Companies have new focus on managing consumers’ electricity usage

Today there are 1.9 million homes with energy management networks. We are entering a period of pervasive growth. … We estimate there will be 16.2 million by 2015.

Parks Associates hosted the Smart Energy Summit in Austin last week. It focused on ways to find customers for such services. The three-day affair showed enthusiasm is high among corporations and entrepreneurs, who sense an emerging market. Parks Associates' Director of Research, Bill Ablondi said there were about 75 companies in the market last year, but now there are as many as 250, including such big names as GE, Intel, Verizon and AT&T.

Consumers, however, remain largely in the dark about the possibilities. Smart grid technologies promise to provide big gains in efficiency for electricity generators, transmitters and consumers. That means cost savings, less pollution and fewer power plants.

Integrating information technology into the electric power grid should also make it far easier to connect renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.

The technologies should also make it possible to manage a fleet of electric cars so that they can be fueled without putting crushing demands on the system and double as available storage devices for power when parked.

But with electricity prices flat or falling (they were down 11.5 percent last year in Dallas), consumers are not motivated to jump in.

Oncor and other Texas electricity transmission companies have installed more than 3 million smart meters across the state under a mandate from the state government. The meters are providing an ocean of data to the utilities about electricity consumption, but consumers have seen little advantage.

Reliant and TXU Energy can also use the smart meter data to send e-mail alerts to consumers when their electricity usage starts to balloon, along with recommendations on ways to conserve.

A thermostat equipped with wireless radio communications, however, can be configured remotely. TXU Energy offers thermostats that can be programmed from a smart phone.

Parks Associates said energy management systems independent of smart meters would outsell the utility plans for several more years. He estimated that wireless thermostats would grow into a $1.1 billion market by 2015, and that remote-control lighting systems would equal that market.

Speaker after speaker at the conference said the key to this market, however, is raising consumer awareness of the cost savings such systems can bring — without sacrificing comfort or demanding a lot of skill.

To view the full Dallas Morning News Article, click here.

HomeGrid Forum speaking at 2011 Smart Energy Summit, Austin TX

The HomeGrid Forum, speaking at today’s Smart Energy Summit in Austin, Texas, unveiled an exciting and ambitious roadmap towards the widespread adoption of G.hn as the de facto standard in wired home networking.

Speaking at the Summit, the Forum’s co-Chair of Marketing, Chano Gomez, said that first deployments of G.hn products will occur during 2011 and the organization’s Compliance & Interoperability (C&I) Roadmap outlines a range of practical steps for service providers and equipment manufacturers. This roadmap includes the appointment of accredited test houses, the first interoperability plugfests, and the first shipments of certified products.

There have been also key developments in G.hnem – the ITU-T standard for energy management – during 2011, enabling cost-effective SmartGrid applications such as smart meters, smart appliances and advanced re-charging systems for electric vehicles. While participating in a panel on home gateways, Gomez said that consent of G.hnem is expected during the first quarter of 2011 by the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T).

At the Summit, Gomez also said: “This past year showed a remarkable growth in interest in G.hn and G.hnem, and looking back, 2010 will be remembered as the year that home networking took off. HomeGrid Forum membership more than doubled during the year: a clear indicator of the growth of home networking and the value the industry is placing on G.hn and G.hnem as the technologies of choice for the next generation of home networking and Smart Grid applications.”

Gomez is Director of Business Development at Lantiq North America and has more than 10 years of experience in home networking and SmartGrid applications semiconductor industry, with a special focus on powerline communications for voice, video and data transmission. Since 2008, Chano has been actively involved in the development of ITU-T standards G.9960 and G.9961 (G.hn). He currently serves as co-chair of HomeGrid Forum Marketing Working Group, and previously as chair of the HomeGrid Forum G.hn Contributions Working Group.

PassivSystems: consumer needs must be at the heart of any smart energy solutions

PassivSystems, the UK smart home technology firm, has called on businesses attending the Smart Energy Summit in Austin, Texas to ensure that consumer energy efficiency needs are at the top of the agenda during the summit, January 24-26.

Smart meter roll-outs have been hit by controversy in California, Australia and Holland over the past 12 months. The UK plans to install smart meters in every home by 2020 at the latest, yet the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has stated smart meters will be able to reduce energy usage by just two to three per cent.

