It is our great pleasure to invite you to the 5th IEEE International Conference on Smart Grid Communications (SmartGridComm 2014). Developing the Smart Grid has become an urgent global priority, promising economic, environmental, and societal benefits. Information and communications technologies are at the core of the Smart Grid vision as they will empower the future power grids with the capability of supporting two-way energy and information flow, isolating and restoring power outages more quickly, facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid and empowering the consumer with tools for optimizing their energy consumption. SmartGridComm 2014 will take place in Venice, a fascinating and marvelous Italian city, on November 3-6, 2014. It will feature a technical program centered around five thematic symposia.