Presentation to Halsall & Associates

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

11/23/09 Human-Centred Systems for Sustainable Living

Overview


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


What’s in our toolbox?


What residents often get


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


North House www.team-north.com

11/23/09

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


mHome Products are Part of the Digital Home

Digital Home

Home Management

Media Centers

Media Delivery


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


VerTech Solutions

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


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)


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


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


ALIS: Adaptive Living Interface System


Controls

Web Application Ambient Canvas

Mobile Application

ALIS: Controls


  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


  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


  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


  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


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!


Presentation to Halsall & Associates

Technology

Transcript of Presentation to Halsall & Associates