Parks Associates: 36% of Consumers Would Participate in an Energy Program Offering a Free Product

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Feb 4, 2016) - Parks Associates today announced new consumer research from 360 View: Energy Management, Smart Home, and Utility Programs, a survey of 10,000 U.S. broadband households, revealing that 36% of consumers would participate in an energy program offering a free product, tied for the most popular incentive alongside payment for non-use of electricity during peak times. Analysts will discuss this new research with more than 350 industry leaders at the seventh-annual Smart Energy Summit, February 22-24, 2016, in Austin, Texas.

"Finding the right mix of incentives is a key building block in broadening adoption of energy programs," said Tom Kerber, Director, Research, Home Controls & Energy, Parks Associates. "Co-marketing agreements can dramatically expand the reach of utility marketing efforts, and several non-monetary incentives can expand program participation. For example, 29% of U.S. broadband households are likely to participate in an energy program in exchange for a detailed breakout of the major sources of energy consumption in the home."

Executives from Nest, SMUD, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, and ERCOT will join Parks Associates to discuss strategies that leverage the installed base of smart products to meet demand response (DR) program goals, as well as the impact of these partnerships on utility business models, during the session "Integrating Smart Products and Consumer IoT into Utility Programs." The session, Tuesday, February 23 at 3:00 p.m., features the following speakers:

• Andy Baynes, Energy Partnerships, Nest
• Denver Hinds, R&D Project Manager, SMUD
• Claire Miziolek, Market Strategies Program Manager, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP)
• Peter Taylor, Vice President of Products, WeMo/Belkin
• Paul Wattles, Sr. Analyst, Market Design & Development, ERCOT

"Information innovation is rapidly advancing opportunities for utility and consumer technologies to link up," said Denver Hinds, R&D Project Manager, SMUD. "Collaboration is essential to maximize the shared customer value of smart energy solutions."

"Smart home technologies and home energy management systems offer a wide range of significant opportunities for utilities," said Claire Miziolek, Market Strategies Program Manager at Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP). "These systems can provide benefits in efficiency, demand response, distributed energy resources, as well as measurement and verification, and sit poised as the tools to evolve residential efficiency programs."

Southern California Edison, PlanetEcosystems, Opower, and ROC-Connect will join Parks Associates analysts for the session "Innovation in Marketing and Consumer Engagement," Tuesday, February 23 at 1:00 p.m. The following speakers will address new ways for utilities to interact with customers and strategies to engage households in energy programs:

• Mauro Dresti, Manager Mass Markets, Southern California Edison
• V. Rory Jones, Co-Founder and Chief Executive, PlanetEcosystems
• Josh Lich, Director of Product Marketing, Opower
• Kevin Meagher, SVP Business Development, ROC-Connect

"To maximize the effectiveness of efficiency and other initiatives, it is important that utilities orient programs around customer value -- and to properly understand how customers perceive value. Oftentimes, the smallest emotional trigger is much more powerful than the obvious big-dollar reward," said V. Rory Jones, Co-Founder and Chief Executive, PlanetEcosystems.

"Ownership of smart home devices is trending upward, but the industry needs to take an active role in order to realize the full potential of energy solutions in the consumer IoT," said Kevin Meagher, SVP Business Development, ROC-Connect. "Smart Energy Summit is the best annual event to discuss the changing demands of consumers and analyze energy strategies in the smart home."

Smart Energy Summit keynote speakers include executives from EnergyHub, NRG, and Schneider Electric. Sponsors include Tendril, EnergyHub, Honeywell, Powerley and DTE Energy, Affinegy, ecobee, PlanetEcosystems, WeatherBug Home, WSI, Z-Wave, Schneider Electric, State Farm, Tyco, and WattzOn.

Media and organizations supporting the event include Advanced Energy Economy, IoT Consortium, Antenna, Antenna Systems & Technology, Conference Guru, Engerati, FierceEnergy, GreenButton Alliance, HomePlug Alliance, HomeToys.com, ISE Magazine, IoT Today, Israeli Smart Energy Association (ISEA), KNXtoday, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Open Interconnect Consortium, OpenADR Alliance, Remote Site & Equipment Management magazine, SmartGridNews, SmartGridSpain, Smart Grid Today, TD The Market Publishers, TREIA, Utility Dive, Utility Post, and WSN Buzz.

Information about the Smart Energy Summit can be found at http://www.ses2016.com. Press passes are available at http://www.parksassociates.com/ses-presspass. To schedule a meeting with an analyst or speaker or to request materials from the energy conference, please contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com or 720.987.6614.

About Smart Energy Summit

Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer examines the expanding market for the smart home and the role of energy solutions within the Internet of Things, including connected devices, energy management, utility services, and home control platforms and services.

Smart Energy Summit addresses strategies for utilities, service providers, retailers, and manufacturers to expand and monetize their energy offerings by engaging consumers, developing new business models, and creating unique partnerships.

The summit agenda features thought leaders representing utilities, state and national regulators, telecom and security companies, retailers, and OEMs presenting on the state of the market and the emerging consumer and business opportunities.

The seventh-annual Smart Energy Summit will take place February 22-24, 2016, at the Omni Hotel in Austin, Texas. Follow the event on Twitter at @SmartEnergySmt and on the Smart Energy Insights Blog. For information on speaking, sponsoring, or attending Smart Energy Summit, visit www.ses2016.com.