Carbon, Control and Comfort is a three-year collaborative research project aiming to engage users in the design of control systems that they like, that allow them to create the comfort conditions they want and which, through using the technology and fabric of their homes more effectively, reduces their energy use. This presentation will discuss how occupants' comfort practices impact upon energy use and the socio-technical, usability, design and ethical factors which could inform the development of new devices or systems that enhance and promote energy reducing comfort practices.

1. Reducing Household Energy Use ‐
Considerations for developing design
interventions to encourage more
sustainable behaviour
[ World Usability Day – 12th November 2009 ]
Dr Debra Lilley
[ Department of Design and Technology & ESRI
Loughborough University ]

2. Carbon, Control and Comfort:
User‐centred control systems for carbon
reduction and load distribution (2009‐2011)
[ Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council & E.On UK ]

3. Aim
[ to engage users in the design of control systems that
they like, that allow them to create the comfort
conditions they want and which, through using the
technology and fabric of their homes more effectively,
reduces their energy use]
Context
[ social housing tenants ]
[ Merthyr Tydfil ‐ Wales / Harrogate ‐ Leeds ]
[ families / elderly ‐ individuals & couples ]

4. Talk
[ Context occupants' comfort practices & energy use ]
[ Existing interventions; socio‐technical, usability,
design & ethical factors in relation to social housing ]
[ Next Steps ‐ capturing user behaviour, identifying
impacts, applying theory, new design interventions ]

5. Variability in energy consumption in the home can be affected by
occupants’ comfort practices…

6. … by how they interact with technologies, fabric & furnishings in their
homes …

7. … their level of activity and the clothes they choose to wear

8. … the appliances and devices they own and use

9. … and the way in which products are used in the home

10. Rise in single‐occupancy households and disposable income

11. … increasing mobility of women, home‐working and a ‘24/7’ culture

12. …. increased use of energy‐intensive appliances….

13. … energy consumption from lighting and appliances has increased,
despite efficiency gains in other areas (e.g. energy efficient boilers)

14. …although energy labelling schemes on domestic appliances have
increased in recent years they are misleading as do not consider real
use behaviours such as opening, adding food at room temperature

15. 80% of UK public are convinced about climate change and express
strong concern about the environmental impacts but their actions
do not reflect their concerns

16. Few people make the link between environmental problems and
the energy and materials used at home

17. Feedback on energy usage is limited…

18. Householders wishing to monitor energy consumption in more detail
can choose from a vast array of ‘off‐the‐shelf’ feedback devices……
… to the more desirable “wattson”
… from the utilitarian “kill‐a‐watt”

19. e.g. Watts Up Pro ‐ user connects all data outputs
from individual monitors to a central system.
e.g. Kill A Watt ‐ requires user to observe screen
which, if plugged into the wall under a desk or
table, can be difficult to access.

20. … displayed in numeric…
..ambient (e.g. light, colour, sound) e.g.
Energy Aware Cord / Consumption Feedback Switch
…. pictorial or abstract formats…
e.g. Tiffany Holmes Eco visualization

21. Onzo smart energy kit
in‐home display, sensor and web portal
connects to PC to upload data to a web portal for more detailed information
and energy reduction advice.

22. Energy data can be delivered via dedicated devices or by ‘piggy‐
backing’ on existing products such as iPods and iPhones, digital
televisions…
e.g. “Current State” ‐ a conceptual mobile application used to monitor and control
energy usage in the home.

23. ...or internet applications
e.g. Google PowerMeter
• free electricity usage monitoring tool
• receives data from utility smart meters and in‐home energy management
devices and visualizes information on iGoogle
• now in‐partnership with TED – The Energy Detective.

24. Some energy monitoring devices use social networking and blogging
services which utilize instant messaging or a web interface
Yello Sparzähler smart meters
‘tweet’ about energy use

25. user
Eco‐Information
• onus on user to learn from feedback and change
Eco‐Choice
guide behaviour
change • less control – more room for non‐compliance
Eco‐Feedback
• greater acceptance by users?
power in decision‐making
Eco‐ Spur • choice with some persuasion
maintain • feedback mechanism ensures cause‐effect
Eco‐Steer relationship maintained
change
Eco‐Technology • eradicates need for human intervention
ensure • minimises unpredictability
Clever Design change • ensures compliance
• users less likely to learn from & adapt behaviour
product

28. • Take into account target users needs / expectations / context
• Facilitate continued use – self‐generating not non‐rechargeable
• Embodied and in‐use energy vs. energy savings
• Sustained interaction
• Choice vs control ‐ tolerance / preference

29. Next steps
[ user centred research – intensive monitoring / ethnography ]
[ design intervention development ]
[ testing and evaluation ]

30. Thank you for listening
Dr Debra Lilley
d.lilley@lboro.ac.uk
http://www.design‐behaviour.co.uk
http://www.designandbehaviour.com