First of Its Kind Collaboration Advances Open Platform Approach to Smart Energy Management
Boulder, Colo. and Louisville, Ky. – July 8, 2009 – Tendril and GE Consumer & Industrial (NYSE: GE) announced today that they have signed a joint development agreement to further enhance the communication capabilities of GE’s demand response appliances. Tendril, the creator of Tendril Residential Energy Ecosysystem (TREE) and GE Consumer & Industrial will develop an integrated and interoperable system that will enhance GE’s demand responsive appliances capability to communicate over metering and broadband networks.The partnership includes co-development of advanced load control strategies and energy management algorithms, enabling demand response appliances to be grid aware and respond seamlessly to utility-initiated signals. These applications offer cost savings to consumers and help utilities better manage load and forecast demand. Additionally, as consumer preferences change and smart grid technology continues to evolve, Tendril and GE’s open industry standard protocols will enable future generations of GE’s demand response appliances.
“This is a great example of Tendril delivering on the power of an open energy management platform, and the start of a series of powerful in-home appliance partners for Tendril’s TREE. Partners like GE require an easy way to integrate devices to the utility network securely and reliably, and TREE offers the ability to deliver on this expanding need today.” – Adrian Tuck, CEO, Tendril
According to recent studies, appliances, lighting and water heating account for roughly 51% of household electric use, making it critical that smart appliances be integrated across meter and broadband networks, moving beyond reliance on HVAC systems as the primary method of load control in the home. With 37% of total US electric energy consumption associated with residences, and as utilities implement tiered pricing structures across the U.S., demand response appliances will enable consumers to save hundreds of millions of dollars annually and positively impact load reduction on the grid by better managing the electric power we generate.
In the near future, many utility companies will implement tiered, or time of use (TOU) pricing during the highest energy consumption times (typically between 3:00 – 8:00 p.m.) in an effort to change consumer’s energy use behavior, eliminating the need for more power generation during peak times. Tendril’s TREE technology, working with GE’s demand response appliances, which include appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers, washers, dryers, microwaves, ranges and hybrid electric water heaters, can help consumers reduce their cost during TOU pricing periods and because the appliances will delay operation or reduce wattage, they also help shed load, reducing the need for more power generation.
“A seamless connection between GE’s demand response appliances and the smart grid will deliver real value to consumers. Through our collaboration with Tendril, consumers will have unprecedented access to information that will enable them to become more educated about their energy use and how to reduce it – without interrupting their lifestyles,” said GE Consumer & Industrial Vice President of Technology Kevin Nolan.
Reliant Energy, a leading electricity provider serving more than 1.7 million retail customers across Texas, is an active participant in the pursuit of a smarter grid which is enabling providers like Reliant to deliver useful tools and information to help customers control electricity usage. “Appliances represent a significant and growing share of in-home electricity consumption,” said Steve Wilburn, vice president, Retail Product Development. “It is important for the emerging generation of smart appliances to be grid-aware. Linking smart appliances with simple tools customers can use to engage and better understand their energy usage is a mission Reliant is leading in cooperation with other progressive industry partners. We look forward to delivering this vision to our customers while enhancing our reputation as a trusted energy provider.”
Supporting Resources
· http://www.geconsumerproducts.com/pressroom/press_releases/appliances/energy_efficient_products/
About Tendril
Tendril enables true 21st century energy efficiency by establishing a dialog between consumers and their energy providers. The Tendril Residential Energy Ecosystem (TREE) is comprised of the TREE Platform an open, extensible and standards-based operating environment for energy management, TREE Energy Programs, a comprehensive suite of energy management applications (like Demand Response and Time-of-Use Pricing) and TREE Home Energy Devices, a suite of in-home hardware (like thermostats and outlets). TREE is a comprehensive and consumer-centric ecosystem that is designed to integrate seamlessly with a Utility’s or Energy Retailers’ existing back office applications and network infrastructure allowing consumers and their energy companies to communicate, collaborate and create — Smart Energy for Life™. Tendril is venture backed by VantagePoint Venture Partners, Good Energies, RRE Ventures, Vista Ventures and Appian Ventures. To see more, visit: tendrilinc.com.
About GE Consumer & Industrial
GE Consumer & Industrial spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting and integrated industrial equipment, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use in more than 100 countries, GE Consumer & Industrial uses innovative technologies and ecomaginationSM, a GE initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that help customers and consumers meet pressing environmental challenges, to deliver comfort, convenience and electrical protection and control. General Electric (NYSE: GE), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram®, Profile™, GE®, Hotpoint®, SmartWater™, Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Entellisys®, Tetra®, Vio™ and Immersion® commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.
Media Contacts for Tendril
Simon Jones
Phone: 415.856.5155
Email: sjones@blancandotus.com
-or-
Marie Bahl
Phone: 303.468.4445
Email: mbahl@tendrilinc.com
Media Contacts for GE
Kim Freeman
Phone: 502.452.7819
Email: kim_freeman@ge.com
I applaud GE’s efforts at developing and deploying “smart” appliances that can be interactive in energy reduction and demand response. I support their efforts but note that large appliances do have a long lifecycle (normally 10 years) which makes implementing smart appliances more of a futuristic solution. The issue that I see is the consumers themselves — will they be willing to pay premium price for a solution that they may not want in the first place or have cheaper alternatives available? Is this “smart” appliance solution universal or will it be just unique to the USA? In other words, can it be exported globally to a global market? By all means, GE is right on target to initiate these efforts — even if market traction is many years down the line.
We at HEMS Technology think that our solution is a natural approach to accomplishing the same thing. It is a low cost, risk reduced solution that is available now until GE smart appliances become the norm in the market. Like the unexpected result of the TV digital converters which resulted in extending the lifecycle of analog TVs, so also our product can become the same. Many thought that with the converting to digital broadcasting, more LED and Plasma TVs would be sold. Hasn’t happened! Just a thought…
Hello, I read all your posts, keep them coming.