Control4, NV Energy to begin EMS rollout in June

The first real-world smart grid rollout of home energy management systems will take place this year in Nevada, according to home control company Control4.

Control4 will provide Nevada’s NV Energy with 20,000 of its EMS 100 energy management systems, which consist of a 5-inch EC-100 touchscreen display and a WT-100 wireless thermostat. The rollouts will begin in June 2011, likely in southern Nevada, and continue through 2012.

NV Energy customers voluntarily participating in NV Energy’s programs will be able to access and use the data collected by smart meters to wisely manage energy in their homes. The EC-100 energy controller’s color touchscreen interface will provide up-to-the-minute feedback on their electricity consumption and costs. The system will analyze their electricity usage and accommodate additional energy management applications and load controllers on their home area network.

According to Control4, the EMS 100 can also directly control some lights, such as turning off outdoor lighting. The system contains radios to connect to the two-way smart meter, a ZigBee-based radio to communicate with smart appliances, and a Wi-Fi radio for the home network. Plug-in modules and other devices will allow control of a variety of home systems.

For the complete article, please click here.

Parks Associates announces Smart Energy Summit Advisory Board

Parks Associates announced the executives on the Advisory Board for the upcoming Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, Austin, Texas, Jan 24-26, 2011, which will examine the business opportunities and technical challenges as smart grid technologies move into the home.

The advisory board for Smart Energy Summit provides guidance and recommendations into topics, strategy, and marketing for the event. This year's advisory board includes representatives from the following companies:

Control4
ecobee
eMeter Corporation
Gigle Networks
GreenWave Reality
GridNet
HomePlug Powerline Alliance
Lantiq North America, Inc., representing HomeGrid Forum
Sigma Designs
Smart Grid News
U.S. Department of Energy

Smart Energy Summit analyzes the business strategies in conjunction with the latest consumer data to determine the best opportunities for success. Agenda sessions focus on smart grid deployments in the U.S. and around the world, new players and business models, cloud-based energy management, new services, growth of the ecosystem, and strategies to engage consumers.

For more information, visit www.smartenergysummit2011.com .

Parks Associates presents new consumer data at CEDIA Expo

Parks Associates’ Director of Home Systems Research, Bill Ablondi will lead and moderate the keynote panel session “The Future of Energy Management” during the CEDIA Expo on Friday, September 24 in Atlanta, GA. Leaders in consumer technology, energy management, and smart grid technology will deliver the state of the union as it relates to energy management and the electronic systems industry during this keynote panel. Speakers include: Control4 Energy Systems, Direct Energy, GlobalSmartEnergy, Home Automation, Inc. (HAI), and Intel Corp.

Bill will present findings from Parks Associates’ Residential Energy Management project, including consumer research, new opportunities for manufacturers and service providers to deliver energy solutions, and strategies for companies to communicate the benefits of smart grid technologies and successfully engage consumers.

In the new white paper “Consumer Attitudes and the Benefits of Smart Grid Technologies,” Parks Associates reports more than 80% of U.S. broadband households are interested in learning about ways to cut energy expenditures, but utilities and their partners will be challenged in designing solutions to meet consumers’ varying needs and budgets.

Acceleration of smart grid and smart energy deployments

Ember announced it has reached a key milestone in its quest to become the world's foremost provider of ZigBee technology for smart meters and Home Area Network (HAN) products when it became the first company to ship more than 10 million ZigBee wireless chips. This milestone is reflected in the company's record revenues and sales bookings, making Ember well positioned for almost 300% annual revenue growth in 2010.

Ember's spectacular ramp has been driven by large-scale deployments of smart energy technologies by utilities, device manufacturers, and smart home products for applications in energy management and home security, monitoring and automation. Whether it's in-home displays for energy management such as those from Control4 or Tendril, or home awareness systems like uControl and AlertMe, or smart meters from leaders such as Landis+Gyr and Itron, chances are that the slew of ZigBee smart energy products hitting the market are Ember-enabled.

Across the world, billions are being invested in smart grid programs as part of grid modernization and carbon emission control measures and ZigBee has become the chosen low-power wireless standard for advanced metering and HANs.

Control4 Hires Seasoned Executive Richard Walker to Lead Energy Systems Division

Control4®, a leader in affordable IP-based home control systems, announced today the appointment of Richard Walker to the post of President, Energy Systems. Walker is responsible for the growth and management of the company’s new operating division dedicated to bringing affordable energy management solutions to consumers, utilities, partners, and businesses.

Control4 Energy Systems was formed in July 2009 and debuted its first product, the Control4 Energy Management System 100 (EMS 100), in September. Since then, the Control4 EMS 100 has rapidly drawn industry attention as one of the easiest to use, most compelling energy management systems in the emerging home area network space and leading utilities have responded enthusiastically.

For the full press release, click here.

SMART Energy Summit - Speakers & Advisory Board Announced

Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, hosted by Parks Associates has announced the preliminary list of speakers and Advisory Board members.

Confirmed speakers:

Susan Cashen, VP, Marketing, Control4
Steve Cashman, Chief Strategy Officer, Exceptional Innovation
David Dollihite, VP, Direct Energy
David Friedman, Senior Director, Strategic Marketing, ZeroG Wireless, Inc.
Dan Gittleman, Chairman & CEO, OpenPeak
Vince Groff, Executive Director, Cox Communications
Jim Johnson, President & CEO, uControl
Thomas Pickral, Business Development, HAI

Current Smart Energy Summit Advisory Board participants:

Andres Carvallo, Chief Information Officer, Austin Energy
Steve Cashman, Chief Strategy Officer, Exceptional Innovation
Ken Wacks, Member, GridWise Architecture Council, U.S. Department of Energy
Brian Woods, CMO, OpenPeak

The event, January 25-27, 2010, in Austin, Tex., features a unique combination of market research, featuring results from Parks Associates' landmark Residential Energy Management service, and real-world expertise derived from Austin Energy's Smart Grid, the largest working Smart Grid in the U.S.

For more information, visit www.smartenergysummit2010.com.