Speaking ahead of the summit, PassivSystems CEO Colin Calder said that the recent backlash against smart meters was primarily due to those smart meters being rolled out without due consideration of consumer needs.

“We’ve seen several examples of late where consumers have rejected smart meters and that’s not something that surprises me. Smart meters only facilitate more accurate billing and are a solution for utilities, not consumers. Even used in conjunction with an in-home energy monitor they offer only short-term value for consumers and short-term energy reduction.”

PassivSystems launched its home energy management solution PassivEnergy in 2010, a product that intuitively learns a household’s energy requirements to automate energy use in the home. It focuses on heating and hot water and can also integrate the management and monitoring of renewable energy on the same platform as legacy systems.

It was designed with consumer needs at its heart, so is very straight forward to use. The user simply tells the system their occupancy status - whether they are in, out, asleep or on holiday - and PassivEnergy looks after the rest, providing exactly the required amount of hot water and heat for that status. Early results have seen a 25 per cent reduction in household energy use.

“Saving up to a quarter on your energy bill is a significant saving and we’ve seen a huge consumer demand for PassivEnergy,” concluded Colin Calder. “It works because it fits so seamlessly with people’s lives and effectively manages their energy for them, valued qualities as people’s lives are so busy.”

“As the debate moves from smart metering to the smart grid, the energy industry needs to make sure consumers become more of a focus or the enormous global investment in smart energy technology could be wasted, as would appear to be the case with some of the smart metering roll-outs.”

For more information about PassivSystems, please click here

-- Content submitted by PassivSystems

Panamax/Furman Becomes the Newest Smart Energy Summit Sponsor

Parks Associates wecomes Panamax/Furman as the newest sponsor of the 2011 Smart Energy Summit in Austin, TX.

Panamax/Furman’s BlueBOLT® technology provides an integrated hardware/cloud-based software solution for power and energy management of home electronics. With BlueBOLT, users can monitor energy usage, define budgets and alerts, control power to electronics in real time, and schedule conservation to eliminate energy waste when electronics are not in use.

For more information, visit www.mybluebolt.com.

Sponsors for three-day Energy Summit represent market diversity as cloud-based services expand energy management field

Consumer interest in energy-saving solutions will help push the number of households with remote monitoring and control to over 14 million by 2015, with security system and broadband service providers joining utilities in this market.

Parks Associates, a leader in the consumer energy market research space, will host the 2nd Annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, in Austin, January 24-26, which will feature a diverse list of utilities, solution developers, and technology companies as sponsors.

AlertMe provides simple and affordable home energy management and connected home services directly to consumers and through channel partners.

Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications.

Direct Energy is one of North America’s largest energy and energy-related services providers with over 6 million residential and commercial customer relationships.

DMN3 is a marketing firm founded in 1992 and delivers value to clients by focusing on three industries -- energy, financial and healthcare.

ecobee delivers intelligent conservation solutions for real people. The company is building its product platform around The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

The GreenWave Reality platform creates smart energy- efficient homes through the monitoring and controlling of devices. This system benefits both utilities and consumers.

HomeGrid Forum is a global, non-profit trade group promoting the International Telecommunication Union’s G.hn standardization efforts for next-generation wired home networking and Smart Grid applications.

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance is the leading industry association for powerline networking with more than 70 member companies and more than 200 HomePlug-certified devices.

Ingersoll Rand Residential Solutions, a business comprised of well-known brands like Schlage and Trane, delivers safety, comfort and efficiency to homeowners throughout North America.

Motorola Mobility now offers the 4Home software platform, an exciting new way to expand your service offerings for Home Control, Home and Health Monitoring and Energy Management.

NextEnergy is a solar PV contractor with over 30 years experience demonstrating innovation in home energy management.

Panamax/Furman’s BlueBOLT® technology provides an integrated hardware/cloud-based software solution for power and energy management of home electronics.

Reliant Energy provides electricity and energy services to more than 1.5 million retail customers—including homes, small and large businesses, manufacturing facilities, government entities and institutions across Texas.

The Z-Wave Alliance is an open consortium of over 160 industry-leading manufacturers who create products and services to provide advanced yet practical solutions for energy savings, comfort and convenience, safety and security in the residential market based on Z-Wave, the standard in wireless home control.

Visit www.smartenergysummit2011.com for information.

