‘Smart’ Appliances To Be Featured at January CES, CEA Says

January CES will showcase for the first time “smart” household appliances that use technology to communicate with one another and the grid, CEA said Wednesday. The show, scheduled to open Jan. 6 in Las Vegas, will have a “Connected Home Appliances TechZone,” sponsored by CEA and the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, among others,the groups said.

The appliance zone is a “natural extension of the CES show floor, with products designed to network and connect, improving the lives of consumers throughout the home,” said CEA President Gary Shapiro. The move is in response to “strong demand from current and future CES exhibitors,” he said: “Consumers want the ability to connect all aspects of their home, and with this desire comes the opportunity for CES exhibitors to showcase connected home appliances that will make consumers’ lives easier and more energy efficient."

Smart appliances and consumer electronics can together help consumers use energy in a “more environmentally friendly manner,” said AHAM President Joseph McGuire. “The appliance industry is paving the way with smart technologies for demand-response capable appliances.” The next-generation appliances to be featured at the show will range from refrigerators that keep track of what products are in them to appliances that communicate with one another and “leverage the smart grid,” said CEA spokeswoman Tara Dunion. They will include “major” and portable appliances that integrate with other electronics to “improve consumers’ health and productivity, while reducing their environmental impact."

The appliance pavilion is designed to benefit manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, home builders, integrators, suppliers and utilities, the groups said. It will feature 10,000 square feet of exhibition space, they said.