Simple and Intuitive Design, Human Behavior Drive Energy-Saving Technology Adoption
Fraunhofer CSE research shows that—in addition to the clever design of home energy management (HEM) technologies—human behavior is a key contributing factor to these products’ energy saving potential. Consequently, if designed in a…
With Programmable Thermostats, User-Friendliness Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Energy Savings
This week, Fraunhofer CSE presented preliminary results of a field study at the Garrison Institute’s “Climate, Buildings and Behavior Symposium”. In this project, partially funded by the US Department of Energy’s Building America…
Through the Eyes of an Intern: Data Acquisition, Building Technology and Field Deployments
[Editor’s Note: Today we've got a guest post from former CSE intern Angela Qin, who reflects on her time at Fraunhofer and explains how her research into thermostat usability helped pave the way...
The 2012 Siemens Sustainable Community Awards
Yesterday, the Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) and Siemens announced the winners of the fifth Siemens Sustainable Community Awards, a program aimed at recognizing cities for their outstanding sustainability efforts….
How Presentation Medium and Design Influences Energy-Saving Technology Adoption
Over the last few years many display technologies have come onto the home energy management (HEM) market that aim to provide feedback on residential energy consumption. You may have heard of some of…
Home Energy Management at IEEE’s International Conference on Consumer Electronics
At the recent IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics in Las Vegas, energy management was a major topic of discussion. As the session organizer and chair for home energy management, I wanted to…
Moral Licensing: Side Effects of an Efficiency Campaign
A recent field study I conducted with colleagues at Fraunhofer CSE showed interesting potential side effects of an efficiency / environmental program. Last summer, we carried out a water conservation campaign at a…