LAS VEGAS, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is presenting a smart grid-compatible clothes dryer demonstration unit during the International Builders' Show (IBS) in Las Vegas January 19-22, 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. The smart dryer demonstration - shown by Whirlpool Corporation product experts, and accompanied by an interactive smart appliance simulation - offers a preview of the various smart grid-compatible appliances Whirlpool Corporation has pledged to manufacture in the near future. Whirlpool Corporation's recent commitment to produce 1 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 Corporation was recently awarded a $19.33 million federal matching grant by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Smart Grid Investment Grant program. "We believe that the smart grid and smart appliances are the next big opportunity in energy savings," said Marc Bitzer, president, Whirlpool Corporation North America. "We are continuing to make significant strides in the development of smart grid-enabled appliances." Smart appliances, connected to a smart electrical grid, will be able to send and receive signals to and from the utility and automatically modify energy consumption, helping consumers to save money on their home electric bills and reduce carbon emissions. "Smart grid technology provides a significant opportunity to make renewable energy sources such as wind and solar more usable," said Warwick Stirling, global director of energy and sustainability for Whirlpool Corporation. "These sources of energy are inherently more variable, but fit well with smart-grid technology which can more easily take advantage of this energy when it is available." 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.
