Smart grid industry to discuss new research during annual meeting

ATLANTA – January 23, 2014 – The Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC) will release its 2014 State of the Consumer Report during the organization's 2014 Consumer Symposium on January 27 at DistribuTECH. The findings, developed annually through a series of in-depth interviews and telephone surveys of energy end-users nationwide, provide a glance into key consumer and industry trends such as segmentation drives performance and customers want smart grid "made real" for them.

Attendees at the Symposium will gain insightful information on creating new and innovative solutions to engage consumers around the smart grid in 2014 such as??. During the Symposium, SGCC will also launch a new educational initiative, "Smart Energy Corps" — a branded, grassroots smart grid literacy certification and training program for industry stakeholders and civic leaders. In addition, SGCC will honor "CLEAR" Consumer Education Award winners – one technology vendor, one utility and one nonprofit organization – who serve as role models within the industry in the development and implementation of consumer education programs.

Consumer Symposium guests also will hear from numerous industry experts on panels covering consumer-centric hot topics such as Chris Irwin for the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Additional topics guest won't want to miss include:

*CPS Energy's Vision for the Future – Keynote speaker Cris Eugster, EVP Chief Generation & Strategy Officer will present the his vision for CPS Energy's future: the changing energy landscape, CPS Energy's plans for community solar, and its focus on consumer engagement.

*The Consumer Value Proposition: The Missing Piece - There is broad consensus about how grid modernization benefits the utility industry but little agreement about how to communicate smart grid benefits to consumers. We break this down into three simple areas. Learn what they are and how to communicate them effectively

*Post AMI Deployment: Leveraging the New Consumer Relationship – A panel of leading utility executives, consultants, and regulatory professionals discuss the next steps after AMI deployment. Learn how utilities are meeting customer needs and desires with modern grid technology.

*Green Button: Connect My Data To Third Party Vendors (and watch the future unfold) - Do consumers really care about their data? Green Button's vision was that customers should be able to securely download their energy usage information from their utility or electricity provider, or allow access to their energy usage information for third-party providers to utilize with innovative apps. How is it going?

To view the full agenda and register, click here. For more information on this year's event and to register to attend, go to http://smartgridcc.org/news-events/sgccs-2014-consumer-symposium-register-now.

About Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative
Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission of accelerating the adoption of a consumer-friendly, consumer-safe and consumer-approved smart grid. Membership is open to advocacy groups, technology vendors, research laboratories and electric utilities for collaboration in research, best practices and consumer education.