GE appliances to connect to smart grid via Tendril

Imagine a refrigerator smart enough to cut your electricity bills.

Smart-grid start-up Tendril and General Electric later this year will test a smart-grid system that will allow GE's networked home appliances to take advantage of cheaper electricity rates, the companies announced Wednesday.

The joint development deal calls for GE to speak to Tendril's smart-grid software in a range of GE appliances--dishwashers, washing machines, refrigerators, and water heaters--over Zigbee wireless networks.

From GE's labs: a fridge that talks to smart meters to save energy.

(Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET)

The integration will allow consumers to control their appliances from different points, such a Web browser, iPhone, or in-home display.

GE's support for Tendril's software for utilities will also allow consumers to take advantage of efficiency incentives offered by utilities, explained Adrian Tuck, the CEO of Tendril. The companies plan to test the system in the fourth quarter this year to measure the amount of energy savings possible, he said.

Tuck projected that reductions on the order of 30 percent for an individual appliance are possible if a utility offers demand-response programs to cut energy use during peak times. For a consumer, that would mean that a clothes drier will turn off the gas heat for a few minutes. In exchange, a consumer can get some sort of discount.

"People ask me all the time whether this is disruptive technology and I say that for most people it shouldn't be," Tuck said. "The vast majority of people just want to consume less electricity and they don't want to do it in ways that disrupt their lives."

To make this type of demand-response application possible, Tendril's software needs to communicate information on changing electricity prices from the utilities to GE's appliances through a smart meter or broadband connection. Based on that information, a refrigerator, for example, can decide to make ice at off-peak times.

Beyond the technical barriers, there need to be regulations that give incentives for utilities to promote efficiency and offer variable time-of-day pricing, Tuck added. "A lot of utilities don't like the idea of having customers consume less of what they sell," he said.

Also, how much consumers are willing to pay for in-home energy displays and grid-connected appliances in exchange for energy savings is still unclear. Tuck thinks consumers should not have to pay more than $100 to start out and not have ongoing fees.

[dbargen]

"on the order of 30 percent for an individual appliance"
"$100 to start out"

A real analysis of this idea would do an averaged cost/benefit analysis. including the price of getting new appliances when it may not be wanted or needed just to gain said savings.

The lack of such a study suggests to me that, like most other 'green' tech, there is no realizable savings with such an investment anywhere close to the first half of the life of the product, if at all. Yes, you can feel the smug goodness of being eco-friendly, but for a monetary price and feeling foolish later when your investment doesn't pay off as you thought

IMHO, the name "Tendril" says it all: giving control of when your dishes and laundry get clean, when you can have hot water, and if you can cool down all your drinks and keep your perishables from perishing over to the utility company, and whatever state regulator may have the axe over their neck. Pardon my distrust, but with recent and ongoing actions in certain states across the country, rationing of my appliance and energy usage might seem like a good option to them. That's not the america I live in, or want my children to grow up in.

[mlamonica]

The idea isn't to let a utility run your appliances. The idea is for the appliance to be smart enough to know how to do its job and take advantage of off-peak rates. Do you really care when your freezer makes ice? The ice is there when you want it, but the fridge can figure out how to work more efficiently. I doubt most people will upgrade their appliances just for that reason but the operating costs should be lower, if it works as advertised.

[knowles2]

I would of thought the idea would be to replace the appliances only when needed and not just on a whim or because of a small savings, in fac this way is probably more harmfull for the enviroment.

But it good that when I do eventaully replace my refigerator, in probably 15 years or so time given that it only a year only, there will be smart intelligence fridges which are available and more energy efficient.

We should not all rush out just to get this small upsate to technology and something which should of been done years ago.

[RGSAADY]

JUST UN INTERUPT THE YELLOW WIRE

[Electro_Fox]

Amen dbargen!!!

[0ri0n]

Intrusive technology without a guarantee. Most off-peak times are not hard to find with a little research; its a rough standard. So set a clock on the appliance and it will do its heavy labor in the middle of the night. Why must another device in my life maintain a connection to a utility company (with the help of a whole other company) under the guise of 'saving you money'.

That 'this will save you money' mantra is pushed by companies just to facilitate acceptance of an intrusive technology that may not be readily accepted by the public. In the end, it serves the corporations more than it does the average citizen.

Someone please give me an example of this type of "constant monitoring" technology, with this level of co-corporate involvement, that the little guy truly benefited in the end? Less demand doesn't guarantee cheaper from a utility since the company can still jack its rates to recover the loss of reduced usage.

