Rising costs. Blackouts. Pollution. Climate change. These are some of the problems caused by increased power consumption on today’s antiquated power grid. Utilities and corporations are working toward a more efficient Smart Grid with $3.4 billion in assistance from the Recovery Act. To date the development of the Smart Grid has focused on benefits for the utility companies. But ultimately the success of the technology depends on the consumer. If everyone had such a Smart Grid, then 1,059 trillion BTUs of generation and 63.5 megatons of CO2 emissions would be saved each year. But those savings can be extended far higher with more effective design for behavioral change. Unlike indicating peak price times alone, the benefits of our multi-part approach address the many challenges of influencing people to help meet our growing energy challenges.
“Impact” is a series of design proposals developed by Artefact in partnership with Carbon to help residential consumers improve their energy efficiency by encouraging more responsible choices.
The concepts leverage Smart Grid capabilities like electricity price information and smart appliances. By applying knowledge of design for effective behavioral change, these solutions raise awareness, inform decisions, provide motivation, and provide new capabilities without requiring extra effort. While others have focused on the motivated minority, these design solutions emphasize convenience and usefulness for the majority.
Technology-only solutions have to contend with our ever-growing appetite for resources and lack of understanding. On the other hand, changing the way one uses an old, inefficient device won’t have an appreciable effect. Our design principles complete a picture of a user with lower consumption.
1. Be Aware.
Design can help people understand how much they use and the relative impact of different devices and behaviors. It can also convey savings availed by changes. For example, the Impact Clock and Impact App convey current usage in comparison with the past, and emphasize and reward improvement.
2. Be Informed.
The dishwasher is not a place to overwhelm with usage trends or exact costs. Instead we convey that using Heated Dry drastically reduces efficiency and keeping the fridge door open longer will use a lot more power to restore the desired temperature. We clearly identify better options and honestly characterize relative impact.
The user does not feel an extra burden of choice or effort, nor do they feel restricted. Instead, they find efficient choices more attractive.
3. Be Motivated.
Improved awareness can be its own incentive. We also use cost incentives that correspond to consumption and have proven effective in early Smart Grid trials. Seeing how your usage compares to neighbors’ has also been shown to decrease consumption. The Impact App gives social suggestions from friends and publishes your efficiency achievements, and users know choosing more efficient options with the other devices also saves them money.
4. Just Be.
The coming Smart Grid has unexplored opportunities to increase efficiency without any effort by the user. There are also new scenarios for control that improve safety, convenience, and efficiency through the intelligence of the home. The Impact App uses Smart Grid infrastructure to call attention to improvements and problems or even notify users when the oven is left on. The dishwasher chooses the best time to run and automatically air dries when given long enough.
Principled Pragmatism. We’re not designing conceptual “green” objects that no one will ever buy. Our designs could get into people’s hands from motivated 3rd-parties and by building on existing needed devices. Appliance manufacturers, building owners or landlords who pay bills, and utilities all have reasons for making and distributing such designs. Utilities already compensate consumers for efficiency gains that pay off in the long run. We can see the Impact Clock or Impact App coming with compatible smart meters now being installed, maximizing the benefit of utilities’ new smart grid infrastructure investment. Over time, these designs could be common in the average home even if efficiency isn’t a priority for many residents. Many of our design solutions could be implemented even without the Smart Grid, but the coming wave provides a singular opportunity to reach more people.