KEMA Completes Study of Smart Energy Market

Survey Research, Economic Analysis and Market Forecasts Indicate Many Customer Choices Forthcoming, but Providers Face Challenges to Engage Large Numbers of Customers


BURLINGTON, MA--(Marketwire - March 4, 2010) -  KEMA (www.kema.com) completed its analysis of the smart energy market in Texas. Sponsored by many leading energy and technology companies in the US, the study examined residential customer awareness, acceptance and value of smart grid enabled electricity offers, home energy technologies and rate plans ("smart energy"). 

KEMA's multi-client study analyzed the intersection of electricity competition and the evolution of smart energy offers for residential customers in Texas. The analysis provides insight into emerging business models and home energy technologies across North America, and forecasts offer adoption in Texas, where the state has taken a market leadership position in smart energy. A summary of the report is available for download at: www.kema.com/first2market

"The success of smart grid relies in part on the value it creates for customers and their acceptance of the technologies and offers it will likely create," stated Taff Tschamler, Director of Retail Energy and primary author of the study. "Our analysis makes clear that smart grid in a highly competitive electricity market such as Texas will offer customers many choices. However, providers of smart energy offers have a long way to go to fully engage customers. One important conclusion of the project is that there is significant inertia among small electricity customers that must be overcome to fully realize the benefits."

Since 1995, KEMA's retail energy practice has offered business consulting and research services to the retail energy market. The retail energy market client base includes 23 of the top 25 North American energy retailers as well as numerous utilities, merchant generators, vendors, investment firms, brokers and other stakeholders in competitive retail markets. The practice also hosts the annual KEMA Executive Forum where senior leaders from across North America gather to discuss key issues and challenges facing retail energy markets.

KEMA is actively engaged in helping utility and energy industry clients make the connection between technology and customers -- combining customer research, demand response and energy efficiency with smart grid planning, design, deployment, testing and operations. The firm's energy efficiency program management solutions have helped to enable a total of 1 billion kilowatt hours of electricity savings in 2009. KEMA is also helping clients address the technology- and customer-related challenges of integrating new and emerging advanced metering and communications, distribution automation systems, and information technologies with utility engineering and work management systems. 

About KEMA
Founded in 1927, KEMA is a global provider of business and technical consulting, operational support, measurement and inspection, testing and certification for the energy and utility industry. With world headquarters in Arnhem, the Netherlands, KEMA employs more than 1,600 professionals globally and has offices and representatives in more than 20 countries. KEMA's US subsidiary, KEMA, Inc., is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts and serves energy clients throughout the Americas and Caribbean.

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