Industry Leaders Converge at Parks Associates' Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwire - January 20, 2010) - Parks Associates will host over 150 executives from leading utilities and companies active in energy management and smart infrastructure at next week's Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer. The conference, hosted in cooperation with Austin Energy, will take place January 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency, Austin, Tex., and focus on the consumer, distribution channels, and opportunities and challenges in residential energy technologies.

Sponsors include Cisco, Control4, Direct Energy, Exceptional Innovation, HAI Smartgrid Solutions, HomeGrid Forum, HomePlug Forum, iControl Networks, INSTEON, Intamac, ista, Lockheed Martin, OpenPeak Inc., People Power, RCS, Watteco, and Xanboo.

Keynote speakers are Andres Carvallo, CIO, Austin Energy; Dr. George W. Arnold, National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S. Department of Commerce; and Bob Heffron, Utility Market Manager, Verizon.

The conference features research from Parks Associates' Residential Energy Management service, including data on consumer readiness to adopt new technologies and current usage of energy management tools. Parks Associates reports up to 85% of U.S. households are willing to pay $80-$100 for cost-saving equipment if they are guaranteed to save 10-30% off their monthly electricity bill.

The following companies are participating as speakers:

4Home
Austin Energy
Best Buy
CableLabs
Cisco Systems
Control4
Cox Communications
Direct Energy
EcoFactor
eMeter
Exceptional Innovation
GE Energy
GridWise Architecture Council, U.S. Department of Energy
HAI
HomeGrid Forum
IBM
iControl Networks
Intamac Systems
ista - North America
Itron
OpenPeak
Opower
Pecan Street Project
People Power
POCO Labs
Progress Energy
Reliant Energy
Residential Control Systems
Sensus Metering Systems
SmartLabs
Telstra
uControl
USNAP
Vantage Controls
Verizon
Watteco
Whirlpool
Wi-Fi Alliance
Xanboo
ZeroG Wireless, recently acquired by Microchip Technology
Z-Wave

Event supporters include AltEnergyMag, CABA, CEDIA, Energy Priorities, Home Toys, Mercom Capital Group, PHOTON, RFP Magazine, Smart Grid Today, VB/Research, and WinSmartGrid.

For more information, visit www.smartenergysummit2010.com.

About Smart Energy Summit

Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, hosted by Parks Associates in cooperation with Austin Energy, is the premier conference studying the market for residential energy management and Smart Grid technologies.

The event features a unique combination of market research, including Parks Associates' landmark Residential Energy Management service, and expertise derived from Austin Energy's Smart Grid, the largest working Smart Grid in the U.S. http://www.smartenergysummit2010.com

Contact Information: Contact: Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein Parks Associates 972-490-1113 Email: mindi.sue@parksassociates.com