Will Dillon, Chief Technology Officer at Savant, will be the lunch keynote speaker at the 2025 Smart Energy Summit, co-located with DISTRIBUTECH, taking place March 25–26. 

In anticipation of the event, Will shares his insights on emerging consumer trends, grid management, technology advancements, and more.

How have consumer behaviors changed in adopting more (or less) energy management solutions and why?
While we have a lot of work to do as an industry when it comes to awareness and education, we continue to see more and more homeowners adopting energy management solutions for energy efficiency, sustainability, and safety. Our research has shown that the ability to keep your family safe and comfortable when the grid goes down is particularly appealing to heads of households.

What challenges is your organization working to overcome in 2025?
This year, many U.S. businesses will be challenged by tariffs and uncertainty regarding ever changing legislation around energy-related tax incentives, rebates, and other funding. We continually monitor the regulatory landscape to ensure that we stay on top of potential measures so we can be prepared and act accordingly at any given time.

How is your company using distributed energy resources management system (DERMS) to manage traditional capabilities and distributed energy resources?
We work directly with utilities as well as aggregators.  Our products provide electrical utilities with behind-the-meter visibility and control in an easy-to-deploy way.  Through our system, EV chargers, water heaters, A/C compressors and more can be dispatch and measured easier than ever.  Our modules can be added to existing panels in a matter of minutes, reducing the most expensive part of the project: labor. 

What partnerships and technology advancements are disrupting and impacting smart home solutions and advances such as AI and 5G on the utility markets and on the energy consumer?
We already employ machine learning and AI to inform the customer about trends in their energy consumption.  As we continue to mature this capability, we will add detailed load health tracking.  Furthermore, as end user billing will changes over short to medium term to dynamic pricing, our AI technology will be able to anticipate changes in energy pricing and pre-condition residential energy assets.

In the next 3-5 years, name what top three changes you think will take place in the consumer energy market?
In the next three to five years, Savant believes we’ll see a growth in energy storage solutions as well as smart home energy management. With the rise of renewable energy, there will be a growing need for efficient energy storage solutions like Savant Power Storage. These systems will become more prevalent in homes, allowing consumers to store excess solar energy generated during peak production times and use it when needed. This will enhance energy independence and reliability, reducing reliance on the traditional grid. Additionally,  the integration of smart home technologies will revolutionize how consumers manage their energy usage. Smart home energy management systems will enable consumers to monitor and optimize their energy consumption in real-time. This will lead to more efficient energy use, cost savings, and a greater emphasis on sustainability.

Join Will and other industry leaders during the 16^th annual Smart Energy Summit, co-located with DISTRIBUTECH in Dallas, TX. Register here.