Tendril Teams with Whirlpool Corporation to Usher in New Era of Smart Appliances

Tendril, a leading energy platform company, and Whirlpool Corporation, the world's leading appliance maker, unveiled a relationship that sets the stage for the rollout of smart home appliances in the U.S. The Tendril platform has the capability to support millions of smart appliances in homes across America.

Tendril will provide the back-end technology infrastructure to support the commercial deployment of smart appliances, including a range of connectivity-enabled services and applications. Whirlpool Corporation will integrate its smart appliances with the Smart Grid infrastructure by extending Tendril’s open standards-based, scalable and secure technology platform. This integrated platform will enable a dialogue between appliances, consumers and energy providers — making the connected home and home energy management a reality. For example, for a refrigerator to actively manage its energy consumption, it must be able to quickly, reliably and seamlessly communicate with the electric utility company.

In this case, the refrigerator will automatically move its defrost cycle to a non-peak time without impacting the performance of the appliance.

Smart appliances can have an even more profound impact on reducing expensive peak demand as well as supporting renewables (e.g., solar and wind) on the Grid. Consumers will also be excited by the new convenience features enabled by a smart appliance.

Energy management networks forecasted to be in over 9 million US households by 2014

Parks Associates' report Residential Energy Management: Forecasts for the Deployment of AMI and the Adoption of Energy-saving Products and Services finds over 80% of U.S. consumers are interested in reducing expenditures on energy consumption and willing to pay for cost-saving solutions. Cost-saving products and services that generate consumer interest include programmable thermostats, energy monitors and systems enhanced with energy-management capabilities, smart appliances, and energy-efficient CE systems.

However, the amount consumers are willing to spend does not cover the costs of required systems, creating a need for innovative business models that will enable a new energy management service industry.

Utility-based home area networks (HANs) are only one of several options for these solutions and services to enter the consumer market. By 2013, iREMs will outnumber utility-based HANs. By 2014, the vast majority of the nine million U.S. households with an energy management system will have an iREM. Engaging consumers is critical to success in this market. Business strategies must be developed that comprehend the magnitude of consumer education and support required for offerings in this arena.

Smart Energy Summit 2011, Conference Topics and Call for Papers Announced

Parks Associates announced the dates and preliminary list of topics for the second-annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, an executive conference dedicated to the consumer and business sides of residential energy management. The Smart Energy Summit is accepting submissions to speak at the event, which will take place January 24-26, 2011, in Austin, Texas.

Smart Energy Summit focuses on the emerging in-home energy management technology market, with market research from Parks Associates' landmark Residential Energy Management service, which features surveys and analysis of consumer attitudes toward current energy solutions.

Conference Topics:
• Status and market potential of Home Area Networks, Smart Grids, and in-home energy management solutions
• Requirements for successful, customer-facing utility platforms and services
• Strategies to engage consumers
• Utility-based solutions versus "independent" energy management solutions
• Impact of government stimulus and green initiatives
• Technical and business requirements for success
• Business strategies for utilities, manufacturers, installers, and service providers
• Perspectives from Retail Electric Providers (REPs)
• State of residential microgeneration of electricity
• Electric vehicles, batteries, and charging stations
• Smart appliances

Andres Carvallo, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer, Grid Net, will present the opening keynote. Early sponsors include Gigle Networks and HomeGrid Forum. Supporters of the event include AltEnergyMag.com, CABA, Display Plus, Energy and Utility, ESNA, Global Smart Energy, Home Toys, POWERGRID International, Public Utilities Fortnightly, RFP Magazine, SIP Forum, SmartGridCareers.com, Smart Grid Today, and U-SNAP Alliance.

For more information or to submit to speak, visit www.smartenergysummit2011.com.

Smart Energy Summit 2011 accepting Call For Papers

The Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer is now accepting speaker submissions for the January 24-26, 2011 event in Austin, Texas. Smart Energy Summit is the premier conference studying the market for residential energy management enabled by Smart Grid technologies.

Click here for the online Speaker Submission form.

2011 Event Topics include:

-- Current status of Home Area Network (HAN) trials, Smart Meter and Smart Grid deployments, and/or in-home energy management products and services
-- Key requirements for successful, customer-facing utility platforms for residential energy management
-- Consumer interest and market potential regarding energy management solutions
-- Engaging the consumer: Strategies and tactics to communicate benefits successfully
-- Utility-based solutions versus "Independent" in-home energy management solutions (i.e., not involving utility management or control)
-- Impact of government stimulus and green initiatives
-- Technical and business requirements for succeeding in residential energy management
-- Business strategies for utilities, manufacturers, installers, and service providers
-- State of microgeneration of electricity in the residential market
-- Electric vehicles, batteries and charging stations
-- Smart appliances: what we can expect and when

The deadline for all submissions is November 15, 2010.

For more information, visit www.smartenergysummit2011.com.

Smart grid announcements signal next stage in smart energy projects and smart appliances

The recent lull in smart meter deployments and smart grid projects has come to an end with last Tuesday’s announcement from the Obama administration. The Department of Energy (DOE) announced over $3 billion in funding for smart grid projects, which will be matched by private-sector funding to push the total amount of investment in smart grid project over $8 billion.

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