FOE

The general political goals in relationship to energy are currently formulated with the aim to lower the energy consumption without lowering the standard for the end consumer.

The overall goal for the project is to build a framework that enables for consumer to make use of the potential of electricity saving that new economical energy lightning system, household- and office appliances constitute. This potential can be realized by makeing it possible for household and other end consumers to base one’s energy behavior on choices that he/she is aware of rather than on prepared factory values.

We know that users want to have information and control over his energy usage, but the information may not disturb and irritate, it shall be there like an integrated component in the environment. The FOE project is working with ambient information, with light, colors, background sound and music, and even artifacts that combine our physical reality with the strength and the opportunities with the digital.

Within this project we are going to exploit the new design principles which the prototypes and user studies from the ERG project resulted in. With help of these design concepts and completely new technical solutions we have the possibility to operate the development in the direction toward a paradigm shift. Where the home consumer is placed in center and has awareness about and control ability over his energy situation. In this manner the future household is going to reduce its energy usage without even having to refrain from to take a sauna or to play computer games.

Artefacts which have been implemented within the project:

Power meter and art piece, as a visualization of energy usage in public spaces; and in itself an example of the upcoming possibly "disruptive" LED-based lighting technology change.