Parks Associates hosts eighth-annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, February 20-22

Conference features industry insights from IoT leaders, commissioners, and regulators

Dallas, Texas, February 20, 2017 - Parks Associates hosts the eighth-annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer this week, February 20-22, 2017, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas, starting today with the research workshop "Utilities and Consumer Engagement Strategies."


Over 300 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 and competition among energy management services. Executives analyze the impact of direct consumer participation in energy markets and strategies to increase consumer engagement in demand response, distributed generation, and energy efficiency offerings. Media are invited to attend.

"There is a growing opportunity to leverage smart home devices in order to expand the role of energy in the IoT, with new value propositions in cost savings, control, convenience, and security/privacy support to drive consumer adoption," said Tom Kerber, Director, IoT Strategy, Parks Associates. "At Smart Energy Summit, industry leaders will examine strategies for utilities to leverage the smart home to benefit the grid and develop compelling value propositions for their customers."

"We believe the future of residential solar is synonymous with the future of the smart home," said Bryan Christiansen, Chief Operating Officer, Vivint Solar. "We think the home of the future will be a smart home and every smart home should be capable of producing its own green energy. When a smart home's artificial intelligence and smart capabilities work in tandem with a solar energy system, then consumers will finally have the complete package - generating their own clean, cost-effective energy and consuming it in an intelligent way."

"We are excited to join Parks Associates Smart Energy Summit and share the key learning from over a decade of Z-Wave smart home deployments," said Bill Scheffler, Director of NA Sales and Business Development, Sigma Designs/Z-Wave. "Security, reliability, and ease of use, which are the hallmarks of Z-Wave, are the critical success factors for broad consumer adoption."

Smart Energy Summit features keynotes and key sessions featuring executives from Centrica Connected Home, DTE Energy, the Illinois Commerce Commission, Powerley, Toyota Motor North America, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The conference also features multiple sessions focusing on opportunities to expand consumer engagement with energy efficiency in the home.

What: Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer
When: February 20-22, 2017
Where: Four Seasons Hotel, 98 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, #SmartEnergy17

Schedule: February 20 - Parks Associates preshow research workshop: "Utilities and Consumer Engagement Strategies"

February 21
Keynote: 10:00 a.m. -- "Leading the Transition - Customer-first Strategies to Succeed in the IoT," Sudeep Maitra, Global Director of Strategy and Development, Centrica Connected Home
Keynote: 4:15 p.m. -- "Bridging the Smart Grid to the Smart Home," Irene Dimitry, Vice President, Business Planning and Development, DTE Energy; and Manoj Kumar, CEO, Powerley
Key session: 4:45 p.m. -- "From Pilots to Programs: AMI and the Illinois Experience," Ann McCabe, Consultant, Former Commissioner, Illinois Commerce Commission
Key session: 5:05 p.m. -- "Recognizing Successful Delivery of Smart Efficiency: ENERGY STAR Connected Thermostats," Abigail Daken, ENERGY STAR Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Sessions:
• Incentivizing the Smart Home: Demand Response and Engagement
• Incentivizing the Smart Home: Energy Efficiency
• Consumer Behaviors and Variable Rate Plans: Challenges and Opportunities
• Energy Providers and IoT: Creating New Revenue Streams
• Reinventing the Utility Business Model

February 22
Keynote: 9:45 a.m. - "Connected Car & Smart Energy - What is the Connection?," Kevin Butt, General Manager, Environmental, Toyota Motor North America

Sessions:
• Solar Industry: Integration and Competition
• Bring-Your-Own Device Models: Drivers and Barriers
• The Value of Energy Data
• Maximizing Return on DR: Energy Market Opportunities
• Leveraging Voice Control and AI in Energy Management
• Smart Home Systems: Opportunities for Whole Home Management

Parks Associates IoT and home energy management research highlights include:
• 7% of U.S. broadband households own smart light bulbs.
• One-fourth of U.S. broadband households are willing to share data from a smart home product in exchange for technical support benefits, such as warranty information, product updates, or tips to better use the product.
• 15% of U.S. broadband households plan to purchase solar panels in 2017.
• 36% of U.S. broadband households find a home energy system very appealing.
• More than 80% of U.S. broadband households took energy-saving actions in 2016.
• 70% of U.S. broadband households with smart energy devices report saving money due to reduced energy consumption.
• More than one-fourth of U.S. broadband households have at least one smart home device.

