Smart Energy Insights

Emphasized this year at the Smart Energy Summit in Austin was the need for utilities and connected home platforms to work together to create a better experience for the connected consumer. Many of the summit's panel speakers touched on this, and Parks Associates home energy management research continually highlights this growing need.

One of the areas where partnerships are most needed is in gathering, analyzing, and communicating data trends within the home energy management i ...read more

Erik Charlton, Nest’s vice president of business, disclosed that nugget in Austin last week at the Smart Energy Summit hosted by Parks Associates, a national marketing research firm.

About 50 percent of U.S. broadband households own a programmable thermostat, but only 11 percent have a device that can be connected to the Internet. However, Parks Associates’ consumer survey showed that 62 percent of the respondents would purchase a Internet-connected thermostat if given a $75 ...read more

Like any other investor-owned utility facing disruption, Duke Energy has come to an existential fork in the road: New business models or no? For Duke, the nation’s largest electric utility, the answer seems to be a resounding yes.

Duke is exploring “new business areas to get in,” Denis Garman, leader of Duke Energy’s energy management and information solutions group, told Utility Dive at the Smart Energy Summit in Austin, Texas. “We’re really trying to rethink our value prop ...read more

New business models continue to emerge as connected home products and solutions become more integrated into the home automation and energy management markets. Parks Associates research shows that many consumers do not understand or want recurring fees attached to their smart home technology; however, utilities and platform manufacturers require fees for services rendered. It is in this space where creative monetization methods are required to keep a balance between consumer adopt ...read more

While demand response is typically considered a utility-only type of program, the expanding market for connected home devices prompts both utility companies and smart home technology manufacturers to consider demand response solutions for connected device usage. Parks Associates research shows that offering demand response incentive programs to consumers can be instrumental in reducing energy use and adding economic value to energy utilities. Now it is time for technology compani ...read more

Among energy generation methods, electrical energy is in decline, with consumers beginning to favor more energy efficient and "green" methods like solar and wind power. In fact, recent Parks Associates research indicates that 60% of US households interested in purchasing a renewable power generator plan to purchase solar panels, the most popular option among renewable-energy power generators.

How will this increased adoption affect the traditional business models so many utilit ...read more