Parks Associates hosting Residential Energy Management Webcast

Parks Associates is hosting a Residential Energy Management on Thursday, February 25th at 1 PM Central.

With the president’s stimulus bill squarely behind Smart Grid development, 2010 should see significant investment in new technologies from the back office to the network to the meter and to devices in the home. Will consumers pay to purchase devices with energy savings potential?

For more information, visit
http://www.parksassociates.com/events/webcasts.htm

Parks Associates Research Findings

Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer examines the roadmap for the in-home energy management technology market, offering consumer and industry research and strategic insight. Parks Associates research finds:

· Over 80% of consumers are very interested in learning about how to cut their energy costs, but less than half want to learn more about smart grids.

· 80% to 85% of households are willing to pay $80 to $100 for cost saving equipment if they are guaranteed to save 10% to 30% off their monthly electricity bill.

· Only 15% to 20% of consumers are likely to sign up for time-of-use or demand response programs; 35% do not want utilities to control systems in their home no matter what the potential savings.

· Less than 5% of households have any type of electronic lighting system, but 55% are very interested in light dimming systems that can save them money.

View Agenda

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.

NIST efforts critical as U.S. consumers look to cut energy costs

Parks Associates announced today that George Arnold, National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S. Department of Commerce, will deliver the afternoon keynote “NIST Smart Grid Interoperability Standards and the Home Area Network” at Smart Energy Summit.

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 and identifies business strategies for in-home energy monitoring and management systems.

Sessions will include research from Parks Associates’ Residential Energy Management project, which features nationwide consumer surveys and industry profiles to assess the market for energy-related digital systems and services. The most recent consumer survey reports 80-85% of U.S. households are willing to pay for in-home energy monitors if these solutions can lower their electric bills.

In his keynote on January 26, 1:45 p.m., Dr. Arnold will discuss the challenges that need to be addressed in developing the interface between the Smart Grid and the Home Area Network. NIST is coordinating the development of a robust, interoperable framework of technical standards that will help transform the nation’s electric infrastructure into an “energy internet.”

Dr. Arnold was appointed National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability at the NIST in April 2009. He is responsible for leading the development of standards underpinning the nation’s Smart Grid. He joined NIST in September 2006 after a 33-year career in the telecommunications and information technology industry.

For the full press release, click here.

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