Speakers for the ninth-annual Smart Energy Summit include Austin Energy, Carrier, DTE, Mercedes-Benz, Nest, and many more

Dallas, TX, February 7, 2018 - New energy research announced today by Parks Associates reveals 37% of U.S. broadband households are highly familiar with backup generators and 50% consider these energy products to be highly valuable. The IoT research firm also notes that approximately one-third or more of U.S. broadband households see strong value in energy products such as solar heating panels, solar PV panels, and battery storage.

Parks Associates will present smart energy research and lead discussions on utility strategies to leverage consumer interest in these solutions at the ninth-annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, February 19-21, at the Omni Austin Downtown in Austin, Texas. The event features interactive expert panel discussions on new revenue opportunities in energy monitoring and energy management and the keynote "Partnerships in Distributed Energy," a joint presentation from Bryan Christiansen, COO, Vivint Solar, and Colleen Jansen, CMO, ChargePoint.

"Consumer perception of the value of distributed energy resources such as rooftop PV and battery storage is high, indicating a strong potential for growth as familiarity increases and products become more affordable," said Tom Kerber, Director, IoT Strategy, Parks Associates.

"In order to meet consumers evolving clean energy needs, we must empower them to build their own clean-energy ecosystems at home," said Bryan Christiansen, COO, Vivint Solar. "Providing consumers with best-in-breed solutions around electric vehicle charging, energy generation, storage and consumption gives them greater control over energy usage than ever before. By unlocking the ability to bring together these technologies under one roof, transitioning to an end-to-end green home has never been easier."

Smart Energy Summit features two key sessions focused on new opportunities for energy providers in home energy management and beyond.

Speakers for "Energy Monitoring and Management: New Revenue Opportunities":
• Amena Ali, CRO, Whisker Labs
• Sebastian Hassell, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Neurio Technology
• Joel Miller, Principal Supervisor, DTE
• Erik Norwood, Founder & CEO, CURB
• Gerry O'Brien, COO, Blue Line Innovations

Speakers for "Wholesale Market Opportunities":
• Robbie Berglund, Business Unit Executive, The Weather Company, an IBM Business
• Bob King, CEO, Good Company Associates
• Peter Klauer, Senior Advisor, Smart Grid Technology, California ISO
• Greg Sorenson, PE, CIA, Supervisor, Market Power and Mitigation, Southwest Power Pool (SPP)
• Paul Wattles, Sr. Analyst, Market Design & Development, ERCOT

Conference sponsors include Tendril, Rapid Response, Grid4C, Affinegy, Alarm.com, Austin Energy, Bidgely, Carrier, Innotrail, People Power, Powerley, Trusource Labs, The Weather Company, Whisker Labs, and the Z-Wave Alliance.

Conference supporters include ACEEE, AltEnergyMag.com, Antenna, B2 Group, Best SEOs, Best Web Design Agencies, CIOReview, Conference Guru, Crowd Reviews, Green Button Alliance, Homeenergy.org, HomeGrid Forum, Hometoys, Innovation & Tech Today, ISE Magazine, Internet of Things Consortium, KNXtoday, LonMark International, Market Publishers, oneM2M, OpenADR Alliance, Open Connectivity Foundation, PLMA, Predicting our Future, Smart Grid Today, Telco Professionals, TREIA, Utility Dive, Visibility Magazine, and Wi-Fi Alliance.

Parks Associates is accepting press pass requests for Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer at www.parksassociates.com/ses-presspass. More information about the Smart Energy Summit is available at www.SES2018.com. To speak with an analyst or request specific research data, contact Julia Homier at Julia.homier@parksassociates.com or 972-996-0214.

About Smart Energy Summit
Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer examines the changing role of utilities to help empower consumers with solutions to save energy in the home. The event addresses the potential benefits of incorporating smart products into energy efficiency and DR programs and the opportunities across converging ecosystems for the market for energy solutions, including connected devices, energy management, utility services, and home control platforms and services.

The Smart Energy Summit focuses on identifying new strategies that utilities and other providers can leverage connectivity as a result of the adoption of new consumer technologies. 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 ninth-annual Smart Energy Summit will take place February 19-21, 2018, at the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown 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 #SmartEnergy18. For information on speaking, sponsoring, or attending Smart Energy Summit, visit www.ses2018.com.