Parks Associates analysts launch the conference with an overview of the firm's latest consumer research and industry insights.

Energy providers are making moves behind the meter with partnerships and acquisitions of companies building a smarter, more secure home. Explore the powerful synergy between smart home technology, residential security providers, energy management players, and utility providers. Gain strategic insights into how these industries intersect and discover opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

Sponsored by Arcadia

As households become increasingly integrated with IoT (Internet of Things) devices and smart technologies, understanding the dynamics of energy use within these environments becomes critical. This study delves into how connected home devices, including smart thermostats, lighting systems, and appliances, impact overall energy efficiency and sustainability. The presentation seeks to provide insights into the challenges and opportunities presented by the integration of energy management solutions in connected homes, with a focus on promoting environmental sustainability and reducing energy use in individual homes and multifamily environments.

Energy providers have an established and ongoing relationship with customers today, and market leaders are building on that relationship and diversifying with additional value-added home services.  Discover the potential inrush of new revenue with evolving business models within the smart home and energy industries. Gain valuable insights into new revenue streams, partnership opportunities, and innovative approaches to delivering smart home and smart energy services in an ever-changing market landscape.

This keynote session addresses the driving forces behind smart home adoption, including energy-saving initiatives, convenience, and enhanced security. Join us to hear about the latest developments in smart home technology, including the wide array of devices, platforms, and communication protocols that are shaping the connected home landscape. This discussion will highlight the pivotal role that smart home technology will play in achieving energy efficiency and sustainability goals, empowering utilities to optimize energy usage and reduce environmental impact.

Builders today have the materials, renewable generation technology, and home automation technologies necessary to offer consumers affordable zero net energy homes. Learn how builders are incorporating solar, storage, and home automation technologies to meet Zero Net Energy goals and utility programs supporting their efforts.

Connected products and systems can expose consumers, utilities, and ecosystem players to cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Explore the critical aspects of security and privacy in the context of smart home energy systems. Discuss best practices for protecting data, securing devices, and ensuring consumer trust in the interconnected energy ecosystem. In addition, speakers address the role of data analytics, pivotal to the monitoring and optimization of smart home energy systems.

Parks Associates summarizes key points shared across the day in the closing comments, as well as take questions from the audience.

Join Parks Associates and leaders of the smart home and utility markets for networking and cocktails. Request a pass for the reception.

This session will explore the latest advancements in the connected home including adoption of broadband, connected devices, and the future market driven by services.  Participants will gain insights into the current trends shaping the smart home industry, including the integration of AI and IoT technologies, user privacy and data security concerns, and the role of interoperability in creating seamless smart home ecosystems.

Dive into the latest advancements in smart energy devices that are transforming residential energy management. Discover cutting-edge technologies such as smart thermostats, energy monitors, and connected appliances that provide real-time energy consumption data, enable remote control, and facilitate intelligent energy optimization. Learn how these devices empower homeowners to make informed decisions, reduce energy waste, and contribute to a greener future.

Sponsored by Resideo

This session will offer a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in EV and solar technology, market trends, and sustainability impacts. " This session offers a deep dive into the factors driving consumer interest and market trends in these two key areas of sustainable technology. Attendees will explore the latest research findings on consumer preferences, adoption barriers, and motivational factors influencing the shift towards EVs and solar energy solutions.

Multifamily property owners and operators seek to control energy costs, have confidence in their power supply, and attract residents who increasingly seek smart and “green” lifestyles. Three-fourths of multifamily owner-operators report interest in deploying solar and EV chargers on their properties.  Explore the unique challenges and opportunities in implementing smart energy technologies in multifamily residences. Discover innovative solutions for energy management, security, and enhanced living experiences in shared living spaces.

This session focuses on the evolving landscape of electric vehicles (EVs) and their charging infrastructure. Speakers explore how advancements in EV technology and the expansion of charging stations are shaping the future of transportation, emphasizing their impact on energy consumption, environmental sustainability, and the integration of EVs into daily life and smart city planning.

This keynote session addresses the evolving landscape of consumer energy markets, focusing on innovative revenue streams and business models. Speakers provide insights into the impact of renewable energy sources, like solar and wind power, on traditional energy markets, the rise of electric vehicles (EVs), and the integration of smart home technologies.

