The d.r.e.a.m. Project
Demand-Response Enabled Appliance Manager
| Team Member | Role | Core Competencies |
| Colleen Whitney | Group Manager | Programming, Scripting, Databases |
| Therese Peffer | Evaluation Manager | Psychology, Architecture, Research |
| Ken Langford | Documentation Manager | Systems Development, User Support, Documentation |
| Alex Do | Design Manager | Design and Physical Prototyping, User Support, Enterprise IT Management |
E-mail: The d.r.e.a.m. Project
Project Overview
In the 1980s, California energy code required the installation of programmable thermostats in all new residential construction in order to save energy. A programmable or setback thermostat can be set to turn down the heater or air conditioner during specified times in order to reduce energy consumption. However, surveys show that only half of programmable thermostats are currently used as designed. These thermostats are often not utilized as designed and as a result, do not achieve their desired outcome.
The recent California energy crisis has motivated investigation of a new paradigm in energy policy which would look beyond how much electricity is consumed to when it is consumed. One such “demand response” strategy considered by the California Energy Commission (CEC) is dynamic pricing, where the utilities can adjust electricity rates throughout the day to reflect market supply and demand in order to reduce usage during peak periods and prevent costly blackouts. A team of UC Berkeley researchers led by Paul Wright (Mechanical Engineering) and Ed Arens (Architecture) and sponsored by the CEC is currently working to develop a set of Demand Response Enabling Technologies (DRET) for California residences which would respond to the dynamic pricing scheme. One such technology, d.r.e.a.m. could serve as the central control system and user interface for DRET technologies, communicating pricing and usage information while simultaneously allowing a customizable configuration for thermal comfort. With such complex functionality, d.r.e.a.m. poses a significant series of challenges in usability and ultimately user adoption.
The primary emphasis in this project is in developing an effective method to communicate electricity cost and consumption information to household users in order to aid in decision-making.