Control energy, water and gas consumption

The Story

Waacs is not promoting itself as a “green” design agency but is alway looking with customers what options are. In this case the goal was to create interaction between user and the system to change user behavior towards more sustainable behavior. The client saw the project more as a business option in a market changing to sustainabliilty than bringing new products to the market for the sake of enviromental

Energy Management
YouBeGreen started as a smart energy management platform that helps you save energy and money in an easy and simple way, now you can add water (cold and warm) as well as gas to the system. Waacs designed two simple housings for YouBeGreen, characterized by an iconic green antenna and green leaves that turn your cable mess into green electricity. Together with the smart and simple user interface (also designed by Waacs), the YouBeGreen platform creates an overall user-experience that makes energy monitoring recognizable, easy and fun. On the user interface, either on a computer or the Interaction Display (touchscreen), consumers can monitor and control their own energy, as well as benchmark their energy consumption or savings to others.

Collaboration
Waacs is responsible for user-experience design, user-interface (UI) design and hardware design. Together with Creative Cube partner MetroDC the software UI was prototyped. The graphic brand identity of YouBeGreen was done by Bouwmeester van Leeuwen.

Key features

• Energy consumption measurement based on real meter readings
• Wireless read-out of energy meters through optical data ports
• Wireless communication in the 868 MHz ISM-band
• Support for wireless M-Bus meters (e.g. gas, water)
• Battery-operated for stand-alone operation
• Integrated budget monitor
• Extensive logging capabilities
• YouBeGreen computer software for detailed analysis and configuration
• Ultra-low-power design
• Plug&play installation

Product description
YouBeGreen is designed to provide accurate insight in the day-to-day energy consumption and only requires a suitable electronic energy meter with a so-called optical data port, that is nowadays standard. The YouBeGreen product consists of a Meter Read-out Unit (MRU) and a Smart Metering Controller (SMC).

The YouBeGreen MRU is installed onto the energy meter by simply ‘clicking’ it on. No tools or fasteners are requried for its mounting. At regular, configurable intervals, the MRU reads the meter through the optical interface and sends the meter reading to the SMC through its wireless interface. The MRU operates from a small battery; thanks to the ultra-low-power design of the MRU, the battery capacity is sufficient to last around 5 years under typical conditions.

Images

YoubeGreen

YoubeGreen

by Waacs