Additional companies speaking at Smart Energy Summit include:
• Alarm.com
• Austin Energy
• Bidgely
• Carrier
• Comcast Cable
• Comverge, Inc.
• Constellation Energy
• Curb Inc.
• Direct Energy
• ecobee
• EDF Energy Services, LLC
• EnergyHub, Inc.
• Enphase Energy
• ERCOT
• Genability
• Google
• Green Mountain Energy, a NRG company
• Grid4C
• Gulf Power, a Southern Company
• Home, Building & Utility Systems
• ipCapital Group, Inc.
• Jasmine Universe, LLC
• LUX Products
• Mercedes-Benz Energy
• Mission:data Coalition
• MivaTek
• National Grid
• NEEP (Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships)
• Nest Labs
• New York State Public Service Commission; NYRev
• Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)
• Pedernales Electric Cooperative
• People Power
• PJM
• Reliant/NRG
• SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance)
• Sigma Designs/Z-Wave
• Sonnen, Inc.
• Southern California Edison (SCE)
• Sunnova
• Tendril
• Trusource Labs
• Vivint Smart Home
• Vivint Solar
• Westar Energy
• Whisker Labs
• Xcel Energy

Conference sponsors include People Power Company, Austin Energy, Bidgely, Carrier, ecobee, EnergyHub, Hampton Products International, Honeywell, Jasmine, Powerley, Trusource Labs, UtilityShield, The Weather Company, Whisker Labs, Xively, Z-Wave, Grid4C, ipCapital Group, MivaTek, and State Farm.

Conference supporters include ACEEE, Advanced Energy Economy, Internet of Things Consortium, AltEnergyMag.com, Antenna, B2 Group, Center for Next Generation Photovoltaics, CIOReview, Conference Guru, Engerati, Green Button Alliance, HomeGrid Forum, Hometoys, Innovation & Tech Today, IoT Today, ISE Magazine, Israeli Smart Energy Association, KNXtoday, LonMark International, Mission Data, NEEP, oneM2M, OpenADR Alliance, Open Connectivity Foundation, POWERGRID International, Smart Energy Journal, Smart Grid Spain, Smart Grid Today, TD The Market Publishers, TelcoProfessionals, TREIA, USNAP Alliance, Utility Dive, Utility Post, Wi-Fi Alliance, and WSNBuzz.com.

Parks Associates is accepting press pass requests for Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer at http://www.parksassociates.com/ses-presspass. More information about the Smart Energy Summit is available at www.SES2017.com. To speak with an analyst or request specific research data, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com or 720-987-6614.

About Smart Energy Summit
Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer examines new cross-industry opportunities in the expanding market for energy solutions, including connected devices, energy management, utility services, and home control platforms and services, as they evolve within the smart home and consumer-based Internet of Things.
Smart Energy Summit focuses particularly on the challenge of engaging consumers with energy-related solutions. Research analysts, thought leaders, and industry executives present and discuss business strategies, case studies, partnership opportunities, and consumer research that utilities, service providers, retailers, and manufacturers can use to expand and monetize their energy offerings.

The eighth-annual Smart Energy Summit will take place February 20-22, 2017, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas. The summit agenda features leaders from utilities, state and national regulators, telecom and security companies, retailers, and OEMs. Follow the event on Twitter at @SmartEnergySmt and #SmartEnergy17 and on the Smart Energy Insights Blog. For information on speaking, sponsoring, or attending Smart Energy Summit, visit www.ses2017.com.

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