Energy revolution powers digital home of the future

University of Essex researchers are partnering global heavyweights to push back the technology frontiers in the ultimate digital home of the future.

The University has established iSpace - a futuristic, full-size domestic apartment on campus that contains all the usual rooms for student activities such as sleeping, working, eating, washing and entertaining but all powered by intelligent, hi-tech devices.

Appliances in the ‘living lab’ are networked using cutting edge technologies. As the dynamic concept continues to evolve, world-class pioneers like Sun Microsystems, BT, Intel and Kodak are using the space to research new, disruptive concepts to further enhance the environment in future digital homes.

The concept is likely to be demonstrated globally via expos and partnerships in key trade centres including China and Malaysia.

Professor Vic Callaghan’s team at iSpace are funded by companies which include BT and the European Union Information Society Technologies (IST) programme - the main European funding source for research & training in engineering and science.

Prof Callaghan says that with climate change and energy consumption high on the social agenda - iSpace has become a testbed for exploring intelligent energy usage technologies in the home.

The team presented a paper in Beijing that described the longer term vision for the project. One of the key challenges has been to replace unsophisticated power supply systems on which many of iSpace’s devices sit.

Team member John Woods says the world is now full of the ubiquitous wall plug transformer - inefficient, uninterruptible but extremely low cost.

The issue of standby power consumption cannot be ignored. Standby power amounts to around 5-10 per cent of the overall residential energy consumption in the European Union and is growing rapidly. Woods has produced an intelligent plug that allows output to be monitored and lowered by switching the device into a low-power “off’ state.

Devices such as set top boxes, audio systems etc can be remotely interrogated. If a user has set them to standby mode the wall plug transformer can be signalled to de-activitate.

With a ‘green’ agenda firmly to the fore, energy profiling for ‘smart’ homes is being undertaken within iSpace. Researchers are investigating the potential to create commercial, energy-monitoring related services that might be offered to building owners and appliance manufacturers as well as power utility companies to revolutionise future living accommodation.

The protection of their intellectual property rights, makes it hard for Sun, BT, Kodak and Intel to talk in detail about their specific areas of research within iSpace but each company is convinced that there is potentially a huge global payback from what can be achieved from the concept.

BT already has a ‘Connected Home’ project underway with the Malaysia Research Centre. Prof Callaghan’s team has worked with both BT and Intel on concepts of new types of appliance in the home - genuine disruptive technologies rather than what he calls “the monolithic appliances currently available in High Street shops.”

For example, Kodak ran a trial in the iSpace investigating new kinds of networked home imaging equipment - novel networked camera, digital picture frames and other devices.

Reducing energy consumption within iSpace

Climate control specialists from Adcock Group  have been helping Professor Callaghan and his team as they explore ways to reduce energy consumption throughout the living lab.

Adcock has installed the first air source heat pump climate control system ever used on the campus for the iSpace project. It runs off mains electricity, eliminating potential future problems with under-supply or overcharging of oil or gas.

The researchers had planned initially to exclusively use solar power to control temperatures within the apartment and across the networked appliances before Adcock demonstrated its air source solution for the ‘living lab.’

While solar power remains a long term objective, Adcock’s solution, which included remote monitoring capability, cut through the University’s problems in harnessing solar at this stage and had the additional benefits of keeping the academics within their research funding budget while expanding the capacity for experimentation to advance the project.

Adcock’s Steve Meyer, who designed the bespoke solution for iSpace, said: “Adcock was in control of the design; the client just wanted to be able to adjust and monitor all environmental parameters. There was extensive dialogue in design meetings between all parties to ensure we pinned down the exact scope of supply.

“Getting the controls element of the system right was complex as we had to ensure we were picking up data from every conceivable item in the network. Also, many of the elements contained in our solution had not been used in combination previously.”

Richard Frost, mastermind of the University’s Energy strategy said: “All credit to Adcock for coming up with this air source solution. We were going to hook up to solar but it was complex and potentially expensive - yet they came up with the perfect alternative solution, which we will monitor on a long-term basis.

“It is already proving more energy efficient and that is impressive seeing that this is the first air source technology ever used on campus. “Thanks to Adcock, it also means that we won’t be held to ransom by soaring gas or oil prices in the future.”

Adcock is to be retained by Essex University for other projects as it rolls out further phases of its energy efficiency programme.  The University has a wind turbine providing a third of the power to drive its Department of Health and Human Sciences building and is using ground source technology at its Brain Sciences centre.

It has also launched a market-leading Alternative Energy Systems degree and is even looking at how sewage can be harnessed to improve energy efficiency and further cut the University’s carbon footprint.

Source: Q Communications