LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 6, 2012) — GE Appliances (NYSE:GE) and Georgia-based Flint Energies announced last month the launch of a two-year smart grid pilot to understand the potential for GE’s Brillion™-enabled appliances to save consumers money and reduce peak load when combined with peak-time rebates.
Ten volunteer households in Warner Robins, Ga., will receive GE’s full suite of Brillion-enabled appliances, a programmable thermostat and Nucleus™ energy manager, as well as GE’s new Whole-Home Sensor, which enables consumers to receive real-time energy data without a smart meter. These smart grid-enabled solutions are equipped with intelligent features to reduce energy consumption — or electrical “load” — based on peak-time rebate signals from the utility.
GE Appliances and Flint Energies will be giving 10 volunteer households in Warner Robins, Ga., GE’s full suite of Brillion-enabled appliances, a programmable thermostat and Nucleus™ energy manager, as well as GE’s new Whole-Home Sensor, which enables consumers to receive real-time energy data without a smart meter.
“Flint Energies has always taken a leading role in programs to drive member efficiency and savings,” said Jimmy Autry, senior vice president for Flint Energies. “This pilot with GE rewards customers for efficiency measures during peak-demand periods — when efficiency matters most. We feel the intelligence built into GE’s appliances, thermostat and energy manager will make peak-load reduction easier and more cost-effective for our customers.”
“Peak-demand periods” refer to times of day when a utility sees a peak in electricity demand from consumers, most typically from 2 to 7 p.m. in June through September. Flint customers who reduce electricity consumption during “peak” will receive an 87-cent per kilowatt-hour rebate.
Flint will send signals directly to the home’s Nucleus energy manager, which will then communicate that price signal with the thermostat and appliances. Customers can opt to override load-reduction settings at any time, and there is no financial penalty for doing so.
“Flint Energies is at the forefront of understanding how smart grid-enabled devices in the home can provide consumers with energy savings, while helping utilities shift peak demand,” said Dave McCalpin, general manager of GE’s home energy management business. “This pilot will provide the utility industry with tremendous insights on how to engage consumers in efforts to overcome some of our greatest energy challenges.”
Flint Energies will also be offering GE’s full suite of Brillion-enabled solutions at its Flint Appliance Center in Warner Robins, Georgia. Additionally, the retail store will carry GE’s Nucleus energy manager and will be the first to carry GE’s new Whole-Home Sensor, which measures and communicates real-time household electricity usage.
GE’s new Whole-Home Sensor eliminates the need for a smart meter to track electricity consumption. Instead, these sensors attach directly to the member’s electrical panel and transmit whole-home energy consumption data to the Nucleus. Each of Flint Energies’ pilot participants will also have a Whole-Home Sensor.
For more information on the GE Nucleus and other Brillion-enabled home energy management products, please visit: www.geappliances.com/home-energy-manager/.
About Flint Energies
Incorporated in 1937, Flint Energies is a not-for-profit member-owned electric cooperative that provides energy services to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural members in parts of 17 central Georgia counties. Flint serves more than 84,000 members and is the 36th largest electric cooperative in the country. www.flintenergies.com .
About GE Appliances & Lighting
GE Appliances & Lighting spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting, systems and services for commercial, industrial and residential use. Technology innovation and the company’s ecomagination (SM) initiative enable GE Appliances & Lighting to aggressively bring to market products and solutions that help customers meet pressing environmental challenges. General Electric (NYSE: GE), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram®, Profile™, Café™, GE®, Hotpoint®, Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Tetra®, Vio™ and Immersion® commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.
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