Motorola enters the connected home market through the acquisition of 4Home

Connected home platform developer 4Home was acquired by Motorola today (12/01/10). 4Home will now become a part of Motorola’s Mobility division; terms of the deal have not yet been announced.

4Home’s solutions include energy management, healthcare monitoring, home security monitoring and entertainment management. 4Home, a Sunnyvale, CA based company, was founded in 2005 and has been a regular participant at Parks Associates’ CONNECTIONS conference. To date the company has raised over $9 million in venture capital funding from Pond Ventures, Parker Price and Verizon Ventures.

Motorola is one of the leading Set-Top-Box (STB) brands and we predict that 4Home’s platform will be embedded on their (Motorola’s) STBs enhancing the company’s offering. We expect more details on the deal to be available soon.

In our opinion this is another great example of a market mover, such as Motorola, building the foundation for the connected home systems and services market to blossom. We have repeatedly stated that there are multiple paths to the connected home. 4Home developed a robust platform and Motorola is well-positioned to deploy it. Other recent examples of companies with market clout getting behind the connected home solutions include cable MSOs Comcast and Rogers, both deploying services based on the iControl/uControl (a recent merger) platform(s).

The bottom line for industry participants is that these firms, and others we expect to hear from shortly, will build awareness of the capabilities monitoring and control technologies can add to consumers’ lifestyles. 2011 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the connected home systems and services market. So much so, that we are formulating a new market intelligence program aimed at characterizing and quantifying opportunities in this arena for manufacturers, service providers, utilities, retailers and a host of technology enablers. Stay tuned

Smart Energy Summit addresses consumer value proposition and distribution channels for in-home energy management and control solutions

Smart Energy Summit analyzes the consumer side of the changing energy industry and the impact of Smart Grid technologies and in-home management solutions. Sessions feature over 30 government, utility, and industry executives, offering insight into the current landscape for energy management, barriers to overcome, the mass-market potential, and deployment status of smart infrastructure and energy management devices for in-home use.

Keynote speakers include 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.

Confirmed Speakers:

Didier Boivin, SVP, Marketing, Watteco

Kris Bowring, Sr. Director, Emerging Business, Best Buy

Susan Cashen, VP, Marketing, Control4

Steve Cashman, Chief Strategy Officer, Exceptional Innovation

Luke Clemente, General Manager, Smart Grid, GE Energy

Mike Coop, Director, Smart Grid Strategy, HomeGrid Forum

Reid Cram, Product Manager, Vantage Controls

Joe Dada, President & CEO, SmartLabs

Aaron Deyonker, Director, Product Management, eMeter

David Dollihite, VP, Product and Business Development, Mass Markets Energy, Direct Energy

Greg Ennis, Technical Director, Wi-Fi Alliance

David Friedman, Senior Director, Strategic Marketing, ZeroG Wireless, Inc.

Dan Gittleman, Chairman & CEO, OpenPeak

Vince Groff, Executive Director, Cox Communications

Brent Hodges, Director, Smart Energy Partnerships, Reliant Energy

Scott Hublou, SVP, Products, Co-Founder, EcoFactor

Jim Johnson, President & CEO, uControl

Stephen R. Johnson, Jr., Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Itron

Ogi Kavazovic, Sr. Director, Marketing & Strategy, Opower

Michael Kuhlmann, President, RCS

Brewster McCracken, Executive Director, Pecan Street Project

Letha McLaren, VP, Energy Products, iControl Networks

Kevin Meagher, CEO, Intamac Systems

Roy Perry, Director, Technology Integration, CableLabs

Thomas Pickral, Director, Business Development, HAI

Carol Priefert, Sr. Manager, Global Consumer Insights and Technology, Global Product Organization, Whirlpool

Jon Rappaport, Chairman, USNAP; Product Manager, Sensus Metering Systems

Bill Scheffler, Director, North American Sales, Z-Wave

Bill Simpson, Sr. Energy Efficiency Program Manager, Progress Energy

Michael Smith, VP Energy Solutions, Lutron Electronics Co.

Dr. Kenneth Wacks, Member, GridWise Architecture Council, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Gene Wang, CEO, People Power

Nate Williams, CMO, 4Home

Tim Woods, Founding Partner, POCO Labs

Visit www.smartenergysummit2010.com for more information or to register for the event.

Pecan Street Project Director to discuss Austin’s smart-grid demonstration and Energy Internet project at Smart Energy Summit

Parks Associates announced the Smart Energy Summit will feature a special session focusing on the Pecan Street Project, with a presentation from the project’s executive director Brewster McCracken on January 27, 3:30 p.m. Mr. McCracken will discuss the activities of the Pecan Street Project, which was awarded $10.4 million in federal stimulus money in November 2009 for its proposed Energy Internet project.

Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, hosted by Parks Associates in cooperation with Austin Energy on January 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency, Austin, Tex., focuses on the opportunities and challenges in residential energy technologies.

