Abstract
There has been an interesting development within sustainable HCI, from passive feedback-displays towards more interactive systems that allow users to schedule their energy usage for optimal times based on eco-feedback and eco-forecasting. In this paper, we extend previous work on user scheduling of energy usage in eco-interaction with a study of heat pump control in domestic households. Aiming at using electricity when it is either cheap or green, our approach is to provide users with an interface where they can set temperature boundaries for the home, and interactively evaluate the impact of different settings on predicted energy cost. Based on this input, the scheduling of energy use is done by an automated system monitoring temperatures and electricity prices. We conducted a qualitative study of the HeatDial prototype with 5 families over 6 months. Key findings were that HeatDial supported users identifying and acting on opportunities for reducing costs, but that automation also had an impact on user engagement and highlighted a need for more feedback on how the system intended to act.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 9th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction : Game-Changing Design, NordiCHI 2016 |
| Publisher | Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. |
| Publication date | 23 Oct 2016 |
| Article number | a74 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781450347631 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 23 Oct 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | 9th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, NordiCHI 2016 - Gothenburg, Sweden Duration: 23 Oct 2016 → 27 Oct 2016 |
Conference
| Conference | 9th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, NordiCHI 2016 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Sweden |
| City | Gothenburg |
| Period | 23/10/2016 → 27/10/2016 |
Keywords
- Automation
- Eco-interaction
- Electricity
- Heat pumps
- Shifting
- Smart grid
- Sustainability