How many of us actually have more than one power company in their area to pick from? Broadband cable? Gas? You want real savings? Allow the devices in our lives to be able to identify where to get the cheapest power and get it on their own. Put the utilities in the same field of fighting for customers as the farmer's market - whoever has the cheapest price wins.

Otherwise, it just sounds like a carrot of "savings" to accept a technology that will give companies a deeper level of monitoring my private life.

[jlsf2]

Actually, this doesn't reduce demand or reduce energy consumption, it just shifts the consumption to an off-peak time of day.
A utility typically has older, crappy, and overly polluting power plants that need to be available to cover peak time requirements. With smart appliances (or with smart consumer behavior), you can shift the amount of peak time usage to off peak hours and so eliminate the need for some of the most inefficient power plants.
With the elimination of this power generation capacity, the utility saves money and so is able to reduce the end user payments.

[ikramerica--2008]

It will then be mandated, then a crime to disconnect it.

You don't think so? In most states it is now law to put a huge, child proof fence around any water on your property. Your property. This despite the reality that few children actually drown in pools every year (most drown in toilets, bathtubs, buckets, etc.) In the state of Florida, you can, as an alternative, install ear splitting alarms on your doors to signal they are open. In other words, you must keep your doors closed at all times. And it is illegal to disconnect those devices. In your own home. Even if you have no children.

Once this appliance technology is available for your home, government will try to mandate it. California has been playing around with mandating "smart" thermostats where someone else decides how cool your house is allowed to be and programs it from afar.

[miller25758]

This is a step n the right direction. Building new power plants to add new supply capacity or even renewables will not solve the energy crisis. Conservation and the efficent use of our exisiting resources is the "cehapest" and most economical solution to the near term concerns. "Knowledge is power" so lets put it in the hands of the end users to make informed decisions.

The whole government intrusive concerns? Please, ....my goodness, chicken litle the sky is falling!

[RGSAADY]

I JUST BOUGHT A NEW WASHER AND DRYER I WAS DISAPPOINTED TO FIND IT MADE IN CHINA. I AM RETIRED FROM G. E. CONSUMER SERVICE 25+ YEARS AND REMEMBER LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY, AND TOURING THE FACTORY. AND MEETING JEFF IMELT IN THE EARLY IN THE 70tys WHEN HE WAS HE WAS VP. IN CONSUMER SERVICE AND AGAIN AT A MEETING IN TROY AT THE TROY MERRIOT. IT IS JUST HARD TO BELIEVE WE DON'T MANUFACTURE STUFF ANYMORE IN THE U.S.A. MAYBE THAT IS A REASON OUR STOCK IS IN THE DUMPER. GOD BLESS THE U.S.A. AND G.E.

[RGSAADY]

YOU CAN'T TEACH SOME DOGS NEW TRICKS. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR R&D. AND HOPE IT WORKS AND HOPE WE START TO MANUF. IT IN THE U.S.A. WE NEED TO START TO MAKE STUFF IN THE U.S.A, AGAIN.

[sslPro]

An option we use at my place is logical - 1st get an energy audit by a qualified person,
fix problems -it could be weatherstripping, unplugging virtually everything not needed at the time
Switch to Solid State LIghting -unlearn wasteful habits Decide on your energy needs
and live in those boundries - we do My electric bill is usually $30 - $40 monthly for 4 people
it's been this way for 3+ years in that time my highest comed bill was $50 on two occasions;
rest of the time we live in comfort using 8 kw hours a day and have money to pay
for - well life in the 21st century.

[open4energy]

We are helping find participants for an on-line survey of home energy monitors. There is a list of qualifying devices and you need to be using one of them.

The study ends August 30 2009, is offering a $10.00 Starbucks card for completed surveys. We vouch for the fact that there is no "trickery" with this request.

http://www.open4energy.com/forum/home/dev/home_energy_monitoring_device_survey_0907291255

This is an important subject for we need changes to our attitude, we need to change how we use energy, and we need technology to assist us where it can help and is energy effective. If you are using a device to monitor your home energy please help with your feedback.
We are helping find participants for an on-line survey of home energy monitors. There is a list of qualifying devices and you need to be using one of them.

The study ends August 30 2009, is offering a $10.00 Starbucks card for completed surveys. We vouch for the fact that there is no "trickery" with this request.

http://www.open4energy.com/forum/home/dev/home_energy_monitoring_device_survey_0907291255

This is an important subject for we need changes to our attitude, we need to change how we use energy, and we need technology to assist us where it can help and is energy effective. If you are using a device to monitor your home energy please help with your feedback.