Parks Associates: 51% of U.S. broadband households willing to share their thermostat data to receive discounts on their electricity bill

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Jan 17, 2017) - Parks Associates today announced new research showing roughly 50% of U.S. broadband households would share data from their thermostat or hot water heater to get discounts on their electricity bill. The data from a 4Q 2016 survey, featured in the upcoming 360 View: Energy Management, Smart Home, and Utility Programs, also reveal willingness to share is slightly less, but still strong, for data from clothes dryers and lighting. Industry leaders will examine ways to incentivize the smart home at the eighth-annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, February 20-22, 2017, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas.

"Manufacturers have an opportunity to work with utilities to leverage data to increase participation in energy programs," said Tom Kerber, Director of IoT Strategy, Parks Associates. "Working together, utilities can increase consumer awareness of energy programs and make it easy for customers to participate. At Smart Energy Summit, we will explore the incentives that gain the most consumer interest and explore success programs in the U.S. market."

360 View: Energy Management, Smart Home, and Utility Programs also notes approximately 25% of U.S. broadband households would definitely share data from their smart products with a manufacturer or service provider in order to improve their experiences with the product, including teaching them how to better use the device. Consumers are less willing to share their data for product recommendations, however, with only 20% willing to share data to receive this information.

This year's Smart Energy Summit agenda focuses on strategies for consumer engagement in the expanding market for energy solutions, including connected devices, energy management, utility services, and home control platforms and services. The Summit includes multiple sessions and speakers examining drivers, including non-monetary incentives that will get consumers off the fence, and upstream incentives to motivate greater participation from smart home solution providers.

"Incentivizing the Smart Home: Demand Response and Engagement," Tuesday, February 21, at 9 a.m., moderated by Tom Kerber, features the following speakers:

• Mauro Dresti, Senior Manager, Demonstrations & Pilots: Product Development & Division Management, Southern California Edison (SCE)
• Jeff Hamel, Head of North American Energy Partnerships, Nest Labs
• Derek Mauzy, Principal, Innovation and Competitive Intelligence, Reliant/NRG

"Gaining and keeping customers on a residential DR program can happen if you do a few things well: deliver simple messaging, offer the program through relevant channels, and provide timely and clear communication. Good execution in these areas is key to a successful program," said Derek Mauzy, Principal, Innovation and Competitive Intelligence, Reliant/NRG.

"Incentivizing the Smart Home: Energy Efficiency" Tuesday, February 21, at 11 a.m., moderated by Patrice Samuels, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates, features the following speakers:

• Dr. Marissa Hummon, Senior Energy Scientist, Tendril
• Claire Miziolek, Market Strategies Program Manager, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP)

"At Tendril, we believe we're only beginning to realize the advantages a smart home can bring to energy efficiency. I'm excited to speak on what the future holds for smart homes at the Smart Energy Summit," said Dr. Marissa Hummon, Senior Energy Scientist, Tendril.

"The 'energy' piece of the smart energy home is not inevitable -- many of the technologies that are best for energy optimization are not top of mind for a consumer interested in the smart home," said Claire Miziolek, Market Strategies Program Manager, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP). "We are at a crossroads, and Smart Energy Summit is the perfect forum to align consumer interest with energy priorities to successfully advance the smart energy home."

"Reinventing the Utility Business Model" Tuesday, February 21, at 3:30 p.m., moderated by Tom Kerber, features the following speakers:

• Tanuj Deora, Chief Strategy Officer, SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance)
• Brendan Hanna, Head of Technology Innovation, National Grid

"Utilities have more data at their disposal than ever before but face many challenges in crafting a compelling value proposition for both individual consumers and collectively for the grid," said Tanuj Deora, Chief Strategy Officer, SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance). "We will need to work together, supporting utility investment in both capital and capabilities, and accepting some level of uncertainty around data quality, ownership, privacy, and security, to even begin quantifying these value propositions."

"Consumer willingness to share data opens the opportunity for companies to obtain more information from consumers to help increase functionality and ease of use and to provide additional monitoring of products," said Patrice Samuels, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates. "These Smart Energy Summit sessions will address the new ways that the industry can incentivize consumers and increase participation in energy programs."

Parks Associates is accepting press pass requests for Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer at http://www.parksassociates.com/ses-presspass. More information about the Smart Energy Summit is available at www.SES2017.com. To speak with an analyst or request specific research data, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com or 720-987-6614.

About Smart Energy Summit
Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer examines new cross-industry opportunities in the expanding market for energy solutions, including connected devices, energy management, utility services, and home control platforms and services, as they evolve within the smart home and consumer-based Internet of Things.

Smart Energy Summit focuses particularly on the challenge of engaging consumers with energy-related solutions. Research analysts, thought leaders, and industry executives present and discuss business strategies, case studies, partnership opportunities, and consumer research that utilities, service providers, retailers, and manufacturers can use to expand and monetize their energy offerings.

The eighth-annual Smart Energy Summit will take place February 20-22, 2017, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas. The summit agenda features leaders from utilities, state and national regulators, telecom and security companies, retailers, and OEMs. Follow the event on Twitter at @SmartEnergySmt and #SmartEnergy17 and on the Smart Energy Insights Blog. For information on speaking, sponsoring, or attending Smart Energy Summit, visit www.ses2017.com.