Monitoring Real World Usage of Network Connected Products in the Home: Experiences from the UK and Opportunities for Replication in the US and Other Regions

摘要

Standards and labeling programs ensure products are designed to meet prescribed energyrnefficiency performance requirements; including the need to power down when not in active use.rnHowever at present, the potential energy savings attributed to the 'standby' requirement are notrnbeing met. Many household electronics are now network-connected and are rarely poweredrndown to ensure constant monitoring of data traffic through the device to receive updates andrnrespond to network triggers.rnExamining the way in which consumers use these products in the “real world”rnenvironment can provide insight to the level and type of network traffic in devices in the home atrndifferent times of day. Where there are regular periods of negligible network traffic common tornthe majority of users, savings can be achieved by switching devices into a lower energyrnconsuming mode during these periods.rnIf network equipment devices are powered down for 6 hours in every 24 hour period,rnsavings of up to 25% of the total product energy consumption can be realized. Technologies existrnthat enable network devices to reduce power during times of low utilization, so considerablernenergy can be saved without comprising functionality for the user.rnThis paper will propose recommendations to policy makers based on a real time datarncollection exercise carried out in the UK, to analyze the “real world usage” of network connectedrndevices. The paper will also map out how to replicate the project approach and methodology inrnthe US and other regions, to determine whether similar opportunities exist in other areas.