The effectiveness of current smart home technologies to improve energy efficiency

Richard Smith, Loughborough University, UK.

This thesis explores the barriers to domestic energy consumption in the context of the implementation of smart monitors.

Smart metering, or demand side response, helps consumers to manage and adjust their energy usage. It heralds the creation of a smart grid infrastructure, helping to reduce energy load on the national networks. However, there are considerable shortfalls in current smart monitors, which may present future challenges to effective demand side response.

This paper reviews current smart monitors, highlighting the need for design improvements to facilitate sustainable changes in user behaviour.

This paper was the Highly Commended Winner, Undergraduate Dissertation Award, CIOB International Innovation & Research Award, 2014.

The judges said, “This is a well-written and well-presented dissertation. It sets out clear objectives which were delivered throughout to demonstrate the barriers to domestic energy consumption reduction through the use of smart meters. Both quantitative and qualitative data were well analysed and synthesised to draw the research findings and conclusions.”

--CIOB