GE launched a new energy management business today aimed at helping consumers use smart grid technologies to reduce their household energy use.

GE's new Home Energy Management (HEM) unit brings together a range of smart energy products under one umbrella in anticipation of widespread smart grid technology deployment in the coming years.

Already the company has rolled out several smart grid-ready products, including a water heater, refrigerator, and dishwasher. They are meant to complement a home energy management system called the Nucleus, which acts as a data storage and communication hub linking these appliances to the electric grid.

All are designed using open protocols to encourage interoperability with other smart gadgets from different vendors, Dave McCalpin, HEM general manager, said in a phone interview Tuesday. "We very much believe that open protocols are the way to go. We're not naive enough to believe we can control the world."

Still, the move sends a signal to the market that GE is determined to be a major smart grid player. Other companies, including big names like Google and Microsoft, have introduced applications to help consumers track household energy use in recent years, but they don't produce the appliances that tap into the network.

"From our perspective, we think that part of the reason we're headed down this road and committed to being a leader in this space is because GE is uniquely positioned," McCalpin said, noting the company's experience both on the utility side of power generation and transmission, to the consumer-facing appliance side of the business.

"We bring that consumer voice to the table," he said. "We bring the power and potential of the smart grid into consumers' hands."