Grantee Research Project Results
AWARE@home: Profitably Integrating Conservation into the American Home
EPA Grant Number: SU831870Title: AWARE@home: Profitably Integrating Conservation into the American Home
Investigators: Skerlos, Steven J.
Institution: University of Michigan
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: September 30, 2004 through May 30, 2005
Project Amount: $9,983
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2004) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , Waste Reduction and Pollution Prevention , P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Description:
While American households are the most resource consuming in the world, they are unlikely to become more efficient users of public utilities because of: 1) large time delays between utility use and the receipt of utility bills; 2) the inconvenience of personally checking and recording gas, water, and electricity meters already existing in their homes; and 3) a generally poor understanding regarding the relationship between individual actions taken at home (e.g., adjusting the thermostat, water heater control, etc.) and the potential for personal cost savings in the long term.
Objective:
This project will develop an information gathering and reporting tool that will allow households 1) to monitor their own resource consumption patterns in real time and on-demand, and 2) to quantify in terms of cost (and environmental emissions, if interested) the impact of specific energy conservation actions taken at home without more effort than clicking a single icon on a computer screen.
Approach:
Given the existence of metering technology in the home already, we will focus on developing very inexpensive electronics and wireless technology to bring this metering information to a personal computer in real time. We will estimate real-time costs for the end-user that will allow conservation actions taken at any point in time to be reflected in the current month's energy, gas, and water bills (rather than one to two months later, which is too late to motivate change in general). For advanced users, interested in both cost and environmental impact reduction, the software interface will allow the homeowner to monitor his or her utility usage rates and determine the optimal ways in which a homeowner can adjust his or her usage to reduce cost (children could also be given such assignments in school, in effect allowing students to educate their parents). For such advanced users, we will also design simple "wireless plugs" that will allow wall outlets to communicate with the same system, so the impact of specific appliances on overall energy consumption can be monitored if desired.
Expected Results:
This project will develop information and hardware technologies that will allow all U.S. households (people) willing to participate in a simple energy conservation program to both save money (prosperity) and reduce environmental impact (planet).
Supplemental Keywords:
waste minimization, decisionmaking, conservation, monitoring, measurement methods, Sustainable Industry/Business, RFA, Scientific Discipline, POLLUTION PREVENTION, TREATMENT/CONTROL, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Economics, Sustainable Environment, waste reduction, Reinvention, cleaner production/pollution prevention, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, Technology, Energy, clean technology, waste minimization, computer models, education, green building design, socio-technical feedback, consumption pathways, monitoring resource consumption, green design, green technology, ecological design, emission controls, monitoring environmental emissions, energy conservation, incentives, energy efficiency, real time energy monitoring, clean technologies, environmental cost analysis, environmentally conscious design, environmentally friendly technology, innovative technology, environmental conscious constructionRelevant Websites:
Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.