Parks Associates: 85% of U.S. Broadband Households Took Action to Reduce Energy Usage or Costs in Last 12 Months

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Apr 20, 2015) - Parks Associates announced a smart home whitepaper today that reports 85% of U.S. broadband households took at least one action, such as adjusting thermostats or switching to energy-efficient light bulbs, to reduce their energy usage or costs in the last 12 months.

Digital Engagement of Energy Consumers, available for download on the Parks Associates website, reports 74% of U.S. broadband households use social networking sites. The whitepaper provides recommendations for utilities and energy providers to leverage these social media connections to better engage consumers.

"Smart home products can provide utilities with valuable data about their customers, and they can align this information with their social media efforts in order to create better consumer experiences," said Maia Hinkle, Research Analyst, Parks Associates. "Today's consumers expect information and answers immediately, and utilities need to leverage social media channels and data analytics from connected devices to provide information customers want to know, when they want to know it."

The whitepaper provides an overview of a social media case study, done for the industry report Digital Engagement of Consumers: Home Energy Management, that details how utilities currently use social media and identifies strategies for improvement.

"Our new whitepaper provides a detailed analysis of the new demands from today's connected consumer and their expectations for utilities," Hinkle said. "Social media, web portals, and apps allow utilities to access the customer in the moments that matter most, including outages and natural disasters. By providing actionable insights via platforms consumers want to engage in, the utility can become an energy management partner and trusted advisor."

Parks Associates' CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference, May 19-21, San Francisco, features multiple sessions focused on connected devices and home management services:

• "Winning Channel Strategies for Smart Home Services" -- featuring speakers from ADT Security Services, Canary, Cox, Lowe's, Reliant, Resolution Products, and Time Warner Cable
• "Integrating IoT into Smart Home Platforms" -- featuring speakers from Alarm.com, Amdocs, PlanetEcosystems, Wink Inc., and Zipato

To download a complimentary copy of "Digital Engagement of Energy Consumers," go to http://www.parksassociates.com/whitepapers/hem-engagement.

For more information on CONNECTIONS™, visit www.connectionsus.com. Follow the conference on Twitter at @CONNECTIONS_US, #CONNUS15, and on the CONNECTIONS™ Industry Insights Blog. To schedule a meeting with an analyst, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com, 720.987.6614.

About Parks Associates
Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions.

The company's expertise includes the Internet of Things (IoT), digital media and platforms, entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, digital health, mobile applications and services, support services, consumer apps, advanced advertising, consumer electronics, energy management, and home control systems and security.

Each year, Parks Associates hosts industry webcasts, the CONNECTIONS™ Conference Series, Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, and Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers.