Four 2019 Energy Trends from Con Edison

The energy industry is evolving rapidly, as consumers seek greater access to renewables, electric vehicles and other products and services that “smart” technology makes possible.

In the latest Plugged In podcast, Con Edison’s Matt Ketschke gives an expert’s perspective about four energy trends to watch out for in 2019.

“This smart revolution is really being driven by technology,” said Ketschke, senior vice president, Customer Energy Solutions. “In the energy sector it’s technology that allows you to control your temperature and energy use with these ‘smart’ devices that are proliferating throughout our economy.

“We are making the supply of electricity cleaner, so we can help customers switch from carbon-based fuels like oil, to renewable electricity,” Ketschke said. This is lowering our society’s overall carbon emissions and helps our customers reduce their energy costs."

Listen to our Energy Trends podcast for information about four trends:

1. Smart Technology – Smart meters, smart thermostats, smart appliances . . . sense a theme here? In our podcast we discuss tools that give customers more control over their energy usage and costs.
2. Large Scale Renewables – With our recent $1.6 billion purchase of 981 megawatts of renewable production, Con Edison became the second largest solar energy producer in North America. The cost of solar energy is now competitive with power generated with traditional sources.
3. Energy Storage – As customers seek more renewable energy, the potential benefits of battery storage rise. Also needed is the ability to store energy and then dispatch it when our customers need it the most.
4. Electric Vehicles – The cost of electric vehicles has dropped dramatically, making EVs an attractive economic and environmental alternative to gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles. Con Edison is testing the viability of several models for making it easier for consumers to charge and operate EVs.

Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE: ED], one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $12 billion in annual revenues and $50 billion in assets. The utility provides electric, gas and steam service to more than 3 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, N.Y.