Developing an Energy Saving App

Developing an Energy Saving App

After receiving our Energy Consumption brief we decided to develop a wifi-based central control hub for household energy usage. The app will control usage of the devices through previously installed monitoring devices attached to the appliances and will be able to turn them on and off from a remote location. The app will also be able to monitor household energy usage, paying specific attention to electricity and gas usage.

At their heart, all energy conservation apps are about one thing, saving the users money. Easing global warming and saving the polar ice caps is a nice addition but everyones priority is the conservation of their own bank balance. After a brief look at other energy conscious technology, such as solar panels or wind farms, there seems to be an initial economic investment that then starts to slowly reward the investor - these devices are very much designed to be used for the long run, not a one week fad. 

As well as saving money, eventually, they also reduce usage. This is the second factor we must address in the design of our app. The ability to turn off devices such as showers, heating and electrical outlets, from remote locations will save energy, time and money for the user and the ability to do this all from one central hub will dramatically increase the savings. 

So our app is aimed at an affluent but money conscious demographic, and with the initial installation of the monitoring devices that the app controls it might be wise to aim the app at property developers that install the devices when constructing or renovating buildings.

As you can see from this example of an existing app wifiplug, that controls energy flow to a previously installed electrical outlet plug, most existing designs are skeumorphic and in turn, look dated within the confines of new operating systems like iOS7 and Windows phone. Our design shall be a flat, clean aesthetic that is easy to navigate and function. It shall also work as a central hub that allows the user controls over many devices in one place.