Using Participatory Data Analysis to Understand Social Constraints and Opportunities of Electricity Demand-Shifting

International audienceThis paper reports results from an empirical study that explored the potential of interactive electricity Demand-Shifting – a particular form of behavior change where electricity consumption is shifted towards times of the day when production is at its highest – in the context of residential solar electricity generation. We conducted an in-the-wild user study with eighteen households over a period of six months, combining electricity data from smart meters and smart plugs with in-depth interviews to explore laundry routines and washing machine usage for each household. The study highlights that, although washing machines can be considered to be "shiftable appliances", the specific ways in which each household goes about shifting varies considerably. Furthermore, there is a clear need for ICTs to support people by analyzing current context and future plans to automate electricity demand-shifting and synchronization of both laundry and other appliances. Such support will help them maximize the self-consumption of micro-generated electricity while balancing this with environmental concerns, financial benefits and day-to-day issues relating to convenience. Index Terms— Microgeneration, demand-shifting, in-home study, energy management

Understanding and Supporting Emerging Domestic Energy Practices

The current transformation of the domestic energy landscape, including local generation, new consumption and storage, requires rethinking our research approach. This paper reports experiences from two case studies with their implications for future HCI research in the home

Participatory Data Analysis: A New Method for Investigating Human Energy Practices

This paper presents a novel data-driven method to investigate the interdependence between technology design and human energy practices. The method – called Participatory Data – makes use of fine-grained energy data collected via smart meters and smart plugs, and behaviour visualisation during home visits to spark self-reflection among householders

Interactive Demand Shifting in the context of Domestic Micro-Generation

The combination of ubiquitous computing and emerging energy technologies is radically changing the home energy landscape. Domestic micro-generation, dominated by solar photovoltaic, is increasing at a rapid pace. This represents an opportunity for creating and altering energy behaviours. However, these transformations generate new challenges that we call the domestic energy gap: domestic electricity consumption and microgeneration are out of sync. Micro-generation is mainly uncontrollable production relying on weather while domestic energy consumption tends to happen mostly during the evening. This thesis focuses on understanding and supporting new domestic practices in the context of domestic solar electricity generation, looking at ‘Demand-Shifting’. Specifically, we look at how can digital tools leverage Demand-Shifting practices in the context of domestic micro-generation? Relying on a mixed-method approach, we provide a qualitative and quantitative answer with the collaboration of 38 participating households in several field studies including two spanning more than eight months. Through a deep investigation of laundry and electric mobility routines in the context of domestic micro-generation, we emphasised a natural engagement into Demand-Shifting which appeared as a complex and time-consuming task for participants which was not visible when we analysed their quantitative data. We revealed this complexity through Participatory Data Analyses, a method we designed to analyse the data in collaboration with the participating householders. This provided us with a comprehensive view of the relationship between domestic micro-generation and daily routines. Finally, we highlight the need for timely and contextual support through the deployment of interventions in-the-wild. Building on discussions of our findings in perspective of the literature, we propose a conceptual framework to support domestic interactive Demand-Shifting

Convivere con l’Artificio. Metodi e pratiche data-driven per il progetto dell’interazione

Mentre il design pone il soggetto umano al centro delle dinamiche progettuali già dalla fine del secolo scorso, sono ancora in discussione numerose questioni riguardanti l’inclusione e l’ottimizzazione del rapporto tra persone e tecnologie, in particolare per quanto riguarda artefatti e sistemi rivolti alla cura e al benessere degli utenti, che instaurano con esse veri e propri rapporti sociali di collaborazione e addirittura convivenza, specialmente nell’ambiente domestico. Il volume approccia il campo della Human-Technology Interaction (HTI) da diversi punti di vista, con l’obiettivo di inquadrare e far confluire sinergicamente nuovi approcci del design contemporaneo, proponendo un’ottimizzazione del processo di progettazione di artefatti tecnologici, sulla base di una revisione dei metodi di studio e coinvolgimento degli utenti

Residential demand-side response in the UK: maximising consumer uptake and response

Residential demand-side response (DSR) is a key strategy for meeting the challenges facing the UK electricity system. Leveraging residential flexibility should help to enhance system reliability, reduce carbon emissions, support the integration of renewables into the energy mix and deliver a lower-cost electricity system. However, the viability of residential DSR hinges on two critical factors: consumers will first need to switch to DSR programmes in sufficient numbers and then successfully respond by adjusting their consumption patterns accordingly. This thesis explores how to optimise the impact of residential DSR by examining the enablers and constraints of uptake and response. While participation is primarily encouraged through financial incentives, studies suggest that some consumers may be willing to participate for nonfinancial reasons. As such, this thesis also explores how environmental and pro-social motivations could be leveraged to help promote uptake and response. The thesis contributes to the knowledge on DSR by testing UK consumer preferences for different programme models through a large-scale online survey and identifying measures which could help to maximise uptake. It also explores the potential afforded by dynamic information-only programmes through a trial based on available wind generation. The thesis further makes a theoretical contribution by exploring how the Fogg Behaviour Model (FBM) can be used to conceptualise the enablers and constraints of uptake and response. By mapping these factors to the FBM’s core components of ability, motivation and trigger, the model is refined as a tool for understanding how to optimise the impact of residential DSR. The research reveals that information-only DSR programmes may represent a significant untapped resource. Approximately 8% of a representative sample of UK consumers indicated a preference for this model over more conventional price-based programmes; while trial households succeeded in reducing electricity consumption by 9.9% on average when asked to consume less and increasing consumption by 4.4% on average when asked to consume more. These promising findings may help to inform policy and programme design as the UK energy system evolves towards a renewables-based future