This was a project within a course focusing on using prototypes to evolve a design process.
The project came in the the finals to the future makers competition at Malmö University, witch is something im very proud of.
People have a hard time feeling the rate of their electricity consumption due to it being immaterial, abstract, and often thought of as unlimited. Current solutions typically convey electrical usage in terms of technical units or in terms of cost. Despite being interested in their energy usage, we found that people have a hard time understanding technical units or feel a sense of guilt when looking at how much their usage is costing them. We decided to design for households where two or more adults are sharing the financial responsibility – and consumption – for electricity.
Cand-EL is a candle-shaped ambient display that shows how the current electrical usage compares to users’ usual routines and consumption. The average is calculated by taking into account how their consumption can change depending on the time of day, the day of the week or what season it is.
Cand-EL aims to create awareness of people’s electricity consumption by making electricity less abstract and more “graspable”. In contrast to current solutions, which show detailed numerical data, the candle’s design and behaviour enables users to relate energy use to their daily activities. As an ambient display, a glance is enough to get information on one’s usage. In this manner, we generate ways for users to talk about energy that doesn’t feel detached from their activities or the context of the home.
