Many people in developed countries use more energy than their fair share based on population size. High carbon dioxide emissions lead to health effects for humans and animals, climate change, destruction of ecosystems, and tax dollars allocated towards reducing the effects of human-caused pollution. Due to the population growth and growing reliance on energy, it has been estimated that from 2008 to 2030, world energy consumption is expected to increase by more than 55%. Research shows that people do not practice more energy efficient habits because they are not properly motivated and educated on the impact of their actions.
The team’s proposed solution involves creating a device that can connect to a home’s circuit breaker and relay real-time data of the energy usage coming from each individual circuit. The information given by the device will than be used in a smartphone application that will display the information obtained by the device. This will allow users to see which devices are using the most energy at any given moment. The app will not only be a display for the information but will also provide personalized tips for users to decrease their energy usage. It will also be integrated into social media websites to allow users to be motivated to save energy through competition within peer networks.
