Patent ID: 8915104

Claim:
An appliance system comprising: an appliance group that includes at least two appliances including: a first appliance designed to perform a first consumer function related to the first appliance; a second appliance that is separate from the first appliance wherein the second appliance is designed to perform a second consumer function related to the second appliance; a thermal energy generator wherein the thermal energy generator heats at least one thermal energy bearing fluid, the thermal energy generator is operably connected to the first appliance and the second appliance, and the thermal energy generator delivers thermal energy to the first and second appliance simultaneously or at different times via one or more of the thermal energy bearing fluids; and a thermal storage unit operably connected to the thermal energy generator via two conduits to allow energy to be transferred bi-directionally between the thermal storage unit and the thermal energy generator, and operably connected to the first appliance via a conduit to allow another energy bearing fluid to be transferred between the thermal storage unit and the first appliance in a first direction.