LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE announced today that its Nucleus™ energy manager with Brillion™ technology will be the first ZigBee®-certified home energy gateway for smart grid communications and home energy management. Nucleus is the first ZigBee device to act as both an in-premise display device and energy services gateway that can communicate inside and outside of the home. In this regard, consumers need only to connect the Nucleus to the utility smart meter, and then have the option of connecting smart home devices, and a smart phone interface that is currently under development, to the Nucleus. Using the ZigBee communication protocol, GE’s Nucleus will be capable of communicating with the smart grid and allowing consumers to manage their smart appliances and thermostats in response to utility price signals and take control of their energy consumption and costs. ZigBee is a standards-based (IEEE 802.15.4), wireless communications protocol that is embedded in, and compatible with, a wide-range of energy-management devices in the home. ZigBee enables smart technologies – like appliances, thermostats and energy gateways – to receive signals from the utility through the home’s smart meter. Products that receive ZigBee certification are able to communicate with a broad range of devices, ultimately providing flexibility, reliability and cost-effectiveness.
