During Parks Associates’ Smart Energy Summit virtual session, “The Connected Grid: Empowering Consumers, Platforms, and Providers,” held August 20, industry leaders examined how smart home technologies, distributed energy resources, and AI are creating new opportunities for consumers and energy providers.
- Chris Cashen, Co-Founder and CEO, Volta Home
- Orrin Charm, Systems Architect, Charm & Imagination
- Bri Dothager, Business Development Manager, COPELAND Electronics & Controls
- David Katz, President, Sustainable Resources Management Inc.
- Elizabeth Parks, President and CMO, Parks Associates
Parks Associates’ Senior Analyst, Daniel Holcomb opened the event with new consumer research on the growing intersection between the smart home and energy management. The average US internet household now owns roughly twice as many connected devices as it did in 2016, creating a larger foundation for energy management services. Smart thermostats remain an important entry point, with ownership reaching 17% of US internet households and advanced models incorporating occupancy detection, weather-based adjustments, energy-rate optimization, and demand response capabilities.
Technology alone will not drive participation. Parks Associates research finds 65% of consumers participating in demand response programs say incentives motivate their participation. At the same time, lack of awareness, concerns about giving utilities control over devices, insufficient incentives, and inconsistent program availability continue to create barriers. The opportunity for utilities and technology providers is to make participation easier, more predictable, and more valuable for consumers.
In the keynote segment, Elizabeth Parks, President and CMO of Parks Associates, highlighted the growing role of solar, battery storage, EVs, and other distributed energy resources. Parks Associates research finds rooftop solar ownership remains at 7% of US internet households, but consumer familiarity and purchase intentions are increasing. Battery storage also presents new opportunities: 61% of battery owners report using their systems to power their homes four or more days per week.
The next stage is bringing these assets together. Solar, batteries, EVs, thermostats, HVAC systems, and smart home devices increasingly need to operate as part of an integrated home energy management system. This requires greater interoperability and an intelligence layer capable of determining when energy should be consumed, stored, shifted, or returned to the grid.
The event concluded with an industry panel examining how AI can help deliver a more autonomous energy experience. Panelists represented Volta Home, Charm and Imagination, Copeland, and Sustainable Resources, bringing perspectives from smart home technology, HVAC, multifamily, and energy management.
A recurring theme was that consumers should not have to manually manage multiple applications and energy assets to optimize their homes. AI has the potential to analyze household patterns, utility rates, weather, solar production, battery status, EV charging needs, and individual comfort preferences to make those decisions automatically.
Interoperability remains a major hurdle. Panelists discussed the need for devices and platforms to share information more effectively so intelligence can operate across the entire home rather than within individual products. The goal is an experience where energy management happens in the background while still giving consumers transparency and control.
The future of home energy management is not simply about adding more connected devices. It is about creating an intelligent ecosystem where consumers, platforms, devices, and energy providers work together to make energy use more efficient, flexible, and valuable.
For more information, visit www.smartenergysmt.com.
