Conference Examines Energy in the Internet of Things: Consumer Trends, Business Models, and Incentives

Parks Associates hosts the seventh-annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumerthis week, February 22-24, 2016, at the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown in Austin, Texas. Over 250 industry leaders from utilities, service providers, manufacturers, and technology companies will participate in panel discussions about the convergence of consumer energy ecosystems within the smart home, competition among energy management services, and the impact of direct participation in energy markets. Media are invited to attend.

“Nearly 20% of U.S. broadband households currently own a smart home product, with thermostats and lighting as the leading categories,” said Tom Kerber, Director of Home Controls and Energy Research, Parks Associates. “The Smart Energy Summit features in-depth discussion on current energy programs in the U.S. and new research on opportunities to leverage smart home devices in order to expand the role of energy in the IoT, including the importance of cost, control, convenience, and security/privacy in driving consumer adoption.“

“The residential sector is the primary driver of peak demand in ERCOT,” said Paul Wattles, Sr. Analyst, Market Design & Development, ERCOT. “As the Independent System Operator, ERCOT continues to have strong interest in enabling residential demand response to participate in our markets.  Smart products can be the enabling technology.”

"The biggest barrier to consumer adoption is a lack of trust that the products and services that are launching today by vendors will be around in a year or two," said Wannie Park, VP of Utility Solutions, CEIVA Energy. "This is where companies like Nest and Tesla succeed as there is an inherent trust that they will be around and that they will drive increased delightfulness with the product. But a lot of other products and services are still in the early stages, and system aggregators on the residential side have to weed through all the different standards and communication technologies and reconcile the different passionate agendas of companies backing those different standards. Smart Energy Summit provides an excellent venue to accomplish these goals."

"Staying ahead of new IoT entrants and ensuring wide connectivity are difficult in this expanding market," said Yann Kulp, Vice President SmartSpace, Schneider Electric North America. "The proliferation of technologies, protocols, and start-ups is huge. And many of them will have a huge impact on energy. But technology and cost are no longer the roadblock; it's now about value props and providing a great experience to the consumer."

"Consumers have a tendency to solve problems in 'real time,' especially when it comes to new DIY product purchases," said Landon Borders, Director of Connected Devices, Haiku Home. "The harder it is for them to understand or realize the value in making an investment, the less likely they are to pull the trigger. Many energy-related products and services provide value over months or years, but consumers want gratification now. It’s our responsibility to help them actively think about comfort and the insufficient offerings—like the traditional noisy, wobbling fan—that they’ve accepted as the norm. We aim to shift that paradigm every single day."

Smart Energy Summit features keynotes from NRG, EnergyHub, and Schneider Electric and multiple sessions focusing on opportunities to expand consumer engagement with energy efficiency in the home.  

What:              Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer

When:              February 22-24, 2016

Where:            Omni Austin Hotel Downtown, 700 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701

Registration:   http://www.parksassociates.com/events/smart-energy-summit/register

Press Passes:   http://www.parksassociates.com/ses-presspass

Twitter:           @SmartEnergySmt, #SES2016

Schedule:         February 22- Parks Associates preshow workshop: “Energy in IoT: Consumer Trends, Business Models, and Incentives”

February 23

Keynote: 10:00 a.m. -- "Making Energy Easy and Engaging for Customers," William Clayton, Vice President of Customer Care Operations, Reliant, NRG

Keynote: 2:00 p.m. -- "Connected Thermostats: A Revolution Driving Value for Utilities and Service Providers," Seth Frader-Thompson, President, EnergyHub

Sessions:

• Success Stories in Energy Management
• Unlocking the Value of Energy Usage Data
• Innovation in Marketing and Consumer Engagement
• Integrating Smart Products and Consumer IoT into Utility Programs
• Direct Participation of Energy Platform Providers in Energy Markets

February 24

Keynote: 9:45 a.m. -- "Getting Paid to Save Energy...Finally," Paul Campbell, VP Innovation / Head of Silicon Valley Innovation Center, Schneider Electric

