ENERGY MONITORING AND FEEDBACK

It's one thing to design a house to an energy self-sufficient specification, another to demonstrate that you have achieved it.

To this end, we will be installing a monitoring system that records all the power and heat we generate, plus everything we consume across all the power circuits in the house. We will therefore be able to identify exactly what slice of our limited energy cake every appliance and lighting circuit consumes.

This feedback function has enormous potential for changing behaviour and improving energy use. In fact, the system will give us real-time feedback through both ambient and detailed displays, so we will always know exactly what is going on throughout the building. This experimental system, sponsored by Powergen and designed by Luke Nicholson and Ben Pirt of More Associates, will provide a test-bed for developing accessible energy feedback systems for the wider market.

See my diary of 24.08.05 for more on this project.

Contact More Associates on 020 7841 8904, www.moreassociates.com.

For information on how Powergen can help you improve the energy efficiency of your home, contact the Powergen energy efficiency line on 0500 20 10 00, www.energyefficiency.powergen.co.uk.