Controls & Automation
GE Technology aims to empower the connected home of the future
GE unveiled its smart home technologies at its first appearance at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). These ecomagination and healthymagination technologies—including Nucleus energy manager with Brillion technology, the GE WattStation electric vehicle (EV) charging station, an advanced small wind turbine, and more—promise to help consumers reduce health- and energy-related costs and redefine the benchmark for household performance.
January 11, 2011 By Staff
“GE’s innovative technology addresses the needs of our rapidly changing lives and does so at a lower cost for consumers,” said David McCalpin, general manager, Home Energy Management, GE Appliances & Lighting, adding that digital-energy technology is enabling an energy transformation that will make peoples’ lives easier.
GE smart meters enable two-way communication between the electric utility and the customer via smart devices in the home, empowering consumers to manage their energy use and utilities to manage demand.
At the core of the smart, connected home, says GE, is the Nucleus energy manager with Brillion technology—a communication and data storage device that talks to the utility smart meter to provide consumers with secure information about their household electricity use and costs so they can make more informed choices. Additionally, consumers who have the GE programmable thermostat with Brillion technology and GE Profile appliances enabled with Brillion technology in their homes will also have access to estimated consumption data on their home heating and cooling and major appliances.
Future planned software upgrades will enable Nucleus to monitor water, natural gas and renewable energy sources, as well as plug-in electric vehicle charging.
Meantime, GE WattStation is an EV charger that reduces charging time from 12 to 18 hours to four to eight hours. Using smart grid technology, the WattStation also allows utility companies to manage the impact of EVs on the local and regional grids.
Debuting at CES, Southwest Windpower’s Skystream 600 is the most efficient power grid-connected small wind turbine in its class, boasts GE, producing 74% more energy for commercial and residential use than its predecessor. Depending on the wind resource, siting and energy efficiency, a Skystream 600 could provide up to 80% of an average home’s energy requirements, GE claims.
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