ABSTRACT
This paper presents results of a three-year research project focused on the emplacement of Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) in a living lab setting with seven households. The HEMS used in this study allowed householders to monitor energy consumption both in real-time and in retrospective on the TV and on mobile devices. Contrasting with existing research focused on how technology persuades people to consume less energy, our study uses a grounded approach to analyze HEMS emplacement. As an important result, we present here the issue of 'energy literacy'. Our study reveals that, by using HEMS, participants became increasingly literate in understanding domestic electricity consumption. We discuss the role HEMS played in that process and how the acquired literacy changed energy consumption patterns. We conclude that literacy in energy consumption has value on its own and explain how eco feedback system designs can benefit from this understanding.
- Abrahamse, W., Steg, L., Vlek, C., and Rothengatter, T., A review of intervention studies aimed at household energy conservation, Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25 (2005), 273--291.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Bernhaupt, R., Obrist, M., Weiss, A., Beck, E., and Tscheligi, M., Trends in the Living Room and Beyond: Results from Ethnographic Studies Using Creative and Playful Probing, Information Systems Journal, 6 (2008), 1--23. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Blevis, E., Sustainable interaction design: invention & disposal, renewal & reuse, In Proc. CHI 2007, ACM Press (2007). Google ScholarDigital Library
- Brynjarsdottir, H., Hakansson, M., Pierce, J., Baumer, E., DiSalvo, C., and Sengers, P., Sustainably unpersuaded: how persuasion narrows our vision of sustainability, In Proc. CHI 2012, ACM Press (2012), 947--956. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Burgess, J. and Nye, M., Re-materialising energy use through transparent monitoring systems, Energy, 36 2008, 4454--4459.Google Scholar
- Chetty, M., Brush, A. J. B., Meyers, B. R., and Johns, P., It's not easy being green: understanding home computer power management, In Proc. CHI 2009, ACM Press (2009), 1033--1042. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Chetty, M., Tran, D., and Grinter, R. E., Getting to green: understanding resource consumption in the home, In Proc. UbiComp 2008, ACM Press (2008), 242--251. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Darby, S., Making it obvious: designing feedback into energy consumption, In Proc. International Conference on Energy Efficiency in Household Appliances and Lighting, Springer (2001), 685--696.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Darby, S., The effectiveness of feedback on energy consumption. A review for DEFRA of the literature on metering, billing and direct displays, Oxford, 2006, 21.Google Scholar
- Davis, F. D., Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology, Management Information Systems Quarterly, 13 (1989), 319--339. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Dewey, J., Logic: The Theory of Inquiry, John Dewey The Later Works, 12 (1938), viii, 546.Google Scholar
- DiSalvo, C., Sengers, P., and Brynjarsdóttir, H., Mapping the landscape of sustainable HCI, In Proc. CHI 2010, ACM Press (2010), 1975. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Egan, C. and Policy, E., How Customers Interpret and Use Comparative Graphics of Their Energy Use, Comparative and General Pharmacology, (1995), 3945.Google Scholar
- Federal Statistical Office Germany, Income, Consumption and Living Standards - Households in the informations society (ICT), Federal Statistical Office Germany, (2011).Google Scholar
- Fitzpatrick, G. and Smith, G., Technology-Enabled Feedback on Domestic Energy Consumption: Articulating a Set of Design Concerns, IEEE Pervasive Computing, 8 (2009), 37--44. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Flick, U., Assessing the Quality of Qualitative Health Research: Criteria, Process and Writing, An introduction to qualitative research, 10 (2006), 384--387.Google Scholar
- Fogg, B. J., Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do, Morgan Kaufmann Series in Interactive Technologies, (2003). Google ScholarDigital Library
- Følstad, A., Living labs for innovation and development of information and communication technology: a literature review, The Electronic Journal for Virtual Organizations and Networks, 10 (2008), 99--131.Google Scholar
- Froehlich, J., Findlater, L., and Landay, J., The design of eco-feedback technology, In Proc. CHI 2010, ACM Press (2010), 1999. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Glaser, B. G. and Strauss, A. L., The discovery of grounded theory, International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5 (1967), 1--10.Google Scholar
- Gustafsson, A. and Gyllenswärd, M., The PowerAware Cord: Energy Awareness through Ambient Information Display, In Proc. CHI 2005, ACM Press (2005), 14231426. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Hargreaves, T., Nye, M., and Burgess, J., Making energy visible: A qualitative field study of how householders interact with feedback from smart energy monitors, Energy Policy, 38 (2010), 6111--6119.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Hargreaves, T., Nye, M., and Burgess, J., Keeping energy visible? Exploring how householders interact with feedback from smart energy monitors in the longer term, Energy Policy, (2012), 1--9.Google Scholar
