Human-Centred Systems for Sustainable Living

Lyn Bartram Assistant Professor

Johnny Rodgers Masters of Science Student

School of Interactive Arts and Technology Simon Fraser University

Chris Brandson President, VerTech Solutions

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Overview

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Problem Mission North House Central Home Automation System (Chris Brandson) Adaptive Living Interface System (Johnny Rodgers) Where we go from here (Lyn and Chris)

What is Sustainability?

Sustainable living:

Lifestyle choices that restrict carbon and ecological footprints by altering methods of Energy consumption, water use, transportation, diet and consumerism.

“It’s about small personal steps.” David Suzuki

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What’s in our toolbox?

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What residents often get

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Mission

Explore approaches that aid home occupants in modifying their energy use behavior in small scale

Simplify the task of measuring, visualizing and understanding energy use while providing a reward for energy reducing behaviors.

Implement these goals in the interfaces to North House, a self-sufficient solar house

Entry to 2009 Solar Decathlon

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North House www.team-north.com

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Embedded Automation’s mHome Division

•  Embedded Automation, Inc. –  Founded in 1998 –  Founders: Ted Singh & JB Golee –  Privately held by founders –  Headquarters: Surrey, BC, Canada

•  mHome Division –  Initiated in Q4 CY2004 –  Internal division of Embedded Automation

Embedded Automation

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mHome Products are Part of the Digital Home

Digital Home

Home Management

Media Centers

Media Delivery

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mHome Prouducts Bring Together the Digital Home

•  Support for wide array of user interfaces: –  Web browsers –  TV + PVRs –  Touch screens –  Mobile phones (incl. iPhones)

•  Support for wide array of digital home devices –  Thermostats –  Lighting systems –  Security and camera systems –  A/V components –  Other smart devices

•  Status, control and automation –  No programming required

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VerTech Solutions

Founded by Chris Brandson 2009 Green Building Spin-Off from Embedded First Project North House Currently contract development ZigBee

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North House Controls

Configure or develop Adapter for each “Appliance”:   Embeddia SC2 Blind Controller (Nysan)   Waterloo HVAC & General IO (Beckhoff PLC)   Schneider Electric Branch Power Meter   Draper SPGC4 Blind Controllers (roller blinds)   Lightolier Brilliance II   Resol DL-2 Solar Thermal Datalogger   Ambient Canvas (NCD PWM85)

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Custom Controls

  Each Appliance presents one or more Devices to mControl

  Many Exported to ALIS for visualization / control and log to database

  Coordinated Action implemented locally through mControl macro language

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North House Future

  House in Vancouver for 2010?   Continue to Enhance Controls   House is a Living Laborarory   Work with Hydro on Smart Meter   ZigBee Smart Energy Profile

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ALIS: Adaptive Living Interface System

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Controls

Web Application Ambient Canvas

Mobile Application

ALIS: Controls

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  Control of house systems:   Exterior shades, interior blinds, lighting,

HVAC, bed retraction

  Optimization/automation preferences   Home Presets

  One touch configuration of house settings

  Three embedded touch panels   17” in backsplash for centralized control   2x 8” at entryways for local control

ALIS: Web Application

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  Feedback on resource consumption   Electrical power and energy   Water   Quick Snapshots and in-depth Resource

Analysis with Pulse Energy™ Software

  Community Networking   Share and compare data   Compete in challenges   Share tips

  Preset management

ALIS: Mobile Application

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  Subset of web application functions

  Designed for iPhone   Mobile visualization features   Social networking   Home controls (subset)   Allows remote access to

house data

ALIS: Ambient Canvas

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  Ambient indication of “how the house is doing”   Provides feedback in three categories of sustainability

  Net-zero, Water consumption, Challenge performance

  Mapped to intensity of light: brighter = better   Informative Art

Team North

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The road forward

Long-term research program (Lyn Bartram, Rob Woodbury) Designing interactive home systems for sustainability

Medium goals: Living labs (North House, standard homes)

Partnerships: VerTech Solutions

City of Vancouver Ray Cole, UBC BC Hydro BCIT Green Building Trades Embedded Automation David Suzuki Foundation

Many others to be explored!

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