Interactive Devices To Be Used To Spur Consumers Toward Energy Efficiency

Stanford researchers are developing interactive software that they say will provide insight into the energy decisions consumers make each day and ultimately encourage them to significantly improve the energy efficiency of their homes and offices. The program aims to collect data from so-called “smart meters” and then disseminate it to consumers through interactive media, including mobile devices, multiplayer games, and computers. One initiative would send real-time data to consumers’ smart phones or social networking sites and make suggestions on how they could take steps to reduce energy consumption. If successful, the program, funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, could reduce residential energy use by up to 30 percent, the researchers say. “The U.S. has spent billions of dollars creating a smart infrastructure,” said Byron Reeves, co-director of Stanford’s H-STAR Institute. “But to be valuable, people need to be engaged with the information and use it to make good energy decisions.” The program also would use incentive systems and community programs to encourage consumers to purchase energy efficient technologies.