- Hassenzahl, M., Hedonic, emotional, and experiential perspectives on product quality, Encyclopedia of Human Computer Interaction, (2006), 266--272.Google ScholarCross Ref
- He, H. A., Greenberg, S., and Huang, E. M., One Size Does Not Fit All: Applying the Transtheoretical Model to Energy Feedback Technology Design, In Proc. CHI 2010, ACM Press (2010). Google ScholarDigital Library
- Hess, J. and Ogonowski, C., Steps toward a living lab for socialmedia concept evaluation and continuous userinvolvement, In Proc. EuroITV 2010, (2010), 171. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Houwelingen, J. H. v. and Raaij, W. F. v., The Effect of Goal-Setting and Daily Electronic Feedback on InHome Energy Use, The Journal of Consumer Research, 16 (1989), 98--105.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Jacucci, G., Spagnolli, A., Gamberini, L., Björksog, C., Ò, M. B., and Monti, P., Designing Effective Feedback of Electricity Consumption for Mobile User Interfaces, PsychNology Journal, 7 (2009), 265--289.Google Scholar
- Jönsson, L., Broms, L., and Katzeff, C., Watt-Lite; Energy Statistics Made Tangible, Energy, (2010), 240--243. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Kempton, W., Folk quantification of energy, Energy, 7 (1982), 817--827.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Mankoff, J. C., Blevis, E., Borning, A., Friedman, B., Fussell, S. R., Hasbrouck, J., Woodruff, A., and Sengers, P., Environmental sustainability and interaction, In Proc. CHI 2007, ACM Press (2007). Google ScholarDigital Library
- Pierce, J. and Paulos, E., Materializing energy, In Proc. DIS 2009, ACM Press (2009), 113--122. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Pierce, J., Schiano, D. J., and Paulos, E., Home , Habits , and Energy : Examining Domestic Interactions and Energy Consumption, In Proc. CHI 2010, ACM Press (2010), 1985--1994. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Riche, Y., Dodge, J., and Metoyer, R. A., Studying always-on electricity feedback in the home, In Proc. CHI 2010, ACM Press (2010), 1995. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Schwartz, T., Betz, M., Ramirez, L., and Stevens, G., Sustainable energy practices at work: understanding the role of workers in energy conservation, In Proc. NordiCHI 2010, ACM Press (2010), 452--462. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Sheldrick, B. and Macgill, S., Local energy conservation initiatives in the UK:Their nature and achievements, Energy Policy, 16 (1988), 562--578.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Shove, E., Comfort, Cleanliness and Convenience: the Social Organization of Normality., Oxford Berg Slocum, 0 (2003), 221.Google Scholar
- Stern, P. C., What Psychology Knows About Energy Conservation, American Psychologist, 47 (1992).Google Scholar
- Stevens, G., Pipek, V., and Wulf, V., Appropriation infrastructure: mediating appropriation and production work, Journal of Organizational and End User, 22 ( 2010), 58--81.Google ScholarDigital Library
- Strengers, Y. A. A., Designing eco-feedback systems for everyday life, In Proc. CHI 2011, ACM Press (2011) 2135--2144. Google ScholarDigital Library
- van Dam, S. S., Bakker, C. a., and van Hal, J. D. M., Home energy monitors: impact over the medium-term, Building Research & Information, 38 (2010), 458--469.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Wallenborn, G., Orsini, M., and Vanhaverbeke, J., Household appropriation of electricity monitors, International Journal of Consumer Studies, 35 (2011), 146--152.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Wilhite, H., Shove, E., Luzenhiser, L., and Kempton, W., Twenty years of energy demand management: we know more about individual behavior but how much do we really know about demand, In Proc. ACEEE 2000, (2000), 435--453.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Cultivating energy literacy: results from a longitudinal living lab study of a home energy management system
Recommendations
Energy Literacy: Does education field matter?
TEEM'19: Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing MulticulturalityConsidering as an essential tool that allows citizens to adopt more energy efficiency behavior, energy literacy is seen as part of the solution to the growing problem of climate change, and even to the scarcity of fossil fuels. The concept of energy ...
Work in progress - energy education and energy literacy: benefits of rigor and relevance
FIE'09: Proceedings of the 39th IEEE international conference on Frontiers in education conferenceEnergy education programs are making their way into today's K-12 classroom. Effective programs that improve energy literacy will help draw students toward further studies and careers in the growing fields of energy-related engineering, science, and ...
Energy Literacy: does age matters?
TEEM'20: Eighth International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing MulticulturalityEnergy literacy is an important tool that empowers consumers, allowing them to make better decisions concerning energy. It involves energy and financial knowledge, citizen's attitudes and intentions, and citizen's habits and behavior related to energy. ...
Comments