Motorola Mobility's 4Home Solution Becomes the Newest Smart Energy Summit Sponsor

Parks Associates would like to introduce the newest sponsor for the Smart Energy Summit 2011, Motorola Mobility's 4Home Solution.

Motorola Mobility now offers the 4Home software platform, an exciting new way to expand your service offerings for Home Control, Home and Health Monitoring and Energy Management. With 4Home, your customers can now simplify their lives efficiently and affordably by:
• Analyzing and optimizing energy consumption
• Monitoring and securing their residence
• Managing personal health
• Controlling climate systems, lighting and appliances

To learn more about the 4Home Solution, please click here.

New consumer research at Smart Energy Summit Workshop, including panel discussion with Austin Energy, TXU, Motorola Mobility, and Ingersoll Rand

Parks Associates, a leader in the consumer energy market research space, will host the 2nd Annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, in Austin, January 24-26, 2011, to analyze the growing energy management market.

Utilities will be slow to ramp up their home area network efforts, reaching a mere 5% of U.S. homes by 2015, but they will deploy rapidly beyond that point, reaching nearly 40% by 2022. The energy management market will encompass a unique blend of utility deployments and independent solutions from a variety of players, and we look forward to hosting over 150 industry leaders at Smart Energy Summit to discuss new strategies and opportunities.

Parks Associates will present new research findings and strategic recommendations at a half-day workshop prior to the Summit, Monday, January 24. The workshop, “Energy: Consumer Demand and New Business Models,” will include an interactive session "Emerging Business Models – Alternative Approaches," with panelists from Austin Energy, TXU Energy, Motorola Mobility, and Ingersoll Rand.

The Smart Energy Summit features an incredible line-up of speakers, including keynotes from Grid Net, IBM, and NIST, who provide research, business, and regulatory expertise in analyzing the benefits of smart grid technologies and key strategies to engage consumers.

Smart Energy Summit is the premier event examining business opportunities and technical challenges as smart grid technologies move into the home.

Visit www.smartenergysummit2011.com for more information.

Direct Energy Becomes the Newest Sponsor for Smart Energy Summit 2011

Parks Associates welcomes Direct Energy, the largest competitive retailer in North America of electricity and natural gas, home services, energy efficient solutions and more, as the newest sponsor for the 2011 Smart Energy Summit in Austin, Texas.

Direct Energy is one of North America’s largest competitive energy suppliers with approximately 6,000 employees. They are active in upstream production (electricity and natural gas) and downstream delivery. Direct Energy helps customers effectively manage all of their energy needs.

For more information about the company, visit http://www.directenergy.com/

We thank you for your continued support!

Smart Energy Summit features executive session with CEDIA, GE, and Broadcom

Parks Associates will host Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer on January 24-26, 2011, in Austin, Texas, which will feature the session "Opportunities beyond the HAN" to discuss new opportunities for energy-related solutions, including smart appliances and electric vehicles.

While consumer awareness of smart grids remains low, U.S. households are still taking energy-saving actions themselves, with roughly 80% making energy-related improvements in their home. Parks Associates also reports perceptions of energy-efficient solutions are expanding, with consumers showing near equal interest in lifestyle enhancements as well as cost savings in motivating these changes.

"Opportunities beyond the HAN," 1:45 p.m. on January 26, will feature the following speakers:

• Utz Baldwin, CEO, CEDIA

• Andy Melder, Powerline Marketing, Broadcom

• JT Thompson, Utility Sales Leader, GE Appliances and Lighting
  

Parks Associates reports only 12% of U.S. consumers have strong familiarity with the term smart grid, essentially unchanged from 11% in 2009, indicating utilities and companies providing utility-related solutions must invest in education and marketing to capture consumer interest.

DMN3 Becomes the Newest Smart Energy Summit 2011 Sponsor

Parks Associates welcome DMN3, a direct marketing firm and advertising agency that offers both offline and online marketing campaign services, as the newest sponsor for the 2011 Smart Energy Summit in Austin.

For the first 10 years, the marketing agency focused on the financial market. Today, the DMN3 staff comes from the advertising agency, online, technology and direct marketing disciplines. Our service offerings moved from solely direct mail to integrated programs. The marketing firm has offices in Houston, TX and Dallas, TX. They also have a strategic partner in Westport, CT.

