Analysing domestic activity to reduce household energy consumption

Abstract

This paper presents our reflections on the issue of behavioral change according to energy conservation constraints and on the status of sustainability in the design of ambient interactive systems at home. We point out how ergonomics contributes to the study of human factors underlying energy consumption. Relating to situated cognition and human computer interaction, our approach relies both on the ergonomic evaluation of feedback consumption displays and on the modeling of domestic activities in order to identify household concerns in real settings. We present empirical results to illustrate this global approach. The results of those studies allow the design of interactive systems: informative and pedagogical systems as well as pervasive and adaptive ambient systems. In our approach, sustainability is taken into account as a design criterion, as security could be, whereas the main design purpose is to aid households in their daily life in order to build a "sustainable situation".

Learning from the real practices of users of a smart carpooling app

“…To the best of our knowledge, no study has focused on a smart carpooling system; however, many studies on other areas of application, such as housing, have been carried out since the late 1990s ( Table 2). Originally concentrated in laboratories [20], studies are increasingly focusing on ecological situations [17,44]. Existing studies make it possible to identify issues related to the acceptability of this type of system: utility, understandability, and trust.…”

State of Science: ergonomics and global issues

“…Garcia-Acosta et al, 2012;Thatcher, 2013;Thatcher & Yeow, 2016;Wilson, 2000;Zink, 2014) as well as through various practical interventions (e.g. Cocron et al, 2013;Fréjus & Guibourdenche, 2012;. In critically reflecting on the response from the ergonomics community our review follows Moray's (1995) general suggestions.…”

“…The response from the ergonomics discipline through involvement in the design of safe and efficient energy systems has been comprehensive. This has included considerations in the design of household products (Kobus et al, 2013;Revell & Stanton, 2016;Stedmon et al, 2013), design for energy efficient behaviours in a variety of systems (Cocron et al, 2013;Christina et al, 2014;Fréjus & Guibourdenche, 2012;Stedmon et al, 2013), and design to support entire energy efficiency systems (Beltman et al, 2013;Hilliard & Jamieson, 2011). There are still many places where ergonomics can continue to contribute, particularly in the design of various energyconsuming products and services, but especially in the areas of energy efficient behaviours and the design of entire energy generation systems such as smart grids.…”

“…In fact, we would argue that micro-ergonomics has already had a clear and important role to play in addressing the global challenges facing humanity. The significant numbers of studies on energy efficient systems (Christina et al, 2014;Cocron et al, 2013;Fréjus & Guibourdenche, 2012;Katzeff et al, 2012;Kobus et al, 2013;Revell & Stanton, 2016;Stedmon et al, 2013) provide examples of the role that micro-ergonomics can play. In fact we would argue that even more of these types of micro-ergonomics work are still needed to improve efficiencies in water usage and waste reduction (or encouraging recycling), and for the design of decent jobs (Hanson, 2013) for a number of critical and emerging industries including sustainable agriculture, the installation of renewable energy systems, recycling, security screening, cybersecurity, and healthcare.…”

Considering Health and Family Dynamics: How is Home Temperature Decided?

“…However, this information doesn't augment the decision making process without a proper understanding of the factors that affect home energy consumption. This is because there are several factors such as social structure, family hierarchy, income, and health status (Fréjus and Guibourdenche, 2012;Lu, et al, 2010;Pierce, Schiano and Paulos, 2010;Sloo, et al, 2014) in addition to known factors like household activity and occupancy that affect home energy consumption.…”