WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION TO DEMONSTRATE SMART GRID-COMPATIBLE DRYER DURING INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

Whirlpool Corporation is showcasing a smart grid-compatible clothes dryer during the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas January 7-10, 2010. The Whirlpool smart dryer demonstration illustrates how smart grid-compatible dryers will operate in consumers’ homes, reacting intelligently to peak-demand signals from a smart electrical grid and automatically modifying energy consumption.

Whirlpool Corporation’s commitment to produce one million smart appliances by the end of 2011 is a significant step toward the company’s larger commitment to make all the electronic appliances it produces, throughout the world, smart grid-compatible by the end of 2015. This timeline is dependent on the development by the end of 2010 of an open, global standard and appropriate policies to reward consumers, manufacturers and utilities. Helping to accelerate the work the company is doing, Whirlpool Corp. was recently awarded a $19.33 million-dollar federal matching grant by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Smart Grid Investment Grant program.

Considerable energy efficiency improvements have been made to individual appliances during the past several decades. By connecting household appliances, homes and communities to a smart grid, smart appliances can easily and conveniently shift a portion of household energy use to “off peak” hours, drastically reducing peak energy consumption without compromising core product performance and while keeping control in the hands of consumers. In markets where utilities offer variable or time-of-use pricing, a typical consumer could save up to $40 per year, per appliance, while also benefiting the environment.

For more information, please visit http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/.