For more information about the company, visit www.dmn3.com

We thank you for your continued support!

Next Energy Becomes the Newest Sponsor for Smart Energy Summit 2011

Parks Associates welcomes Next Energy as the newest sponsor for the 2011 Smart Energy Summit in Austin, TX.

NextEnergy is a solar PV contractor with over 30 years experience demonstrating innovation in home energy management. Our goal is to scale cost effective energy management solutions and create partnerships that will enhance our sales and installation programs. We empower customers to take control of their energy use with a selection of products and services marketed under the PowerNab brand.

For more information about the company, visit www.nextenergy.com.

We thank you for your continued support!

Ingersoll Rand Becomes the Newest Sponsor for Smart Energy Summit 2011

Parks Associates welcome Ingersoll Rand, a company that has recently transformed itself into a multi-brand commercial products manufacturer serving customers in diverse global markets, and away from the capital-intense, heavy-machinery profile of its past, as the newest sponsor for the 2011 Smart Energy Summit in Austin.

Ingersoll Rand is a global diversified industrial firm providing products, services and solutions to enhance the quality and comfort in homes and buildings, transport and protect food and perishables, secure homes and commercial properties, and enhance industrial productivity and efficiency,

For more information about the company, visit www.ingersollrand.com

We thank you for your continued support!

Parks Associates reports 28% of U.S. households looking to adopt electricity usage displays

Rising energy costs and economic conditions are motivating consumer interest in energy management solutions but also setting high expectations for these technologies, according to Parks Associates, which will host Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer on January 24-26, 2011, in Austin, Texas.

The conference agenda features the session "Solutions that Deliver on the Promise," January 25 at 11 a.m., with executives from ecobee, Oncor Electric Delivery Company, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory discussing business strategies that align with user needs and expectations.

Over one-fourth of U.S. consumers are very interested in an in-home display that shows their current electricity usage, with 90% willing to pay $90-$100 for this solution. However, this level of interest comes only if it can help save 10-30% off their electric bill. Our Residential Energy Management project is finding, behind the high overall interest in energy-saving solutions, consumers have very specific expectations that must be met before they adopt.

Confirmed speakers for "Solutions that Deliver on the Promise":
• Stuart Lombard, President and CEO, ecobee
• Bill Muston, Manager, Research & Development, Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC
• Steve Widergren, Principal Engineer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Smart Energy Summit is the premier event examining business opportunities and technical challenges as smart grid technologies move into the home. The agenda features keynote speakers from IBM, Grid Net, and the U.S. Department of Commerce and includes interactive panels and presentations focused on strategies to demonstrate the value proposition of new energy management products, services, and standards.

Energy management session featuring Verizon, Direct Energy, Reliant Energy, and PG&E at Smart Energy Summit 2011

Executives from Verizon, Direct Energy, Reliant Energy, and PG&E will examine the new competitive market for residential energy management in the special session "Energy as a Service" on January 25 at Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer.

Regulatory changes and technology advancements, including the proliferation of broadband, are adding a competitive dimension to the energy business. Electricity providers can supplement their power offerings with monitoring and management services, but other players, including communications service providers, are looking to enter the consumer energy management market. We predict adoption of non-utility residential energy management solutions, including systems from firms such as AlertMe, Control4, and HAI and services from providers such as Verizon and Comcast, will grow more quickly over the next five years.

Confirmed speakers for the "Energy as a Service" session:

• Eric Bruno, SVP, Consumer Product Management & Development, Verizon

• Christopher Deutschen, Senior Manager, Direct Energy

• Brent Hodges, Director, Smart Energy Partnerships, Reliant Energy

• Steve Malnight, VP, Integrated Demand Side Management, PG&E

Smart Energy Summit includes interactive panels and presentations focused on strategies for manufacturers, utilities, and other service providers to demonstrate the value proposition of new energy management products, services, and standards. The agenda includes keynote speakers from IBM, Grid Net, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

For more information, visit www.smartenergysummit2011.com .

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 .

Sigma Designs sponsors Smart Energy Summit 2011

Parks Associate is proud to welcome Sigma Designs as a Premier sponsor for the upcoming Smart Energy Summit in Austin.

