E-quarium

Abstract

E-quarium is a rich visualization which enables an intuitive representation of the entire home energy flow and affords both an ambient and data-centric approach to data visualisation. The goal of the E-quarium is to optimize energy efficiency within the household in a fun and engaging way to benefit both the user, as well as the environment. To provide all household members with rich insight into energy consumption practices, the challenge was to decrease the cognitive load and required background knowledge associated with the interpretation of typical data-centric solutions, while still being able to provide multiple energy consumption parameters in a single display window. In this thesis the E-quarium concept, which was designed in 2013, was revisited to find if it still is relevant in today's (2021) context. The structure of the research was based on the idea that a truly successful HEMS interface needs to be able to inform the user, be able to hold the attention of the user and engage him to act on the information and feedback which he receives, as well as offer the user control over energy management. It was found that commercially available HEMS might have greatly improved in terms of UX when they are compared to older devices such as programmable thermostats, they fail to address the context of the user in important ways. The issues that E-quarium addresses namely, helping the user gain a better understand of his energy context and engaging him to increase his energy efficiency, remain relevant to this day. With that said the trend in the industry is much more towards automation, than it is towards motivation and helping the user gain a better understanding of energy management.