AHAM's Blog

Vote Wayne Morris for SGIP

Wayne Morris, Vice President, Technical Operations & Standards, is a candidate for the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP), a division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The SGIP engages Smart Grid stakeholders to develop standards, identifies gaps in standards and sets priorities for the Smart Grid.

AHAM offers a unique viewpoint for Smart Grid because it represents a membership that has developed innovative consumer products that will transform how energy is managed in a connected home.  Over the last four years, AHAM and its Smart Grid Task Force have written white papers on the appliance industry’s vision for the Smart Grid as well as a technical analysis rating NIST-identified communication protocols for the appliance industry.   AHAM’s Smart Grid Task Force and AHAM’s staff also contributed to a Department of Energy-funded cost benefit analysis from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory identifying the demand-response capabilities of smart appliances and their benefits to the electrical grid.

The work to have ENERGY STAR recognize the benefits of smart appliances will provide a national and international spotlight on the Smart Grid and smart appliances.  Key to the success of this federal government recognition includes the interoperability work of the SGIP.  Additionally, appliance manufacturers’ willingness to make and sell smart appliances that are adequately incentivized by ENERGY STAR, and the important interoperability work by the SGIP are also keys to the Smart Grid’s success.  AHAM would like to continue to contribute to the success of SGIP as a Board member. 

When taking into consideration AHAM’s activities relating to the Smart Grid as well as its membership of manufacturers of smart products, we ask that voting members see the strengths and benefits that AHAM would bring as a member of the SGIP. Cast your vote in favor of Wayne Morris!

AHAM to Educate Utility Community on Smart Appliances at EPRI Conference

On December 1, AHAM’s Kevin Messner, Vice President, Policy & Government Relations, will participate along with several representatives from the utility industry in a panel discussion on the Smart Grid and smart appliances at an Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) workshop on demand-response (DR) ready technologies being held at AEP, a major utility, in Columbus, OH.

The goals of the workshop are to:

• Understand diverse stakeholder perspectives
• Define consensus Demand Response-ready attributes
• Envision the roadmap for market availability of Demand Response-ready products

Mr. Messner will discuss how the home appliance industry is developing “smart” technology that will revolutionize the way we think about doing laundry, washing dishes and keeping our food refrigerated, and how manufacturers are working closer with the utility companies to bring these devices into your home.

Thanksgiving Cooking Safety Tips

Thanksgiving dinner is the most anticipated meal of the year for Americans and an ideal opportunity for cooks to show off their culinary expertise. However, Thanksgiving is also considered the peak day for preventable cooking fires.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), cooking fires are the top cause of home fires and are three times as likely to occur on Thanksgiving Day compared to any other day of the year. Americans will roast, bake, brine, grill and even deep fry more than 45 million turkeys on November 24.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) offer these simple cooking safety tips to help keep you safe in the kitchen, regardless of your cooking style!

• Stay in the kitchen while food is cooking.  Most fires in the kitchen occur because food is left unattended. If you must leave the kitchen briefly, carry an oven mitt with you as a reminder that something is cooking.

• Do not try to hold your child in one arm while cooking with the other. Holding a child while cooking is an invitation for a burn. Keep the cooking area clear of clutter and keep your child out of the kitchen while you’re cooking.

• Keep your range top free of clutter. Don’t overload a range top with too many pots and pans. Trying to cook all dishes at once could cause grease to accidentally spill onto a range top and cause a fire. Only cook with as many pots and pans as there are burners.  Also, never use the oven cavity for storage.

• Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen in case of emergency and know how to use it. Make sure the fire extinguisher is rated for grease fires and electrical fires and read the directions carefully. The acronym P.A.S.S. can help make sure you use it properly.
  • Pull the pin; Aim the spray nozzle low at the base of the fire; Squeeze the nozzle to spray the contents; Sweep back and forth as you spray the base of the fire.

• Keep smoke alarms connected while cooking. It can be tempting to disable smoke detectors, especially if they are triggered easily. However, smoke alarms can save lives. Make sure smoke alarms are installed and working.

• Never put a glass casserole or lid on the stove or over a burner. If the glass gets hot and explodes, it will send shards of glass in all directions, which can result in severe injury.

• Be extremely cautious if using a turkey fryer. Turkey fryers are not safety-certify because they pose a number of distinct safety concerns, including burn and fire hazards. If you do decide to use a turkey fryer this Thanksgiving, be extremely cautious and read all the safety tips on www.ul.com/consumers.

