Mobility and Life-style Analysis
Fischer, Corinna (2008): Feedback in Houshold Electricty Consumption: A tool for saving Energy? In: Energy Efficiency. Vol 1/ Nr 1, pp. 79-104
Project:
Energy Saving by Intelligent Measuring and Feedback Systems - Intelliekon
Head of Project and Research Partner:
GesamtProject head und Researchspartner: Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme ISE (Freiburg)
Project team im ISOE:
Dr. Konrad Götz
(Project head)
Dr. Jutta Deffner
Barbara Birzle-Harder
Dr. Doris Hayn
Dr. Irmgard Schultz
Georg Sunderer
Research Partners:
Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme ISE (Freiburg);
Fraunhofer Institut für System- und InnovationsResearch ISI (Karlsruhe)
EVB Energie AG (Velbert)
Social Science Advice:
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Glatzer, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Fachbereich Gesellschaftswissenschaften
Commercial Partners:
Energieversorgung Olde
SWK SETEC
Stadtwerke Bremen
Stadtwerke Hassfurt
Stadtwerke Münster
Stadtwerke Schwerte
Stadtwerke Ulm
Technische Werke Kaiserslautern
Duration :
04/2008–01/2011
Energy Saving by Intelligent Measuring and Feedback Systems - Intelliekon
By receiving an energy bill only once a year one is hardly able to track the reasons for an increase in consumption. The principle of feedback might be of great help to the customers giving short-term information on energy consumption and costs. A specific display or internet information could show when the energy consumption is increasing or when it is at a low level. By monthly comparisons of energy consumption one could also learn to deal more efficiently with domestic appliances. Within a new joint project three research institutes work together with nine practice partners investigating the question how user-friendly information and communications systems can help private customers to expand their knowledge for "intelligent" handling and behaviour towards a more sustained energy consumption.
In 2008 the Institute for Social Ecological Research conducts a survey based on qualitative methods - in 2009 standardised social empirical methods will follow - to find out how feedback information should be designed suitable to indicate energy consumption to consumers with the goal to reduce it.
This is done within the research project "Intelliekon – Sustainable Energy Consumption in Households with the help of intelligent systems for meters, communication and tariffs". The project is directed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg. Another research partner is the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) in Karlsruhe.
The partners who bring the results into practice are:
- the service enterprise EVB Energie AG (Velbert) providing services (digital meter-systems, accounting, and consumer-management) for companies within the realm of energy supply
- the public utility companies in Bremen, Hassfurt, Kaiserslautern, Münster, Oelde, Schwerte and Ulm.
The Project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research as part of the Social-Ecological research programme.
By using digital meters which in future will serve all over Europe to monitor the energy consumption of private households at all times, new possibilities are arising to obtain a detailed and up-to-date data compilation. This will not only simplify billing for the companies, but also provide consumers a precise data feedback on their energy consumtion patterns by using graphic documentation. Based on this informations it will be possible to draw conclusions on how to save energy in the future.
Phase one of the socio-empirical studies carried out by the ISOE is going to deal with the question if such a feedback is desirable for the consumers and if so, how the data should be presented. From the technical point of view, three options are available: the energy consumption (for example compared to the monthly consumption of the previous year) could be displayed in a printed chart and sent as an attachment together with the bill. The second option is to offer individual data analyses via internet allowing consumers to access the information after having logged in with their personal password. This option provides a wide variety of possible analyses. For example the energy consumption can be broken down to daily and hourly quantities, the days of the week can be compared to one another, the annual usage can be shown including information on each single month and the entire information can of course be printed out for all family members to look at. The basic energy consumption occurring even if all technical appliances are switched off can be presented as well. A comparison with other households is also feasible. The third technical feedback option being discussed in the project is the presentation of data on screen the approximate size of a navigation device on which the daily energy consumption is displayed in the form of a curve. The screen can be plugged into any available socket as the information is coming in via the so-called power line e.g. the normal 230 voltage electrical circuit. While information via the internet is always lagging one day behind, the screen enables "live" monitoring of the ongoing energy consumption.
During the explorative first phase with qualitative Interviews being conducted, the aim is to find out which options are preferred, what kind of data presentation would be most successful - not only welcomed by the consumers but actually used by them with sustainability or/and saving in mind. And here it is not only important that the data are clearly laid out and easy to understand but the question has to be dealt with if help with data interpretation and support for energy saving measures will be desired.
In 2009 the different feedback options will be tested in all participating towns (field test phase). The aim then is to find out if the feed back systems have an energy saving effect and if so, how it is coming about.
At the end of the project the ISI in Karlsruhe will extrapolate the data for the whole of Federal Republic of Germany. Thus it will be possible to draw conclusions on the energy saving effect a general introduction of such a monitoring system might have.
The project’s special transdisciplinary challenge with respect to the installation of feedback systems is the integration of greatly differing perspectives. The project is supposed not only to generate new findings for the scientific discourse on sustainability but it should also consider the following four perspectives in an integrative manner:
- The societal perspective (sustainability goals)
- The consumers’ perspective (simplicity, comfort, comprehensibility, the capacity of being integrated into household routines, facilitation of household management)
- The producer’s perspective and the perspective of the software designer (who will have to cooperate with the energy-suppliers and provide them with suitable solutions)
- The energy-suppliers’ perspective (simplification of the billing system and customer management)