BENTON HARBOR, Mich.–Whirlpool has been selected to receive stimulus funds as part of the Smart Grid Investment Grant program of the U.S. Department of Energy.
The grant totals $19.3 million, spread over a two-year period, and Whirlpool will match it with its own investments to produce “smart” appliances that can connect to the smart grid. The company announced recently that in 2011, it would deliver 1 million U.S. manufactured smart dryers that are capable of reacting intelligently to signals from the smart grid to modify their energy consumption. In a company statement, Whirlpool also said the funds will help support its commitment that by 2015, all of the electronically controlled appliances it manufactures will be capable of responding to signals from the smart grid.