Parks Associates, host of Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, today announced new energy research showing nearly 50% of U.S. broadband households are very interested in a thermostat capable of automatically detecting an unoccupied house and adjusting the temperature to save money. The research firm notes that consumer interest in automated energy management overall is increasing.

The fourth-annual Smart Energy Summit, February 25-27 in San Antonio, features analysts and energy market executives analyzing opportunities emerging from growing adoption of energy management capabilities. The session "Engaging Consumers: Case Studies and Success Stories" features speakers from Salt River Project, Southern California Edison, Opower, and GreenWave Reality on 9:30 a.m., February 26. 

"Consumers' energy-saving activities remained the same from 2011 to 2012, but their energy consciousness is still low compared to the peak in 2010," said John Barrett, director, consumer analytics, Parks Associates. "Consumers appreciate the benefits of smart technologies, but they don't want to constantly monitor their home's energy consumption. Minimally invasive energy management is preferred, and the top-rated smart thermostat features reduce consumption through automatic adjustments. At Smart Energy Summit, we will discuss strategies to engage this new mentality, where automated features resonate with consumers." 

Parks Associates finds 12% of U.S. broadband households have access to a website showing their daily energy consumption patterns, but nearly 90% use it less than once per week. 

The session "Engaging Consumers: Case Studies and Success Stories" will examine energy programs and bundling strategies that have been effective in driving consumer interest. Speakers: 

• Renee Castillo, Senior Director, Customer Services, Salt River Project
• Brad Cherry, HAN Readiness Senior Project Manager, Southern California Edison
• Greg Memo, CEO, GreenWave Reality
• Roderick Morris, SVP of Marketing and Operations, Opower

Smart Energy Summit addresses the growing market for new energy management services and technologies and opportunities for new partnerships between utilities, service providers, retailers, and OEMs. 

Sponsors for Smart Energy Summit include Alarm.com, ecobee, EcoFactor, GreenWave Reality, Hitachi, Lowe's, PlanetEcosystems, Qualcomm, Sigma Designs, AlertMe, IPSO Alliance, and Itron. 

Parks Associates will host the pre-conference workshop "Understanding Utilities and Consumers: Energy Management Markets" on Monday, February 25, highlighting research on demand for security and energy management solutions, including consumer willingness to pay fees for equipment and services and the integration of connected CE into home services.  

From the article, "Nearly 50% of U.S. broadband households interested in thermostat that can adjust to save money." 

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