Whirlpool will receive a $19.3 million stimulus fund grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to accelerate its work on smart grid appliances.
The grant, part of the DOE’s Smart Grid Investment Grant program, will be dispersed over a two-year period and will be matched by the manufacturer’s own investments.
The smart appliances will be capable of modifying their power consumption in reaction to signals received from the nation’s next-generation power grid.
Whirlpool recently announced that it would deliver 1 million U.S.-made smart dryers by 2011 that could save consumers in some markets $20 to $40 per year while also benefitting the environment.
“The grants … are a great example of public and private partnerships that will create the next generation of energy-saving solutions,” said Whirlpool North America president Mike Todman.
The company hopes that all the electronically controlled appliances it produces worldwide will be capable of receiving and responding to signals from the smart grid by 2015.