Visit the CPSC’s Twitter page for more tips on holiday safety at http://twitter.com/OnSafety

Meet Ralph Hudnall: AHAM's Director, Product Certification and Verification

Ralph Hudnall is AHAM’s Director, Product Certification and Verification.  In this role, Ralph is responsible for the development, operation and continuous improvement of AHAM’s Certification and Verification Programs for room air cleaners, dehumidifiers, room air conditioners, refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and freezers, dishwashers and clothes washers.  These voluntary programs open to members and non-members, provide third party verification of product performance ratings, based on AHAM test standards and for some products federal energy test procedures.  Through independent verification tests, the programs are designed to boost consumer confidence in product ratings and to ensure products evaluated meet the Department of Energy and ENERGY STAR requirements for energy consumption, water consumption and efficiency, as well as the manufacturers own rating claims of the same parameters.  Prior to joining AHAM, Ralph worked for several portable appliance and floor care companies.   He has over 20 years experience in consumer product design and 15 years in product safety compliance.

Follow These Portable Heater Safety Tips During Winter Months

As the weather cools, many families turn to portable heaters to warm their bedrooms and living rooms. When used properly, these heaters do a great job at providing warmth.  However, each year a number of unnecessary fires occur because the heater’s instructions were not properly followed.  For example, according to this recent news story, the Phoenix Fire Department responds to up to 40 house fires each winter caused by portable heaters.

To keep you safe and warm, AHAM recommends the following safety tips:

• Read the manufacturer’s instructions and warning labels before using your portable electric heater.
• DO NOT leave operating heater unattended and always unplug heater when not in use.
• DO NOT use your heater with a power strip or extension cord. Overheating of a power strip or extension cord could result in a fire.
• String out cords on top of area rugs or carpeting. Placing anything, including furniture, on top of the cord may damage it.
• Keep combustible materials, such as furniture, pillows, bedding, papers, clothes and curtains at least three feet from the front of the heater and away from the sides and rear. DO NOT block heater’s air intake or exhaust source.

To view more safety tips, visit AHAM’s Heater Safety website. Additionally, you may order copies of AHAM’s Portable Electric Heater Safety brochure by clicking here. Copies are available in both English and Spanish. AHAM also has a variety of other fire safety brochures, including clothes dryer safety and Recipe for Safe Cooking. There is no shipping charge for orders of 250 or less. A nominal shipping fee is charged for larger orders.

Joe McGuire: Be Aware of State Legislation

In a recent column published in appliance DESIGN magazine, AHAM President Joseph McGuire highlights AHAM’s legislative accomplishments at the state level over the past year as it fought hard for its members and worked on a variety of policy issues including Extended Producer Responsibility, energy efficiency and other issues.  

Says McGuire, “Companies most often keep their finger on the pulse of Washington, D.C., for insight into legislation and regulation that may be become law and impact their business. While the focus on Washington should remain sharp, companies should not neglect the potential of state agencies and legislatures to quickly enact laws, many times without the benefit of technical justification.  AHAM has amped up its presence in the states to counter unproductive and harmful state legislation that impacts the home appliance industry and to encourage measures which would promote and provide consumer rebates, tax credits and holidays for the purchase of efficient products.”

Click here to view the entire column.

Meet Charlotte Skidmore: AHAM's Director of Energy & Environmental Policy

Charlotte Skidmore serves as AHAM’s Director of Energy & Environmental Policy. Charlotte provides policy analysis of top AHAM issues such as smart grid, sustainability, waste recycling (EPR) and chemical regulations. Charlotte joined AHAM in 2011 to manage AHAM’s extensive energy policy agenda.

Prior to joining AHAM, Charlotte served as Associate Director of Environment and Regulation for the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and has worked as a Program Examiner at the White House Office of Management and Budget. Charlotte earned a BS in civil and environmental engineering from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from George Washington University.

AHAM Members and Staff Speak at ICPHSO Annual Meeting in Seoul, South Korea.

The International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO) met in Seoul, South Korea for its annual meeting last week.  It was the largest attendance at the international meeting since the group was formed, with attendees from 18 countries on six continents. 

Some of the topics discussed included:

• Overview of Regulatory Systems
• Approaches to Standards and Conformity and Harmonization
• Trends in Public Safety
• Compliance with Global Product Safety Standards

Two companies gave keynote addresses this year, and both of them are members of AHAM:  LGE and Samsung.  Dr. Jongmin Shin, Vice President of Quality Division from LG, stressed the partnership between government and manufacturers on safety.  Mr. Kyungju Lee, Sr. Vice President of Samsung, talked about the intersection of quality and safety in today’s manufacturing companies.  In addition, Dr. Hyesoon Yang, of Samsung, participated in a panel discussion on managing the multiplicity of standards and regulations for global companies.  Additionally, AHAM’s Wayne Morris, Vice President of Technical Operations and Standards, who also serves on the ICPHSO Executive Board, spoke on the future direction of standards harmonization and arranged three panel discussions within the Electrical Sector program.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum attended, along with the head of the Korean National Testing Lab and Korean Consumer Agency.   ICPHSO will meet Feb 28-March 2, 2012 in Orlando.