Most of us in the Kitchen and Bath Design World are focused on KBIS next week so the news that Whirlpool received nine International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 Innovation Awards for seven new kitchen and laundry products this week might have been missed.
Amazon Dash Built In
Amazon Dash Built InWhirlpool Smart Dishwasher, Washer and Dryer allows families to auto-order detergent, Whirlpool’s Affresh dishwasher cleaner or dryer sheets through Amazon’s Dash Replenishment Service (DRS).
The appliances determine when they need to order more supplies based on the number of cycles they’ve run since the last order.
Whirlpool’s new washer and dryer are both set to go on sale later this year for $1,399 each.
Smart Kitchen Suite
Smart Kitchen SuiteSmart Kitchen Suite can also tell Whirlpool’s new smart washer and dryer to activate various modes, including quiet mode for those late night wash sessions, and “wrinkle shield” for when you’re away from home but don’t want your clothes crumpling in the dryer.
The complete suite includes the Smart French Door Refrigerator, Smart Front Control Range, and Smart Dishwasher, all of which fall under what Whirlpool is calling the CareSync system.
The setting can be activated manually, or automatically, through the Smart Kitchen Suite’s new Nest integration.
For example, the Smart French Door Refrigerator offers a Party Mode for entertaining, which drops fridge temperatures to keep foods from getting warm (due to repeated opening and closing), not to mention make ice faster. The Smart Refrigerator also uses smart notifications to alert families of a power or WiFi outage, so food in the fridge can be checked on immediately.
Tech for a Better World
With a new program called Connect to Care, you’ll be able to automatically donate to Habitat for Humanity every time you run the washing machine. The program is meant to show how big change can be accomplished through incremental good deeds — you can give as little as 10 cents with each load.
This smart washer and dryer also integrate with the Nest Learning Thermostat, so when Nest is set to Away, the dryer can switch to Eco Mode to save energy (up to 73%) with a longer, more energy-efficient cycle.
