GE Shows Energy Management Critical to Smart Home of the Future

GE (NYSE: GE) is demonstrating its smart home technologies at the company’s first appearance at the 2011 Smart Homes Europe event in Amsterdam, Netherlands October 4-6. GE’s ecomagination^SM products—including Nucleus™ energy manager with Brillion™ technology and the GE WattStation™ electric vehicle charging station, an advanced GE smart meter, and many more GE technologies are showcasing how GE can help consumers better manage their energy usage and redefine the benchmark for household performance.

"GE’s innovative technology addresses the needs of our rapidly changing lives,” said David McCalpin, general manager, Home Energy Management, GE Appliances & Lighting. "Consumers expect near real-time information to inform household decisions. We provide this at GE. From Nucleus™ energy manager with Brillion™ technology to the WattStation electric vehicle charger, digital-energy technology is enabling an energy transformation that will make peoples’ lives easier.”

GE is a Sponsor of this year’s Smart Homes event and is presenting a number of papers at the conference, Samuel Staehle, sales director, smart grid metering, is discussing "Segmenting the future energy consumer,” McCalpin is exploring "How home energy management solutions will monetize the smart home,” and Michael Hoogmartens, EMEA market development, electrical vehicle infrastructure, is sharing his thoughts on the "Impact of fleet vehicles on home charging.”

GE’s Booth at Smart Homes (booth SH47) features the following technologies:

GE smart meter technology—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. With smart meters in place, utilities will have the option to charge different rates for electricity throughout the day, with lower prices when energy demand is lowest (off-peak). This will call for new consumer technologies, like GE’s Brillion™ suite of home energy solutions, that not only improve overall household efficiency, but also help people manage their electricity use—including the charging of electric vehicles (EVs)—in response to utility price signals.

Nucleus™ energy manager with Brillion™ technology—At the core of the smart, connected home is GE’s 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 about how and when to use power. Additionally, consumers who have the GE programmable thermostat with Brillion™ technology and GE Profile™ appliances enabled with Brillion™ technology in their homes also will have access to estimated consumption data on their home heating and cooling and major appliances. Future planned software upgrades will further enable Nucleus™ to monitor water, natural gas and renewable energy sources, as well as plug-in EV charging.

GE energy display with Brillion™ technology—The energy display communicates with the utility smart meter to provide consumers with near real-time energy data to help them make smarter energy choices by boiling energy use down to dollars and cents. This intuitive display provides a continuous audit of household energy consumption in kilowatt-hours and in estimated dollars spent.

GE Profile™ appliances enabled with Brillion™ technology—Brillion™-enabled appliances can automatically react to utility price signals from the smart meter and delay or reduce the wattage consumed by the appliance until lower-cost, off-peak periods. GE Profile appliances enabled with Brillion™ technology will include ENERGY STAR®-qualified refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers and the new GeoSpring™ hybrid water heater, as well as ranges, microwaves and clothes dryers.

GE WattStation™—Named a "2011 CES Best of Innovations” by the Consumers Electronics Association®, the GE WattStation is an easy-to-use EV charger that helps consumers reduce EV charging time from 12 to 18 hours to as little as four to eight hours, compared to standard charging. Using smart grid technology, the WattStation also allows utility companies to manage the impact of EVs on the local and regional grids. The development of the WattStation is part of GE’s commitment to cleaner technology innovations for a more sustainable future.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.

GE also serves the energy sector by providing technology and service solutions that are based on a commitment to quality and innovation. The company continues to invest in new technology solutions and grow through strategic acquisitions to strengthen its local presence and better serve customers around the world. The businesses that comprise GE Energy—GE Power & Water, GE Energy Management and GE Oil & Gas—work together with more than 90,000 global employees and 2010 revenues of $38 billion, to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry, including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; as well as other alternative fuels and new grid-modernization technologies to meet 21st century energy needs.