Eco-feedback has traditionally focused on the provision of information about electricity use of devices to the member(s) of a household, in the form of text or graphics. Recently, applications have extended to include (A) information about other types of resource use behaviors (e.g., water use), (B) the resource use behaviors of communities of inhabitants of both residential and commercial sector buildings, (C) via more creative interfaces that seek to engage consumers (such as public art or games). We are designing and implementating a tangible community eco-feedback system on a university campus. Tentatively titled SESEME (Social Energy Sensing Monument), the installation is a human-scale (4'-7'6" tall) physical data visualization object that uses networked microcontrollers, motors, and variable-color LED light to communicate energy information to members of the public. When nearby, students with smartphones will be able to access an online interface that allows them to explore energy data and play with the monument, and experimentation with the design of this interface is also a major component of the study. Prior to final installation at the Student Community Center (estimated to be in early 2015), we will be using multiple small focus groups of students to A) test reactions to the monument's physical presence and the resultant effect of novelty on student curiosity, B) ascertain the role that surface finish and material play in public reception of our design, and C) analyze how layout, narrative, and language can encourage users to interact, explore, and learn in the digital interface, especially vis-a-vis more conventional energy feedback systems (such as the university's Campus Energy Education Dashboard).
The project is currently undergoing beta testing with recruited students and residents from Davis and surrounding areas. Participants use the supplied OBD plugin and Android app for one month to receive feedback on their driving and correlated energy footprint. Participants provide feedback on the usability of the mobile interface and platform, and the effectiveness of the app in enriching their perceptions of their own energy footprint. This app will undergo refining iterations post-beta testing and eventually be released on Android’s app store.
cEnergi’s Computer Science GSR, Sumayyah Ahmed (Advisor: Nina Amenta), has developed an app that integrates the Android mobile plotform with vehicle on-board diagnostics to provide immediate eco-driving feedback. An Android app created for this project communicates with an OBD-II Bluetooth plug-in transmitter to retrieve real-time fuel data from the engine, and displays fuel use and carbon footprint data back to the driver. Data is also collected in our cloud database. The purpose is to utilize integrated technology and interface design to effectively impact people’s perception of energy use.
One of the primary challenges consumers face with novel sustainable technology is whether it can benefit their lives. Consumers often lack the knowledge to make such appropriate purchase decisions, until the creation of the EV Explorer. The EV Explorer is is an innovative consumer feedback tool, that lets people explore if an electric vehicle is right for them. It provides future possible energy consumption and costs of different vehicles based on a consumers actual commuting behavior. Using a sophisticated web-map interface it lets consumers have contextual feedback relevant to their lives, rather than average estimates of vehicle. Users simply input home location and a travel destination and the web app reports a comparison of fuel costs for up to four vehicles that the user selects. The calculation will incorporate the price of charging at work or charging at any other destination to get costs as close as possible to what one might encounter in the real world.
There are 1,682 buildings associated with the UC Davis (UCD) campus. There are over 120 buildings over 20,000 square feet, and most of these are metered for the electricity, steam and chilled water*. This data is collected, stored and analyzed by the Utilities and Facilities Management departments on campus. Previously, only a handful of staff could view this data on a regular basis, until now… With the Campus Energy Education Dashboard (CEED), students, staff and faculty can view their building’s energy use in real time. CEED is a platform for the campus to learn more about our own energy use: what types of energy are used, how they are used and what we can all do to waste less energy.
Second-year interactive design project: climate control and energy use feedback app prototype. Members of a campus community could use it to provide feedback about air conditioning to building administrators, who could then make energy-saving or comfort improving adjustments accordingly. The design aims to make submitting feedback intuitive while encouraging further exploration of energy data and the implications of A/C use. In-app rewards personalize the experience and incentivize repeat usage. Building comparisons and leaderboards introduce social competition (i.e. chemists vs. artists vs. administrators) and get the community involved. We tried to take an "irreverent" approach to app design, using graphics that reflect the hyperbole often used for temperature complaints, poking fun at the school (the cow loading icon references UCD's renowned bovine scent), and allowing users to express themselves through a random crowd-sourced "building announcements" ticker.