Parks Associates Welcomes HomeGrid Forum, Intamac, ista, People Power, and Watteco as Sponsors of Smart Energy Summit

Leaders in Smart Grid and Energy Management Announce Support for Event, January 25-27


DALLAS, TX--(Marketwire - January 7, 2010) - Parks Associates today announced HomeGrid Forum, Intamac Systems, ista, People Power, and Watteco as the latest sponsors for Smart Energy Summit on January 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency, Austin, Tex. They join a growing list of sponsors including Direct Energy, Exceptional Innovation, HAI Smartgrid Solutions, iControl Networks, INSTEON, and OpenPeak Inc.

Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, hosted by Parks Associates in cooperation with Austin Energy, focuses on the opportunities and challenges in residential energy technologies.

The conference features research from Parks Associates' Residential Energy Management project, which reports that almost one-third of all U.S. households recently purchased an energy-efficient appliance or CE system. For the majority, the main motivation for the purchase was to save money on electric bills. Only 11% purchased primarily because the device was environmentally friendly.

"The energy industry is undergoing a radical change with the introduction of two-way communications and advanced monitoring, but consumers, while interested, are not generally aware of available solutions, with only 10% familiar with smart meters," said Bill Ablondi, director, home systems research, Parks Associates. "Successful smart-energy solutions must be simple, easy-to-use, and with a clear value proposition, and our sponsors are at the forefront of these efforts."

Other supporters include AltEnergyMag, CABA, CEDIA, Energy Priorities, Home Toys, Mercom Capital Group, PHOTON, 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, January 25-27, 2010, in Austin, Tex., features a unique combination of market research, featuring 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. http://www.smartenergysummit2010.com.

About Parks Associates

Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Parks Associates creates research capital through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions.

http://www.parksassociates.com | http://www.connectionsconference.com | http://www.connectionseurope.com | http://www.connectionsindustryinsights.com

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