Melanie R. Herrmann|Duncan P. Brumby|Tadj Oreszczyn
Watts your usage? A field study of householders’ literacy for residential electricity data
University College London|University College London|Energy Institute|University College London
smart metering studies typically focus quantifying behavior change however little known users understand energy information analyze interpret feedback energy data visualizations investigate gave 13 participants nine uk households electricity power clamp meter prior installing using device conducted interviews participants gauge understanding home electricity consumption found participants varied considerably limited substantial energy literacy two weeks clamp meter installed conducted contextual inquiry asked participants explain webbased time series visualization recorded electricity data found visualization proved unfit participants relied memories suggested likely routines widely unable reliably identify specific events data visualization followup interviews 3 months later found participants understanding home electricity consumption hardly changed finally invited participants generate ideas smart electricity feedback could optimized named different forms disaggregation higher temporal resolution interactivity design requirements summary results suggest people find home energy data difficult understand link everyday actions behaviors