The sonic carpet: Real-time feedback of energy consumption and emission data through sonic interaction design

Presented at the 27th International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD 2022) 24-27 June 2022, Virtual conference.As buildings become increasingly automated and energy efficient, the relative impact of occupants on the overall building carbon footprint is expected to increase. Research shows that by changing occupant behaviour energy savings between 5 and 15 % could be achieved. A commonly used device for energy-related behaviour change is the smart meter, a visual-based interface which provides users with data about energy consumption and emissions of their household. This paper approaches the problem from a Sonic Interaction Design point of view, with the aim of developing an alternative, sound-based design to provide feedback about some of the data usually accessed through smart meters. In this work, we experimented with sonic augmentation of a common household object, a door mat, in order to provide a non-intrusive everyday sonic interaction. The prototype that we built is an energy-aware sonic carpet that provides real-time feedback on home electricity consumption and emissions through sound. An experiment has been designed to evaluate the prototype from a user experience perspective, and to assess how users understand the chosen sonifications

INTEGRATION OF SMART BUILDING STRATEGIES IN THE DESIGN OF A MIXED-USE BUILDING IN LAGOS STATE

To help the world move towards sustainability, new developments will need to do more to address environmental issues. Energy savings may now be accomplished without compromising quality of life by utilising more efficient techniques to give a higher level of living. Little studies showed the significance of smart building technology in the development of mixed-used apartments in Nigeria (Granqvist, 2014). This study aims at identifying smart building strategies in order to implement its features in the design of a mixed-use building in Lagos State, Nigeria towards promoting the development of sustainable environments that meets user’s needs. The objectives of this study were to examine smart building strategies incorporated in the design of buildings; determine the extent to which smart building strategies are incorporated in existing mixed-use buildings; examine how effective smart building strategies incorporated in mixed-use buildings meet user’s comfort and design a mixed used building which adopts the various smart building strategies. The research was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Data collection Instruments consisted of questionnaires and observation schedules across three selected Mixed-use buildings across Lagos, Nigeria. The data collected was analysed using the descriptive statistical frequency tool which is the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS). The results were presented using tables, charts and figures. The findings indicated the level to which various smart building strategies were incorporated into the selected mixed-use buildings which gives a view to how smart building strategies are incorporated int eh design of mixed-use buildings in Nigeria. Results also showed the effect on the existing smart building features in the mixed-use buildings on users’ comfort. Future mixed-use building designs should incorporate smart building strategies, according to the findings of the study, in order to reduce the total energy consumption of the building while also creating a more sustainable environment and improving the comfort of users in a space. This research also resulted in the development of an architectural design for a Mixed-use building that incorporates effective smart building strategies to ensure that the building is a smart Mixed-use building

Energy and Smart Growth: It's about How and Where We Build

By efficiently locating development, smarter growth land use policies and practices offer a viable way to reduce U.S. energy consumption. Moreover, by increasing attention on how we build, in addition to where we build, smart growth could become even more energy smart. The smart growth and energy efficiency movements thus are intrinsically linked, yet these two fields have mostly operated in separate worlds. Through greater use of energy efficient design, and renewable energy resources, the smart growth movement could better achieve its goals of environmental protection, economic security and prosperity, and community livability. In short, green building and smart growth should go hand in hand. Heightened concern about foreign oil dependence, climate change, and other ill effects of fossil fuel usage makes the energy-smart growth collaboration especially important. Strengthening this collaboration will involve overcoming some hurdles, however, and funders can play an important role in assisting these movements to gain strength from each other. This paper contends there is much to be gained by expanding the smart growth movement to include greater attention on energy. It provides a brief background on current energy trends and programs, relevant to smart growth. It then presents a framework for understanding the connections between energy and land use which focuses on two primary issues: how to build, which involves neighborhood and building design, and where to build, meaning that location matters. The final section offers suggestions to funders interesting in helping accelerate the merger of these fields

It's About How and Where We Build: Connecting Energy and Smart Growth

In recent years, energy issues have become a growing concern for Americans. Largely missing from present energy discussions, however, is the role that land-use practices have on energy consumption and the use of alternative energy resources. By efficiently locating development, we can reduce the amount of energy needed for transportation and for other infrastructure as compared with spread-out, suburban development. Moreover, by including greater use of energy efficient design, these "smart growth" land-use practices could become even smarter -- and better achieve their goals of environmental protection, economic prosperity, and community livability. The smart growth land-use and energy efficiency movements are intrinsically linked, yet these two fields have mostly operated in separate worlds. Greater coordination between these two professions is warranted, yet substantial barriers exist. A recent survey reveals that planners' technical knowledge of energy issues is limited, as is their inclusion of energy factors in comprehensive planning, zoning, and development review. Heightened concern about foreign oil dependence, climate change, and the other ill effects of fossil fuel usage makes the energy-land-use collaboration especially important. Recently, there have been some hopeful signs of collaboration between energy professionals and community developers

Energy Solutions for a Livable Community

A briefing co-sponsored by the House Livable Communities Task Force, the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, and Smart Growth America examined how improved land use and building design could protect our nation's energy supplies and enhance community livability

Net Energy Index: A New Way To Measure Energy Efficient Buildings

Energy efficiency indexes are useful for providing tangible measurements of energy efficiency in buildings. Buildings use approximately 70% of all electricity in the USA. Using that energy efficiently has two primary benefits: limiting greenhouse gas emissions and reducing grid strain. Utilizing local renewable energy sources contributes to the same benefits. Currently, there is no index that considers renewable energy sources when measuring energy efficiency. Therefore, this paper proposes the Net Energy Index, which compares the net power usage of a building to the floor area of the building in order to determine energy efficiency. If renewable energy supplies power to a building, this index is not only useful and justified, but it is also practical through advances in energy meters

Cognitive barriers during monitoring-based commissioning of buildings

Monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) is a continuous building energy management process used to optimize energy performance in buildings. Although monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) can reduce energy waste by up to 20%, many buildings still underperform due to issues such as unnoticed system faults and inefficient operational procedures. While there are technical barriers that impede the MBCx process, such as data quality, the focuses of this paper are the non-technical, behavioral and organizational, barriers that contribute to issues initiating and implementing MBCx. In particular, this paper discusses cognitive biases, which can lead to suboptimal outcomes in energy efficiency decisions, resulting in missed opportunities for energy savings. This paper provides evidence of cognitive biases in decisions during the MBCx process using qualitative data from over 40 public and private sector organizations. The results describe barriers resulting from cognitive biases, listed in descending order of occurrence, including: risk aversion, social norms, choice overload, status quo bias, information overload, professional bias, and temporal discounting. Building practitioners can use these results to better understand potential cognitive biases, in turn allowing them to establish best practices and make more informed decisions. Researchers can use these results to empirically test specific decision interventions and facilitate more energy efficient decisions