GE Smart Appliances Certified for ZigBee Protocols

GE Appliances & Lighting (NYSE: GE) announced that it has achieved ZigBee® Smart Energy certification for its smart grid-enabled appliances.

ZigBee is a wireless communication protocol. The ZigBee Smart Energy
Profile is an open
standard for communicating pricing and demand information into the home
developed by the nonprofit ZigBee Alliance, an association of
utilities, manufacturers and other organizations.

GE says its certification is an industry first and will enable the company’s smart grid-enabled appliances to communicate wirelessly with utility companies via smart meters to help consumers better manage their electricity usage and utilities better manage overall power consumption during peak usage times. This is expected to reduce the need for more power generation and help consumers save money in areas where utilities have implemented Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing.

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.

GE’s suite of smart appliances includes washing machines, clothes
dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, ranges, microwaves, and the
GeoSpring™ Hybrid Water Heater, of which the GeoSpring is the first
commercially available smart appliance that is on the market now. Other
smart grid-enabled appliances in the suite will be available starting
later in 2010.

“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,” said Kevin Nolan, Vice President Technology for GE Appliances & Lighting.