General Electric unveiled a project at its research labs that will let homeowners cut annual energy consumption to zero by 2015.
These "net-zero energy homes" will combine on-site power generation through solar panels or wind turbines with energy-efficient appliances
and on-site storage. Consumers will get detailed energy data and
potentially control appliances with Home Energy Manager, a device that
is expected to cost between $200 and $250, according to GE executives
at a smart grid media day.
GE is piloting the in-home products this year and expects to
have the appliances and energy display available next year. The premium
for the more efficient, networked appliances will be about $10 more, GE
executives said.
Kevin
Nolan, vice president of technology at GE's Consumer & Industrial
unit, shows off GE's demand response appliances and Home Energy Manager
at GE's smart grid symposium at its Global Research Center in upstate
New York.
(Credit: General Electric)
Studies show that when consumers have more detailed information on
their energy use, they can find ways to reduce consumption by 5 to 10
percent. When utilities have variable, or time-of-use, pricing,
consumers could cut electricity use by 15 percent at on-peak times,
typically in the morning and early evening.
GE appliances have been converted to have electronic controls
and will have a small module in the back that will allow it to
communicate with a home's smart meter. With that communication link in
place, consumers can find out how much electricity individual
appliances use and program them to take advantage of off-peak rates.
"I don't think any of us look forward to the day when we are
monitoring hour to hour the cost of electricity. But I think all of us
look forward to the day when we can set it and forget it," said Bob
Gilligan, GE's vice president of transmission and distribution. "That's
the future we look forward to."
For example, a consumer can set up the system so that the
temperature in a water heater or thermostat can drop down to a certain
level when nobody is at home.
Consumers can turn off features that will enable appliances to
communicate with utilities to participate in utility-run
demand-response programs, where a utility can adjust thermostats or
appliances to shave peak-time consumption, according to Michael
Beyerle, a marketing manager at GE's Consumer & Industrial
appliance division.
Consumer incentive strong?
The idea behind the smart grid, which encompasses a range of technologies,
is to make the electricity grid more efficient and reliable by applying
information technologies and controls to the existing grid.
In addition to networked appliances, GE's Net Zero Home Project
calls for on-site power generation through solar panels or wind
turbines. GE produces solar panels and has invested in residential wind
turbine maker Southwest Windpower. A 3,000-watt solar panel array,
which costs roughly $30,000 to install, would be enough to supply all
of a home's consumption, according to GE executives.
The major components of a net-zero energy home as part of its Net Zero Energy Home project.
(Credit: General Electric)
Plug-in electric vehicles
and home batteries could be used to store electricity for peak-time
power or back-up. Plug-in vehicles could also be charged during the
middle of the night to take advantage of off-peak rates.
GE's Home Energy Manager control unit, which consumers access
through a dedicated display, provides information to consumers but also
is designed to optimize one-site energy generation and consumption.
For example, the control unit could evaluate electricity rates and see
that running a dishwasher when the solar panels are producing is
cheaper than running the load at off-peak times, explained Beyerle. Or
a clothes drier can go into "conservation" mode during peak times where
it will operate at a lower temperature and take longer to run.
During the media day, GE hosted a panel on challenges to the
smart grid with Mark Brian, a consumer using a suite of GE appliances
at his home in Louisville, Ky.
He found that his monthly electricity consumption has gone down by 20
percent compared to last year, although his bills have gone down only a
few dollars per month because his home is still consuming much
electricity at peak times. However, he said the system has given him
ideas on how to take advantage of cheaper rates. "We still do the same
stuff. We just do it at different times," Brian said.
GE executives said that the information-management tools need
to be very easy to use. Also, policies need to be in place to address
data privacy and to create financial incentives, namely variable
pricing.
"There's a lot consumers are willing to do if they are properly informed and properly incented," said Gilligan.
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