Sessions:

• Solar Industry: Integration, Competition, and Impact on IoT
• Integrating Comprehensive Energy Management Solutions into Smart Home Systems
• Role of Energy Management in Smart Home Solutions       
• Energy Management and Smart Product Solutions
• Interoperability, Integration, and Energy Management
• Energy Providers: Opportunities to Dominate the Smart Home and Energy Management Market

Parks Associates’ IoT and home energy management research highlights include:

• Over 50% of U.S. broadband households have taken at least one step to reduce energy consumption in their household.
• 12% of U.S. broadband households own a smart energy device (smart thermostats, light bulbs, power strips, outlets, and plugs/adapter).
• 36% of U.S. broadband households would participate in an energy program offering a free product.
• 7% of U.S. broadband households plan to purchase a solar panel in the next 12 months.
   

Utility companies attending Smart Energy Summit:

• AEP Energy
• Alabama Power Company
• Alliander
• Animate Energy
• APS
• Arizona Public Service
• Austin Energy
• Blue Line Innovations
• Chugach Electric
• Comverge
• CPS Energy
• Crius Energy
• Direct Energy
• DTE Energy
• EDF Energy
• Electric Ireland
• Electric Power Research Institute
• Energate
• EnergySage
• Enphase Energy
• EPCOR
• ERCOT
• Florida Power & Light
• Gexa Energy
• Hydro Ottowa
• IGS Energy
• Innotrail
• Itron
• London Hydro
• National Grid
• NEEP
• NextEnergy
• NextEra Energy
• NRG
• Oklahoma Gas & Electric
• Pacific Gas & Electric
• PlanetEcosystems
• PlotWatt
• Powerley
• PSEG
• Rainforest Automation
• Reliant Energy
• Rheem
• Runestone Electric
• s2e Technologies
• Sacramento Municipal Utility District
• Salt River Project
• San Diego Gas & Electric
• Silver Spring Networks
• Simple Energy
• Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative
• Southern California Edison
• SunEdison
• SunPower
• Tank Utility
• Tendril
• Tennessee Valley Authority
• TXU Energy
• WattzOn
• WeatherBug Home
• Westar Energy
• Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association
• Xcel Energy

Smart Energy Summit sponsors are Tendril, EnergyHub, Honeywell, Powerley and DTE Energy, Affinegy, ecobee, PlanetEcosystems, WeatherBug Home, WSI, Z-Wave, Schneider Electric, State Farm, Tyco, and WattzOn.

Media and organizations supporting the event include Advanced Energy Economy, IoT Consortium, Antenna, Antenna Systems & Technology, Conference Guru, Engerati, FierceEnergy, GreenButton Alliance, HomePlug Alliance, HomeToys.com, ISE Magazine, IoT Today, Israeli Smart Energy Association (ISEA), KNXtoday, Mercom Capital Group, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Open Interconnect Consortium, OpenADR Alliance, Remote Site & Equipment Management magazine, SmartGridNews, SmartGridSpain, Smart Grid Today, TD The Market Publishers, TREIA, Utility Dive, Utility Post, and WSN Buzz.

Information about the Smart Energy Summit can be found at http://www.ses2016.com. Press passes are available at http://www.parksassociates.com/ses-presspass. To speak with an analyst or request specific research data, please contact Holly Sprague, 720-987-6614.

About Smart Energy Summit

Parks Associates’ 15th annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer is co-located with DISTRIBUTECH 2024 on February 27-28 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.  Smart Energy Summit addresses energy and renewables technology trends in the residential and small-to-medium business markets.

Industry players join expert panels and networking sessions to address the expansion and monetization of energy management and other energy-focused offerings through consumer engagement, new business models, unique partnerships, and innovative technologies.

The conference also features 2024 virtual sessions January 23, July 23, and October 10. Follow the event on Twitter/X at @SmartEnergySmt and #SmartEnergy24. For information on speaking, sponsoring, or attending Smart Energy Summit, visit www.smartenergysmt.com.