Sixteenth annual Smart Energy Summit research event features keynotes from NRG, Savant, Southern Company, and Renew Home

Parks Associates is hosting the 16th annual Smart Energy Summit this week in Dallas, co-located at DISTRIBUTECH, bringing together the leaders of the energy markets and featuring its latest consumer research and insights from the landmark research study, Smarter Energy at Home: Intelligence, Coordination, Services. The research study highlights the opportunity for utilities to engage consumers as active participants in energy management – 43% of US internet households report they are currently enrolled in an energy program.

Smart Energy Summit sponsors include Schneider Electric, SkyBell, LG NOVA, Universal Electronics, Savant, Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), NRG, and the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative. 

“We love this partnership with DISTRIBUTECH to provide important information to the utility players on the realities of marketing to the consumer, the challenges of designing new programs, and the incentives that drive consumers to participate,” said Elizabeth Parks, President and CMO, Parks Associates. 

Smarter Energy at Home: Intelligence, Coordination, Services shows continued demand for information and products that help reduce energy usage at home. Study highlights:

  • 61% of households report electricity costs are too high. Across all segments, consumers feel their electricity costs are too high.
  • 42% of US internet households select an electricity provider/utility as their preferred provider to deliver an app to monitor their energy usage.
  • 50% of consumers actively work to reduce energy consumption; 36% need help.
  • Only 22% of smart thermostat owners currently participate in a demand response (DR) program.
  • Saving energy is a top three reason smart home device owners coordinate their devices into “routines.”
  • Electricity providers struggle with customer satisfaction, with an NPS of -25.
  • 16% of US internet households have a heat pump.

Keynote speakers:

  • Will Dillon, Savant
  • Jeff Gleeson, Chief Product Officer, Renew Home
  • Robin Lanier, Managing Director, New Ventures, Southern Company
  • Jim Nye, Chief Product Officer, NRG Consumer

Session Speakers:

  • Astrid Atkinson, CEO & Co-founder, Camus Energy
  • Sofia Berrada, Head of Strategy, SWTCH Energy
  • Kerri Carnes, Director, Customer to Grid Solutions, APS - Arizona Public Service
  • Beth Crouchet, Director, Energy Markets & Resource Planning, Budderfly, Inc.
  • Julian Durand, SVP Product Management & CSO, Intertrust
  • Dan Falcone, VP of Product, ConnectDER
  • Christopher Freeman, Director, Connected Products Ecosystems, Rheem Manufacturing
  • Wil Gomez, Director, Product, Smart Communities, SmartRent
  • Jonathan Hastings, Director of Innovation, Solution Architect, Home and Distribution Division, Schneider Electric
  • Barry Holland, Director, Product & Growth, SmartThings
  • Lon Huber, SVP, Pricing and Customer Solutions, Duke Energy Corporation
  • John Hughes, Chief Engineer, Residential Controls, Trane Technologies | Technical Work Group Chair, Home Connectivity Alliance
  • Mac Keller, Manager, Resilience - Research & Industry Strategy, SEPA – Smart Electric Power Alliance
  • Amith Kota, CTO, Landis+Gyr
  • Christopher LaPré, Head of Technology, Connectivity Standards Alliance
  • Tray Leslie, Electric Transportation Manager, Georgia Power Company
  • Dai Lin, VP, Product, UtilityAPI
  • Jarrod Maddox, Director, Product Development & Energy Innovations, TXU Energy
  • Daren Mancini, Chief Commercial Officer, MARA
  • Meghan McConomy, VP, Consumer Brand Strategy, NRG
  • Jason McGrade, Deputy Director, Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative
  • Desiree Mejia, Co-Founder & COO, SkyBell
  • Michael Norbeck, Head, Grid Services, US, Enphase Energy
  • David Oberholzer, GM, Resideo Grid Services, Resideo
  • Hrag Ohannessian, SVP, Global Sales, Home Automation, Security & Hospitality, Universal Electronics, Inc.
  • Wannie Park, CEO of New Energy Orchestration Venture, LG Electronics | LG NOVA
  • Chris Rauscher, Head of Grid Services and VPPs, SunRun
  • Gomathi Sadhasivan, VP, Energy Systems, DNV
  • Lisa Scott, Senior Manager, ecobee
  • Chris Tumpach, CEO, Rainforest Automation
  • Dr. Kenneth Wacks, President, Home, Building & Energy Systems
  • Paul Wezner, Chief Product and Customer Officer, Powerley
  • Josh Wong, CEO, ThinkLabs AI
  • Vera Yuan, Business Development Lead - Smart Building & Devices, Leap Energy
  • Joe Zhou, VP & Sr. Managing Director, Black & Veatch | Co-Chair, TGO Alliance

To request data or an interview, contact mindi.sue@parksassociates.com, 972-490-1113.

About Smart Energy Summit

The 17th annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer addresses the rising demand for energy, accelerated by the growth of data centers and AI, and its impact on energy management, renewable adoption, and grid modernization. Organized by Parks Associates and co-located with DISTRIBUTECH, Smart Energy Summit brings together leaders from energy, smart home, and technology industries to explore strategies and partnerships critical to the energy transition. 

Smart Energy Summit takes place February 3-4, 2026, at the San Diego Convention Center. It will focus on integrating smart energy solutions, leveraging AI and IoT for home energy management, and tackling challenges in demand response and grid orchestration. Supported by Parks Associates’ consumer and industry research, the event provides key insights into market trends and the path forward for utilities, technology providers, and consumer brands.

Follow #SmartEnergy26 on Parks Associates’ LinkedIn. For information on speaking, sponsoring, or attending Smart Energy Summit, visit www.smartenergysmt.com.