Intel has announced a reference design for a home energy-management device, an attempt to get a foothold in the smart grid business and bring Intel's chips to your kitchen table.

At the West Coast Green conference in San Francisco yesterday, Intel Vice President Doug Davis said the design of the tablet-like device, which Intel calls a home energy control and management "panel," is part of the chip giant's efforts to provide tech tools around energy.

The device is meant act as a hub for controlling networked appliances and thermostats and to gather information from smart meters. It's based on Intel's Atom processor and can work with Wi-Fi and Zigbee wireless devices, such as thermostats.

Intel is one of many companies developing products geared at giving consumers better control over their energy consumption. Intel-based home energy controllers can show how much electricity that networked appliances use and give people a touch screen for programming thermostats.