fall into two categories, namely (I) special products designed to monitor total energy use in the home, and (II) everyday products that have been reinterpreted to conserve energy during use.
While many people make some effort to conserve energy in the home, most have a limited sense of how much is being used at any given time. Electric meters are hidden outside or at least out of sight. For most the primary source of feedback about usage is the monthly utility bill, which is such an infrequent resolution that it is difficult to correlate to any specific factors. In recent years several digital products have emerged that seek to make feedback about patterns of usage part of everyday domestic experience. Many of the off-the-shelf products of this nature come from the U.K.; two examples are the Eco-eye and the Wattson.
The Eco-eye works by means of a sensor attached to a home’s electric meter that transmits wirelessly to a portable display unit. The display unit, which can be wall-mounted or free-standing, shows the current energy being used either in kilowatts or in terms of projected monetary costs. There are two primary ways to interact with the Eco-eye. For someone with a strong curiosity about his or her consumption, the device can be actively used to perform an energy audit of the home. To do so, the user can carry the display around and turn appliances on and off, thus determining the particular usage of each appliance. In this way the Eco-eye facilitates analysis. It provides useful and otherwise unavail-
able information that can help users achieve conservation goals by, for example, deciding which appliances to use or not use and for how long.
An alternative, more passive use of the Eco-eye is to mount the display on a wall and glance at it periodically to check the consumption level. Used in this way, it serves as a persistent visual reminder not to waste energy. Noticing the monetary cost rise can be an additional persuasive incentive to change one’s behavior. Experientially, the design is more functional than aesthetic. While there is likely reassuring pleasure in knowing when monthly costs are low, the boxy white form factor and gray digital display are very utilitarian; its appearance is not likely to complement the average living room decor. This may discourage users from keeping it on display and taking full advantage of its visual cues. In any case, the Eco-eye provides useful functionality to those with a strong motivation to reduce their energy consumption.
Functionally, the Wattson is very similar to the Eco-eye, yet unique elements of its user experience may significantly change the way people use the product. Like the Eco-eye it can be carried around the home to perform an active energy analysis. However, its unique design also makes it especially suitable for stationary positioning and prominent display. The sleek form attractively blends in with the other domestic objects and allows the device to sit upright or horizontally. In addition to the colored numerical display, Wattson has a color-changing “mood light” that casts a glow on surrounding objects.
With different light emitted from each side and two positioning options, the Wattson invites users to let playful placement around the house help them determine their most aesthetic and functional configuration.
The mood light pulses and changes color along a spectrum from blue to red, communicating energy usage in an ambient fashion that demands no direct attention from the user. One need be only peripherally aware of the device to notice its color change as a visual cue that usage levels are high. The color also adds a subtle evaluative measure in that the shade implicitly makes a claim about the relative goodness of the consumption level (i.e., blue is good, red is bad). With its combination of form and light, the Wattson can seamlessly integrate with its setting and yet evoke interest. The novelty of this ambient energy awareness may stimulate reflection, behavioral change, and conversation. Because of its aesthetic value, the Wattson also has potential to become an enduring part of peoples’ home ecology and achieve sustainable longevity of use.
reinterpreted Everyday Products The following products are familiar objects that have been redesigned, promoting energy conservation during use. Whereas home energy monitors are novel products with core functionality related to energy conservation, these designs have other primary uses. The strategies they employ to promote sustainable interaction are diverse. The Belkin Conserve stays close to its traditional functionality,
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