In a bid to encourage integration of its technology by home developers and manufacturers of a range of electrical devices, Google has released a new PowerMeter API.
The code, which is available here, is intended for manufacturers of electrical devices, from refrigerators and washing machines to other appliances, that have built-in energy monitoring technology. It also works with other smart meter devices.
Google is banking on the manufacturers wanting to incorporate devices that are compatible with the Google PowerMeter, which is a tool available to homeowners and small businesses to monitor their energy use.
There is great momentum within the appliance industry to be ready for the Smart Grid wave.
In the fall, GE, Whirlpool and others established the Smart Green Grid Initiative, a collaborative effort aimed at demonstrating the role of smart-grid technologies and practices in meeting climate change goals.
Supporters of SGGI include National Grid, Southern Company, AEP, Google, LG Electronics, Landis + Gyr, Echelon, Tendril, Ice Energy, Enspiria, eMeter and Itron. The Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition and the Demand Response Coordinating Committee, leading smart-grid groups in the U.S., also support SGGI.
Whirlpool foresees selling a million smart-grid-ready clothes dryers by the end of 2011. The dryers could save consumers $20 to $40 per year in markets where utilities offer variable or time-of-use pricing.