Think about the Ò GenieÓ

Meredith TackAlison CraneAdriana Guzman

The device should be a touch screen interface on a wall, similar to a tablet. The system should be built with sensors around the house, next to the most important appliances in the house, they also can give you feedback. Example: Small red light that turns on when you have your computer or TV on for an extended period of time.

The “Genie” should also have apps on cellphones and email alerts than can tell you or giving you feedback any-where, give the consumer the chance to reach the goal even when they are not a home.

Where is it?

People are nostalgic sometimes about the first model of thermostat. So we can explore the style elements of classic thermostat controls.

The “Genie” should show information in a simple visual format. Example: A map of your home with areas of high energy consumption.

Graphics of each appliance, and which ones are drawing the most energy.

What does it look like? Does it have a style?

What are the main goals of the device?The system should teach the home occupants how they can have better habits and achieve their energy related goals. Understand where your energy is used/ Show holistic view of the home.Understand relationship to bills/monetary implications.Understand simple ways to reduce usage.Motivate behavioral changes.

What information or features should be on the ÒG enieÓ? What are the main functions?

1. Information about the home2. Energy management and environment control3. Motivating Behaviors

Calendar showing the day and can indicate which days are using more energy. There must be an option that offers a comparison to the energy consumed in the last month, saying if they are consuming more or less energy. The system monitors energy usage for the entire house. This means that the data provided can be used to make decisions re-garding optimum use of appliances. The homeowner can monitor consumption rates in terms of dollars and cents and thus can effectively change total energy usage to conserve.

Give the user information about the right decisions he or she is making about energy consumption. If he or she close the window by themselves instead of controlling from the device, it should be capable to tell them it was a good action and if they continue doing that they are closer to the goal. (Feedback)

Electrical usage is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh)

1. Information about the home

MUST

1. Information about the home

Real time measure of Therms. The volume of gas used is con-verted from cubic feet into therms, a measure of the heat, or energy content, of the gas. The number of therms then serves as the basis for calculating the various charges on the bill. -

Graphics of all the appliances that are using the energy at that moment, alerts telling us which ones are drawing more energy.

Temperature outside and inside. The system is capable to sense the temperatures and then react by recommending the heating or cooling equipment that will respond to climactic conditions in the most energy-efficient manner.

SHOULD

MUST

The owner can set from the beginning a period of time in the day where all the appliances should be off, (work or school time) but there must be an option to change this setting as soon as some-one get into the place. The function of electrical load switching is to monitor wall switches and activate wall outlet and appliances under software control. Due to this electrical load switching function, the system controls and monitors all electrical functions in the home.

The houses can be divided in zones. In this way each zone can be treated as if it had its own thermostat. The idea is that at night, the bedrooms only can be heated or cooled, without having to heat up or cool down the entire house. Even so, the homeowner can heat and cool in the usual way only where it is desired.

Installed motion detectors can announce the owner there is a light on in an empty room, and the owner can choose from turn off from there or going to check by himself.

2. Energy management and environment control

SHOULD

COULD

MUST

The system should detect when one area is using excessive amounts of energy and offer simple tips to help this number come down. The system could have an endearing personality.

The system could incorporate a gaming aspect. Its important to give them options to control from the box, like turning off lights, turning on the air conditioner but leave them the option to do it by themselves.

The device should be working with at least 3 profiles. Levels of energy efficiency determine every profile.Understandable mental models of degree days in your area How do you know whether the number of therms you used is "reasonable" for your area at that time?The system could offer tips from other users via a social net-working sites, to keep tips and content fresh and realisitic. The system could generate monetary estimates (in savings) for each task.

3. Motivating Behaviors

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COULD

MUST

First sketches