Whirlpool commits to 2015 grid-compliance, but waiting for standards
Home appliance maker Whirlpool has announced a commitment to make all its wares Smart Grid compliant by 2015 if standards are developed by 2010.
Speaking at the 2009 Energy Efficiency Global Forum & Exposition in Paris last month, Whirlpool Europe president, Bracken Darrell, said: “by 2015 we are prepared to make ALL the electronically controlled appliances we produce, ANYWHERE in the world, capable of receiving and responding to a signal requesting curtailment of the appliance’s energy consumption.
“These products will also be capable of providing the consumer with contemporaneous information about their energy consumption. Whirlpool would also require any manufacturer that is licensed to use the WHIRLPOOL brand to add similar capability to products bearing the WHIRLPOOL brand,” he added.
Darrell indicated that the company’s ability to successfully deliver on this commitment in this timeframe was dependent on two important public-private partnerships. First, open, global standards for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from a home appliances need to be developed by the end of 2010. Secondly, appropriate government policies that reward consumers, manufacturers and utilities need to be adopted to encourage the deployment of these devices.
“Whirlpool believes this bridging technology is so important that we are going to invite the appliance industry, the utility industry, policymakers, NGOs, and relevant technology companies to come together at the upcoming Copenhagen climate change conference to discuss how we can accelerate the adoption of these new capabilities.”
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Category: Applications, Smart grids
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