Prior to the ninth-annual Smart Energy Summit in Austin, Parks Associates sat down with Dave Kaintz, Senior Manager, Southern California Edison, to discuss the future trajectory of the energy industry:

What are the barriers to bringing together a broad ecosystem of smart home products that work together as an energy management system?

The age old problem of interoperability or lack of.

What are the biggest opportunities for the smart home industry to work with the utility industry?

Energy management and customer convenience (automation) do not always coexist. Finding ways to integrate and market these solutions in a way that resonates with customer’s needs and wants

How has the smart home created new service opportunities for energy providers?

Connected technologies has created a new industry along with automated intelligence. Customers want simple solutions that they ultimately do not have to think about, e.g. set my preferences and let the technology manage it.

How will broad adoption of smart home products and services impact energy providers?

Smart thermostats are a great example of how these smart home products have enabled new programs/customer offerings.

How will energy providers expand the energy monitoring services market?

Great questions with multiple potential answers. Energy monitoring services could be tied to energy efficiency and demand response offerings as well as retention tools in a competitive market.

David will speak on the panel session "Net Zero Homes and the Evolution of Home Energy Management " on Tuesday, February 20 at 12:45 PM. For more information on the speakers or session details for the 2018 event, visit www.ses2018.com.