GE products to communicate with Smart Power Meters.
May 25, 2010

GE Appliances & Lighting will introduce major appliances with built-in ZigBee technology for communication with smart meters and the smart grid. Our home automation primer section on future direction talks about appliances plugging into the home WiFi network, but in early 2008 we didn't forsee the adoption of the ZigBee standard in the home energy management arena.

A year ago we talked about the ZigBee standard (IEEE 802.15.4 specification) being implemented in smart power meters and the potential for home energy management to take a giant leap forward. At the time we mused: "but it isn't so simple to translate that (energy usage data) into smart automation devices".

So the recent GE announcement comes as welcome surprise for those interested in "green homes". In an article by Julie Jacobson of CEPro, she quotes GE: "The ZigBee Smart Energy Profile is emerging to be an important protocol for smart grid communication. This is a huge step in our strategy of supporting multiple protocols, as the smart grid gets rolled out, helping both consumers and utilities manage energy consumption more effectively, improving grid reliability and reducing consumer costs," said Kevin Nolan, Vice President Technology for GE Appliances & Lighting. "With this technology, both consumers and the utilities will have more information and be able to make better decisions than ever about energy usage."

For example, a utility can signal appliances during periods of critical peak energy usage or highest prices. The signal will shift the appliances' operating software into demand-response mode, temporarily reducing power consumption, decreasing the risk of power disruption, and saving the consumer money. Utilities can also signal the appliances when pricing is at its lowest, allowing consumers to take advantage of these low-price periods to perform energy-intensive tasks at the lowest rates and at times of least electricity demand."

The Smart Energy profile, finalized in April of this year, ensures interoperability between compatible devices and the smart grid – normally via a ZigBee-enabled electrical meter.

There are several such meters now on the market. There are also a variety of compliant thermostats, in-home displays and gateway products – all of which can communicate two-way with ZigBee Smart Energy meters and the utilities that employ them. To view a product list see www.zigbee.org/Products/CertifiedProducts/ZigBeeSmartEnergy.aspx .

While these peripheral devices are steadily coming to market, manufacturers of energy-sucking products have been slow to move. So GE’s implementation of ZigBee and the Smart Energy profile is a real milestone in the effort to monitor and manage a home’s energy usage.

GE's suite of smart appliances includes wash machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, ranges, microwaves, and the GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater (pictured above). The GeoSpring is the first commercially available smart appliance on the market now. Other smart grid-enabled appliances in the suite will be available starting later in 2010. The appliances will be able to communicate wirelessly with the utilities' AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) systems, enabling the utility to communicate pricing and grid status to the smart appliances, and enabling utilities to receive confirmation and usage data in return. Bravo, some real intelligence in future appliances!