LG Electronics outlined aggressive plans for its major appliances business at International CES this month. The company said it will target double-digit growth in 2011 and push for global sales of $20 billion in 2014 to position the company as the world’s top majap manufacturer. To reach those goals, LG plans to invest $12 billion Continue reading →
Smart Appliance
Verizon’s long-rumored push into the smart energy home is, finally, on its way. Well, a trial version is. The phone company said today that starting in January it will conduct a home monitoring and control pilot program in homes in New Jersey that will include an energy reading device, a smart thermostat, smart appliance control Continue reading →
Indesit Company and Freescale have collaborated to come up with a Smart Washer that uses a Freescale ZigBee node, allowing it to adjust its cycle starting time according to the variable energy cost, accessing information from the local power utility via a ZigBee enabled Internet connection to the Smart Grid. via Indesit Company Introduces Its Continue reading →
Professionals are approaching energy efficiency in a multitude of ways ranging from hybrid or electric cars to energy generated by algae. Most of those methods are focused on ways to create greener energy or making vehicles and devices more efficient. Building on that, what if devices and appliances could monitor the electric grid and make Continue reading →
An Israeli company said it had developed a high tech, power-saving (OOTC:TCPW) method to monitor home electrical usage, appliance by appliance, and control them remotely. The Computerized Electricity System (CES), or smart grid, provides homeowners with real-time information about how many kilowatts of electricity the blender, refrigerator, stove or washing machine, or any other electrical Continue reading →
The next meter your utility company installs will be a smart one, the industry tells us. (It’s all part of the government’s smart-grid plans, and a potentially a new threat to consumers’ privacy.) Your smart meter may have the ability able to tell you how much juice your dishwasher is using or how efficient your Continue reading →
Is there really much of a difference between demand response and smart grid? Demand response companies try to curb peak power and are increasingly moving toward managing power throughout the day to reduce energy consumption. Smart grid companies want to add intelligence to the grid so that one day they can shut down clothes dryers Continue reading →
Will Google’s tools one day help you monitor and manage the energy consumption of appliances like your washer and dryer? The company said yesterday afternoon that it’s partnered with chip maker Microchip to work with developers in order to create embedded devices that are compatible with Google’s energy tool PowerMeter. Microchip says the relationship means Continue reading →
What exactly is a smart appliance and how big is the commercial opportunity? Cleantech Group’s Stephen Marcus has details. Most of us have heard the term “smart appliance” thrown around. And most of us ultimately think of machines such as refrigerators, washing machines, clothes dryers and dishwashers consuming lower energy than a “non-smart” alternative. via Continue reading →
Imagine controlling your household appliances via your iPhone. Start-up companies are offering new software to enable households to boost their energy efficiency. It’s a potential mass market which is also awakening the interest of giants like Microsoft and Google. via Green Technology: Smartphone Apps to Help Households Save Energy – SPIEGEL ONLINE – News – Continue reading →
GE is shipping the first smart appliance to hit the US market. It’s a water heater that can reduce energy consumption up to 62%, providing a savings of about 3,025 kWh per year. And the “smart” part comes with the fact that it can hook up to smart meters and a smart grid. But here’s Continue reading →
The market for ’smart appliances’ is in rapid development, and wireless companies want to make sure they get a piece of the pie. On Wednesday, the Wi-Fi Alliance, a consortium of companies developing wireless technologies, released a white paper detailing the benefits of Wi-Fi as the standard of communication in smart grid solutions. via Wireless Continue reading →
Abu Dhabi has been drumming up publicity for its planned carbon-neutral, zero-waste community and research complex, Masdar City, recently — last week airing intentions to raise $600 million to start construction in earnest. Now it says it’s partnering with General Electric to test the conglomerate’s so-called smart appliances, ranging from refrigerators to clothes dryers capable Continue reading →
General Electric has said it could start selling some of its smart appliances — dishwashers, water heaters, microwaves and other devices embedded with communications technology — as early as this summer. But how will those appliances securely and efficiently connect with the grid so that utilities can turn them down during peak electricity hours? One Continue reading →
