Using smart phones to improve building energy efficiency

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The application of smartphone technology to economic and environmental analysis of building energy conservation strategies

Abstract

This paper investigates the use of smartphone technology as a tool to implement building energy audit programs to increase energy conservation measure (ECM) uptake and concomitant environmental and economic benefits. The smartphone audit analyzed provides a energy audit platform with: i) quasi-real time analysis, ii) continuous user engagement, iii) geospatial customization, iv) additional ECMs, v) ECM ranking and user education, and vi) the ability to constantly evolve. A case study of 157,000 homes in Southeastern Ontario shows that 55 years is needed to complete energy audits for all dwellings in the region following a traditional energy audit model. However, the results of the smartphone based audit program accelerates this in both terms of audits completed and cumulative carbon dioxide savings over a sensitivity range of audit effectivenesses. It is concluded that an advanced and expanded home energy auditing program that uses smartphone technology could provide significant economic and environmental benefits.

• Patrick Leslie, Joshua M. Pearce, Rob Harrap, Sylvie Daniel, “The application of smartphone technology to economic and environmental analysis of building energy conservation strategies”, International Journal of Sustainable Energy 31(5), pp. 295-311 (2012). open access

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