Sigma Designs is a leading fabless provider of highly integrated SoC solutions that are used to deliver multimedia entertainment throughout the home. Sigma’s SoC solutions include media processors, home control and communication devices which combine semiconductors and software as critical components of high-growth consumer applications including IPTV-based settop boxes, gateways, Blu-ray players, HDTVs, entertainment connectivity devices, and RFbased home control devices.

Headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., Sigma Designs also has design centers or sales representatives in Canada, China, Denmark, France, Israel, Japan, Korea (third party), Singapore, and Taiwan.

For more information, please visit www.sigmadesigns.com.

ecobee sponsors Smart Energy Summit 2011

Parks Associates is proud to welcome ecobee as a 2011 sponsor for the Smart Energy Summit in Austin, Texas from January 24-26, 2011.

ecobee helps homeowners conserve energy, save money and reduce their environmental impact. The green automation platform sits at the convergence of energy conservation, green technology, the networked home and consumer electronics. Their products automate energy conservation making it easier to save on energy costs without sacrificing comfort.

ecobee is part of an international ground swell empowered by the realization that we need to take action on the environment, and the time to take that action is now. Their products and services are developed with care, innovation and attention to detail. They have a real and meaningful impact on our customers and the communities they live in.

For more information about ecobee, visit: http://www.ecobee.com/

HomePlug Powerline Alliance Becomes The Newest Sponsor Of The Smart Energy Summit 2011

Parks Associates welcome HomePlug Powerline Alliance, a company that enables and promotes rapid availability, adoption and implementation of cost effective, interoperable and standards-based home powerline networks and products, as the newest sponsor for the 2011 Smart Energy Summit in Austin.

Founded in 2000, the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, Inc. is an industry-led initiative with 70 member companies that creates specifications and certification logo programs for using the power lines for reliable home networking and Smart Grid applications.

The Alliance accelerates worldwide adoption for HomePlug technology by collaborating with international standards organizations such as the IEEE and through market development and user education programs. Sponsor members include Atheros Communications (ATHR); Cisco (CSCO); Comcast (CMCSK); Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK); GE Energy, an affiliate of General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE); Gigle Networks; Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723); SPiDCOM Technologies; and STMicroelectronics (STM). Contributor members include Arkados (OTCBB: AKDS) and Corporate Systems Engineering.

For more information, visit www.homeplug.org.

We thank you for your continued support!

Climate Talk Alliance Joins 2011 Smart Energy Summit Supporter List

Parks Associates welcome Climate Talk Alliance, an organization of companies committed to developing a common communication infrastructure, to the newest list of supporters for the 2011 Smart Energy Summit in Austin.

The ClimateTalk Alliance is an organization of industry-leading companies who are committed to developing a common communication infrastructure for HVAC and Smart Energy devices and enabling the interoperability of diverse systems. The ClimateTalk Alliance has been formed as an ecosystem to drive collaboration on standards to address fragmentation in the HVAC Communications market and provide interoperability for applications in the Smart Energy arena.

The ClimateTalk Alliance is open to companies committed to providing long term interoperability of communicating devices that provide reduction in energy consumption while improving comfort and end user experience.

For more information, visit www.ClimateTalk.org.

We thank you for your continued support!

Landis+Gyr is Selected by CoServ Electric to Provide Advanced Metering and Smart Grid Technology for the Utility's eCoGrid Initiative

Landis+Gyr announced it has been selected by CoServ Electric to provide advanced metering and smart grid technology for the utility's eCoGrid initiative. CoServ Electric will deploy Landis+Gyr's Gridstream™ technology that supports advanced metering, distribution automation and personal energy management applications, and will bring two-way communications capabilities to the utility's more than 150,000 electric meters.

CoServ Electric is an electric cooperative that serves six North Texas counties. The utility plans to begin installing Gridstream RF advanced meters in March 2011, with an anticipated project completion date of 2013.

CoServ Electric currently offers a variety of resources to help members reduce energy usage, including free energy audits. Earlier this year, CoServ Electric accepted a $17.2 million grant from the Department of Energy to support the eCoGrid initiative.

Landis+Gyr's Gridstream RF technology uses a powerful radio mesh network to communicate with meters and distribution devices, such as monitors and switches. Gridstream devices use the Smart Energy Profile standard to communicate with smart appliances and in-home devices.This technology is currently being deployed to millions of residential and commercial sites across the United States. For more information, please click here.