Karen Poff, Project Manager at Austin Energy, answers several industry questions prior to Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, the annual energy and IoT executive conference hosted by Parks Associates:
What do you think is the most challenging issue for your company as it relates to the residential energy management market?
For Austin Energy one of the most significant challenges is understanding the value proposition of distributed energy resources to both the customer and utility.
What are the major challenges that your business must address in 2016? In 2020?
Currently one of Austin Energy’s biggest challenges is transitioning from obsolete, legacy systems to new systems that support open communication standards to optimize the integration and management of distributed energy resources. This challenge will be ongoing due to rapid changes in the market and the availability of new technologies.
What are the major barriers impacting consumer adoption of energy related products and services?
Cost and a lack of understanding of the value proposition. In addition, has not historically offered rates that maximize the customer value of these products and services.
What are the biggest opportunities for the smart home industry to work with the electricity industry?
The biggest opportunities are through the management of distributed energy resources (e.g., PV systems/smart invertors, battery storage) to maximize the value to the utility or customer.
What impact will smart products and smart home services have on consumer adoption of energy solutions?
Smart products and smart homes services can have an enormous impact on adoption rates. The information these products and services provide allow the consumer to optimize their management of their distributed energy resources, increasing their value.
Karen Poff will be speaking on the Smart Energy Summit panel "Solar Industry: Integration, Competition, and Impact on IoT" alongside Enphase, Silver Spring Networks, SunPower, and Vivint Solar on February 23.
For more information on the speakers or sessions at this year's Smart Energy Summit, visit www.ses2016.com.
