Fraunhofer developing energy-monitoring middleware

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology (FIT) in Sankt Augustin, Germany, are developing an application that demonstrates the energy being consumed by domestic appliances.

The Fraunhofer middleware will work by using power 'ploggs', small adapters that fit in between the power plug and the power outlet of an applicance. The plogg measures the power consumption at any given time and transmits the data to a PC via a radio signal, allowing home owners to monitor exactly how much energy certain appliances are using.

The development comes in light of concerns that not enough home owners are aware of how much energy they are consuming or, indeed, how much energy is being consumed by a specific device. The FIT researchers have made the technology even more accessible by allowing it to be viewed on a mobile phone. Users can see the display, control appliances and dim lights using their phone handsets.

Dr Markus Eisenhauer, who developed the system, explains that there is another more interactive aspect to the mobile phone usage: the camera on the handset can be pointed at a device and will display the power consumption of that device at that particular moment. Although convenient for users, the system was complex to set up and maintain, with pictures having to be sent to a server in moments in order to display the energy consumption of a specific device.

The system could certainly be of use in the future, when electricity prices and demand may mean that energy is cheaper at certain times of the day. Using the new Fraunhofer system would allow users to switch on appliances remotely using their mobile phones.

For more information on the project, contact Isolde Rötzer at isolde.roetzer@zv.fraunhofer.de

Published: Wednesday, 27th January 2010 by Tom Freeman

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