The Pecan Street Project in Austin, Texas, is a city-wide laboratory devoted to revolutionizing the delivery, use, and generation of energy. It provides a place where researchers and entrepreneurs can develop, test, and implement the urban power system of the future.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Austin Energy to keynote Smart Energy Summit

International research firm Parks Associates announced executives from Austin Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will keynote the Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer. The two keynotes provide unique perspectives from business and governmental sides of the residential energy management (REM) industry, offering expert insight on successful deployment strategies and the impact of U.S. funding for smart grid projects.

Recently, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced over $3 billion in funding for smart grid projects, with matching private-sector funds pushing the total over $8 billion. This funding has implications for technology developers, utilities, and end users, and today there is the right mix of government incentive, competition, and societal pressure to make smart energy solutions viable.

Dr. George W. Arnold, National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability, NIST, U.S. Department of Commerce, will be the luncheon keynote on Tuesday, January 26. He will provide insight into government initiatives for promoting smart grid projects.

Andres Carvallo, CIO, Austin Energy, will present the morning keynote “A New Journey: Utility 2.0” on January 26. He will share his vision of the utility of the future, informed by his company’s experiences developing and deploying its Smart Grid. Mr. Carvallo will also highlight new business models and technologies designed to transform consumers into “prosumers” - producers and consumers all in one.

For more information, visit www.energysmartsummit2010.com

Smart Energy Summit to focus on in-home energy management and control solutions

U.S. Department of Commerce, Austin Energy to keynote conference --

International research firm Parks Associates announced the preliminary agenda and current speakers, sponsors, and advisory board for the Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer. This conference, hosted in cooperation with Austin Energy on January 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency in Austin, Tex., focuses on opportunities in residential energy management and the challenges of bringing Smart Grid technologies to U.S. households.

Sessions include the latest consumer research from Parks Associates’ landmark Residential Energy Management service, which surveys both consumers and utilities on attitudes and trends in this growing industry. Early sponsors for Smart Energy Summit include Direct Energy, Exceptional Innovation, HAI, iControl Networks, and OpenPeak. Event supporters include AltEnergyMag, CABA, Energy Priorities, Home Toys, SmartGrid Today, VB/Research, and WinSmartGrid.

Andres Carvallo, CIO, Austin Energy, will present the keynote “A New Journey: Utility 2.0” on Tuesday, January 26 at 9:30 a.m. He will share his vision of the utility of the future, informed by his company’s experiences developing and deploying its Smart Grid, and highlight new paradigms of business models and technologies that will transform consumers into “prosumers” - producers and consumers all in one.

Dr. George W. Arnold, National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability, National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce, will also be a keynote speaker at the conference.

Confirmed speakers:

- Susan Cashen, VP, Marketing, Control4
- Steve Cashman, Chief Strategy Officer, Exceptional Innovation
- David Dollihite, VP, Direct Energy
- David Friedman, Senior Director, Strategic Marketing, ZeroG Wireless, Inc.
- Dan Gittleman, Chairman & CEO, OpenPeak
- Vince Groff, Executive Director, Cox Communications
- Jim Johnson, President & CEO, uControl
- Thomas Pickral, Business Development, HAI

The Smart Energy Summit Advisory Board provides input into the design and content of the event, focusing particularly on the market opportunities and business issues associated with engaging the consumer in energy management. Current Advisory Board participants:

- Andres Carvallo, Chief Information Officer, Austin Energy
- Steve Cashman, Chief Strategy Officer, Exceptional Innovation
- Ken Wacks, Member, GridWise Architecture Council, U.S. Department of Energy
- Brian Woods, CMO, OpenPeak

For more information, visit www.smartenergysummit2010.com.

Smart Energy Summit addresses emerging market for in-home energy management devices and services

Parks Associates to host Residential Energy Management event in Austin

International research firm Parks Associates announced plans to host the inaugural Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, in cooperation with Austin Energy, on January 25-27, 2010. The event will feature expert speakers and analysts discussing the latest developments in residential energy management (REM) and the successful strategies capable of engaging consumers in new programs for energy conservation and cost savings.

The event, taking place at the Hyatt Regency in Austin, Texas, will feature market research from 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.

Government initiatives and stimulus funds have stoked demand for REM technologies with their emphasis on energy conservation and greater efficiency in the home. Already over six percent of all U.S. meters are smart meters, and many U.S. utilities are announcing new deployments and pilot programs, which will push the number of smart meters to almost 50 million by 2012. This event identifies the business opportunities for in-home energy monitoring and management systems, accelerated by deployment of energy smart grids.

Early sponsors for Smart Energy Summit include Exceptional Innovation and OpenPeak. Andres Carvallo, CIO, Austin Energy, will present a keynote detailing his company’s experiences in developing and deploying its Smart Grid.

The event agenda will focus on the roadmap for the emerging in-home energy management technology market, offering consumer and industry research and strategic insight:

• Current status of REM and Smart Grid technologies
• Consumer interest in REM solutions
• Engaging the consumer: Strategies and tactics to communicate benefits successfully
• Leveraging applications: Think energy … and more
• Impact of government stimulus and green initiatives
• Technical and business requirements for succeeding in REM
• Business strategies for utilities, manufacturers, installers, and service providers
• Unit and revenue forecasts for Smart Meters and REM residential solutions

For more information, or to submit to speak at the event, visit www.smartenergysummit2010.com.