You still have to do your own laundry and cooking, but LG promises its new THINQ technology will make it easier and more economical to manage your home appliances.
LG is showing off its latest smart refrigerators, stoves, andwashers at CES 2011 and the appliances are loaded with energy-saving, diagnostic and customization features, including the ability to monitor and control your appliances using your smartphone or tablet.
The LG THINQ features include Smart Grid, Smart Diagnosis, Smart Access, Smart Adapt, and Food Management. These features let you use the THINQ smart network to manage your LG refrigerator, washing machine, oven, androbotic vacuum cleaner. The THINQ features are available on the appliances themselves, or using a Wi-Fi network connection for remote access from an app on your smartphone or tablet. (LG notes that not all of the remote connectivity features are available on all appliances yet.)
Smart Grid
The LG THINQ energy manager, Smart Grid, helps to ensure that your appliances use the least energy and at the cheapest times. Smart Grid offers you a “recommend time” to do the wash at off-peak electricity rates, or a “lowest rate” option that chooses the time when electricity rates are lowest. LG’s ovens and refrigerators can also use Smart Grid to adjust their functions to save on energy bills.
The display on the LG appliances shows energy consumption and associated costs over time, and the data is also be available on your smartphones or tablet. LG refrigerators even count and display the number of times you open the refrigerator door, letting you save even more energy, or just feel guilty about your snacking habits.