According to Charles Korman, manager of solar energy programs for General Electric, GE is about to open the box on one of its new home energy management tools. New solar facts like this are changing the face of home energy conservation so fast that it’s become nearly impossible to keep up with technology unless you follow solar-focused companies like GE. His researchers believe this solar power pack will revolutionize the developing consumer market and allow even the most affordable home to save money in the long run. To further prove its point, GE is now putting its equipment to the test by partnering with a number of major utilities, builders, local communities and homeowners in the western United States. GE calls this new management tool the Nucleus Home Energy Managerand all this as a complete home energy management solution.
While this product is not yet available in consumer markets, trials are currently underway and will continue to expand to assess solar energy efficiency and clean energy consumption in both new and existing homes. The targeted goal is reportedly to reduce energy use by up to 70 percent or more in single-family homes. If the average household pays $1,240 per year in electricity costs, consumers could save more than $850 per year with Nucleus.
With Nucleus Home Energy Manager integrated into a package of rooftop solar panels and smart grid-enabled low-energy appliances and lighting products, GE will show how it can deliver real-time energy usage data to laptops, PCs and even smartphones through special applications. By evaluating this energy consumption, consumers can make corrective decisions and take necessary steps to reduce energy consumption expenses to save money. Based on the results of the individual test models, GE researchers believe that the same data collection, evaluation, and savings can be applied to a neighborhood, a subdivision, or even an entire city.
The Nucleus Home Energy Manager test is a small part of the overall energy efficiency studies currently supported by the US Department of Energy.
