About Acuity Brands

Acuity Brands, Inc. owns and operates Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc. and Acuity Brands Technology Services, Inc. With fiscal year 2007 net sales of approximately $2.0 billion, Acuity Brands Lighting and Acuity Brands Technology Services combined are one of the world's leading providers of lighting fixtures and related products and services and includes brands such as Lithonia Lighting(R), Holophane(R), Peerless(R), Mark Architectural Lighting(TM), Hydrel(R), American Electric Lighting(R), Gotham(R), Carandini(R), SpecLight(R), MetalOptics(R), Antique Street Lamps(TM), Synergy(R) Lighting Controls, SAERIS(TM), and ROAM(R). Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Acuity Brands employs approximately 7,000 associates and has operations throughout North America and in Europe and Asia.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that may be considered forward-looking include statements incorporating terms such as "will," "should," "expects," "believes," "intends," "anticipates," "may," and similar terms that relate to future events, performance, or results of the Company and specifically include statements made in this press release regarding enablement of the business to rapidly innovate while maintaining the highest quality and security standards and the acceleration of ROAM's opportunities for growth. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations or projections expressed in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, customer and supplier relationships and prices; competition; market demand; and economic, political, governmental, and technological factors affecting the Company.

    CONTACT: Acuity Brands Contact:
             Dan Smith
             404-853-1423

    SOURCE: Acuity Brands, Inc.