Others have cut prices as an opportunity for running promotions or special sales, recognizing that with their customersfacing an inflationary crunch, "it might be an opportune time to run some deep discounts as a way to try to capture some volume, " says Reibstein.
With Johnson Controls' customers all facing their own tough business challenges right now, it was an equally quick decision to focus Vision Week 2009 on strengthening customer satisfaction.
Several utilities are conducting pilot programs that use Home Area Networks (HAN), the household-facing layer of technology, to provide customerswith real-time information on electricity usage and prices.
Along with California-based innovator SunRun, SolarCity offers homeowners a creative solution to the main obstacle facing prospective solar customers: the larger up-front investment.