With governments around the globe, major car makers, and big tech all investing in electric vehicles, the market is primed for growth. The next few years represent a challenging but critical time for players in energy and connected technology industries to determine how the rise of EVs will impact their industries and to develop strategies to ensure their solutions will be part of the new reality. This session addresses the opportunity for home energy management device makers, EV charger-makers, and utility players as adoption of these technologies grows.

Increased environmental awareness, introduction of new devices enabling energy savings like smart thermostats and smart sprinkler systems, and the spotlight on electric grid challenges are drivers for the adoption of renewable energy sources. The need for more electricity and alternative sources beyond fossil fuels has led to the development and promotion of renewable alternatives, such as solar panels and storage, EVs, and other devices that enable demand response activities. This session addresses how consumers are gravitating towards these solutions as electricity costs increase, new interest in monitoring energy usage, and as regulations and tax incentives are rolled out.

New tax incentives for battery storage make inclusion of a battery in a solar system an easier sell, and more systems with batteries will push up the revenue per system installed. In the coming years, a tightening economy will create downward pressure on growth for solar solutions. Rising energy costs and concerns about grid stability will be exacerbated by electric vehicle sales and the associated home charging installations. Together, these factors will build a tailwind for energy cost-reduction products and services growth.

This session addresses the changes in the market of solar power, battery technology, and integration of devices and systems with the electrical grid. This session highlights growing consumer and industry demand for home energy management systems and the changes in how we manage and consume energy at home.

Sponsored by Questline Digital

In general, integration with smart home solutions delivers four key benefits to utilities and energy providers: increased consumer engagement with energy management programs, facilitation of smart product integration in demand response programs, increased adoption of smart products for use in energy management, and increased program awareness through cross-marketing efforts. This session highlights the state of the energy management markets, including the impact on the consumer, utility, and connected home industries.

Sponsored by Google

Energy management includes many value propositions that can be delivered as part of a broader smart home solution. The market for energy management solutions has just started to take off, but energy companies are highly motivated to invest in solutions and offerings that provide more energy efficiency and automation in homes. This session examines the emerging energy management capabilities and the opportunity for different channels to provide energy management services and to tie efficiency solutions to a variety of products, including smart lights, pool pumps, smart blinds, and smart fans.

Utilities can leverage the growing number of distributed energy and smart home products and services to help manage the grid. As the adoption of distributed generation expands and daily load profiles resemble the duck curve, aligning consumption with local supply will become critical to grid operation.

The question for utilities and energy providers is how to integrate smart home and distributed energy resources into the grid. This session examines the incentives are needed for consumers to engage in utility programs and operate their home in a way that is aligned with the needs of the grid operator.

 Sponsored by Resideo

EV adoption is entering a new phase. As consumer familiarity rises, incentives and regulatory policies continue to drive increased adoption and interest. EV owners are much more likely to have smart home solutions at home, including two times more likely to have a smart thermostat and video doorbell compared to the general population. These ownership stats open more opportunities among device and car manufacturers for increased integration and new services. This session addresses the future of electric vehicles, including growth in charging stations.

Sponsored by Google

Nearly 75% of MDU property managers and owners are very concerned about residents wasting energy, so they are highly motivated to adopt energy management solutions, including smart thermostats, smart outlets, smart lights, and connected HVAC systems. These solutions can help managers reduce OPEX; for example, they can remotely adjust lighting and temperatures in unoccupied units via smart lighting and energy management system, a top value proposition. This session addresses the role of integrated systems in the future of apartment living and building ownership.

Forward-thinking utilities are investigating strategies to integrate multiple devices and aggregate data to deliver a truly comprehensive and actionable picture to consumers of their household energy consumption. These offerings will help build positive consumer engagement, open avenues to expand service portfolios, and ultimately generate new revenues, even as energy consumption is reduced. This session addresses market expansion and growth in energy services, new business models, and partnership success.

Sponsored by Austin Energy

The convergence of technological advances, energy awareness and concerns, and growing demand is driving adoption of smart home solutions that can deliver new solutions in the energy sector. Parks Associates presents research and analysis highlighting the key benefits for energy providers and builders when they incorporate smart products into their offerings.

For home builders, smart technology delivers multiple benefits—financially and through market differentiation. Both builders and home buyers alike are appreciative of energy-saving rebates as well as the longer-term benefits of lower energy bills. From a sales and marketing perspective, newer smart homes offer additional lifestyle benefits such as built-in security, energy management, and entertainment control.

