Promoting Energy Efficient Behaviors in the Home through Feedback : The Role of Human-Computer Interaction

Abstract

The consumption of energy is unlike most consumable goods. It is abstract, invisible, and untouchable. Without a tangible manifestation, home energy usage often goes unnoticed. Advances in resource monitoring systems will soon provide real-time data on electricity, gas, and water usage in the home. This will produce a tremendous amount of data that can be analyzed and fed back to the usercreating a rich space of opportunities for HCI research. This paper outlines common misconceptions of energy usage in the home, establishes the potential of feedback to change energy consumption behavior, and introduces ten design dimensions of feedback technology with which to build and evaluate future systems.