Sponsored by Google

The utility industry is moving aggressively towards building its renewable energy portfolio, and consumers are gaining interest in renewable sources of energy and energy management. This session addresses the opportunities for growth in the solar industry, including downward pricing pressure on solar panels, batteries, and smart home devices, and emergence of the “smart energy consumer.”

Energy monitoring and management services create clear value for consumers, and data analytics is driving new value-added services and opportunities for new business models. As solutions move from monitoring and reporting to providing recommendations and automation, consumer interest increases. This session examines new opportunities for utilities and energy providers around next-generation energy monitoring and energy management solutions.

Key to the future progress of the home energy management market is the ability for players across many industries to deliver a unified experience through new services. Accomplishing that goal requires complex integration, extensive partnerships, and a focus on the consumer experience.

The standard smart home buyer journey today is via retail, often one device at a time, creating an experience where consumers are using multiple apps to control their devices. Therefore, control is not unified, and data is often not shared among devices, creating a disjointed consumer experience and difficulty connected energy-saving desires and behaviors with the broader smart home experience.

These conditions have inhibited wider adoption of smart energy solutions and delayed transition of the smart home market into the mass market. Some higher levels of control are available via smart home hubs, security providers, service providers, custom installments, and master smart home apps, but consumers want a more unified experience, with integrated automation and intelligence. This session highlights key trends in the customer buyer journey, based on Parks Associates research of 10,000 internet households, and where there are opportunities to realize this unified experience.

Many people live in apartments and expect new technologies, including always-on broadband and energy management solutions. This session addresses the growing opportunities in the small-to-medium business (SMB) and apartment sectors, including the energy solutions, analytics, platforms, and services.

The next few years represent a challenging but critical time for players in energy and connected technology industries to determine how the rise of energy management solutions will impact their industries and customer segments. This session addresses how companies are supporting the future infrastructure for solar, and electric vehicles.

Utility companies are making a concerted effort to share more data with their customers: more than 50% of consumers receive a daily breakdown of their energy consumption from their energy provider, up from 31% at the end of 2020.

Innovations in energy devices and platforms allow utilities to supercharge this effort, giving energy providers the ability to deliver more detailed and useful real-time energy information and extend into control and conservation services that reach “the other side of the meter.”

 The energy transition presents a unique opportunity to grow by efficiently addressing the needs of a rapidly changing market. But with the complexity of the Energy Industry, including so many use cases, markets, technologies, and regulations, getting started can be daunting.

In this session, you’ll learn a structured approach to building an innovation engine that produces repeatable results, accelerates growth, and reduces the risk of costly mistakes.

Whether you are planning a brand-new product, developing a new module, building a line extension, or expanding to a new market, you’ll walk away with an actionable blueprint you can apply at your company today. This session is based on Daniel’s bestselling book The B2B Innovator’s Map.

For many utilities, participation in DR programs is critically important during peak times. Recruiting and engaging consumers are key to ensure success. Getting the incentives right is key to maximizing participation and minimizing cost. This research presentation highlights how consumers perceive utility control and what incentives work to gain consumer participation.

Artificial intelligence and big data applications can continually add more value to smart home and IoT solutions at the application level, often without requiring substantive hardware changes. This session features industry leaders sharing various methods to help educate the industry and consumer market on the value of energy management solutions and AI tech-enabled applications and services.

 This session addresses the growth in distributed energy resources, including purchase intentions, market drivers, and industry partnerships.

As Distributed Energy Resources (DER) mature, more electric vehicles, solar and batteries, and water heaters will be integrated. This session addresses the future growth areas for energy management solutions.

This session addresses the changes in consumer adoption of EV’s, obstacles to growth, and the impact of new federal and state policies.

Cost and access to charging stations are the two key barriers to wider adoption for electric vehicles. This session addresses how the industry is working to develop and ensure the charging infrastructure, standards, and policy are in place to meet the demand of EVs in the future.

Only 19% of US broadband households are aware of their electricity provider’s energy monitoring and management products. This session addresses the business and consumer value of access to real-time energy consumption data, including the most appealing and useful value-added services.

Forty-three percent of US broadband households stated they would prefer to live in a community-powered by solar energy, but low familiarity with energy devices is still a barrier for adoption for most households. This session addresses most commonly provided devices and systems that facilitate property access and energy management, including smart door locks, thermostats, lights, and the devices most likely to be integrated into MDUs to drive energy savings.