Problem Statement
A typical U.S. family spends $2,060 on average per year for home utility bills[1] and the cost continues to rise[2]. With 31% of households struggling to pay energy bills and an expected cost increase of 2.4% by 2022[3], there is a financial strain on families. Furthermore, there is no cohesive way to track all utilities in one location.
Problem Characteristics
- Virginia Ranked 11 Most Expensive in 2020[4]
- Avg. Monthly Electric: $124.54
- Avg. Monthly Water: $70.39
- Avg. Monthly Natural Gas: $74.32
- Natural Gas provides historical data visual on bill
- Waterworks and Dominion do not
- Data is not centrally located
- Must have a separate app/website page per utility for visualization data
- Most energy efficient improvements require spending money upfront
- Energy Efficient Appliances
- Improved Windows
- Great initial buy in for renewable energy
- Average family in the U.S. uses more than 300 gallons/day[5]
- 70% indoor usage
- Household leaks waste nearly 10,000 gallons/year[6]
- 10% of homes waste at least 90 gallons/day
- Delivery, treatment, and heating of water energy intensive
- EPA estimates letting a faucet run for 5 minutes is equivalent to 60-watt light bulb running for 22 hours[7]
- High Cost of Smart Devices:
- Home automation costs an average of $757[8]
- Most users spend between $182 and $1347
- Installation for complete home automation can cost around $3000[8]
- National Average for smart thermostat: $300[9]
- Smart Faucets:
- Moen: $430+
- Delta: $506+
- Kohler: $875+
- Smart Lighting:
- Bulbs: ~$10+ per bulb
- Some bulbs require a hub
- Smart Hub:
- HomeAssist: $140
- Google: $89.99+
- Amazon: $99.99+
- Phillips Hue Bridge: $60
What We Do
Bright Ideas
We provide tips to reduce utility bill costs based off of your most recent utility usage data, historical statistics, and current events.
Dashboard
We provide a dashboard with an appealing interface to visualize your utility usage data.
Centralization
All of your data is available in one central location. No more logging into multiple websites to view your information.
Statistics
We provide a statistical analysis of your historical data and report how you compare to reports from utility companies.
Alerts
We provide alerts to upcoming billing dates and dramatic increases in usage.
Reduce
We help you reduce reliance on utilities and reduce overall consumption of energy.
Who We Are
Aubrie Davie
Role TBD
Aubrie Davie is a senior at Old Dominion University pursuing a Bachelor's in Computer Science with a minor in Energy Engineering. She currently leads efforts to achieve sustainability goals set forth by the Department of Energy at Jefferson Lab in Newport News, Virginia. She lives with her husband, daughter, Labrador (Curie), and her Pithuahua (Rocker) on the James River.
Michael Aspinwall
Role TBD
Michael Aspinwall is a senior at Old Dominion University majoring in Computer Science. He hopes to graduate in the Winter of 2021. He loves working with computers, programming, and playing video games.
Kyle Chappell
Role TBD
Kyle Chappell is a Second Degree student at Old Dominion University and is a part of the Computer Science Linked BS/MS program. He is expected to complete the Bachelor's by end of Summer 2021. He works at Fort Belvoir, VA providing data analysis, algorithm development, and other technical services. His hobbies include cooking, audio engineering, drumming, and low-voltage electronics.
Shyam Dhingani
Role TBD
Shyam Dhingani is a senior Undergraduate student at Old Dominion University majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Cyber Security. He is also working as a fulltime Python Developer in New York City. He loves to play video games in his free time with his friends and enjoys hiking/biking during the weekends.
Naresh Khadka
Role TBD
Naresh Khadka is a senior at Old Dominion University pursuing a BS in computer science. He is expected to graduate in the summer of 2021. He also graduated with his first undergraduate degree from ECPI northern Virginia. He lives in Austin, Texas, and works for Samsung Austin Semiconductor as a Senior Technician. He loves to travel and explore new places. He has two kids: one daughter and one son.
Sergiy Yermak
Role TBD
Sergiy Yermak is a senior at Old Dominion University and expected to graduate in December of 2021. He is working to attain a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Before attending college he served in United States Navy. He enjoys a variety of things from skateboarding, diving, hiking, playing video games, and reading books.
Presentations
Deliverables
Current Process Flow
Solution Process Flow
Competition Matrices
Direct Competition Matrix
Indirect Competition Matrix
Work Breakdown Structure
Overview
GUI
Algorithms
Database
Testing
Database Schema
Risk Matrices
Technical
ID | Risk Title | Probability | Impact | Mitigation |
---|---|---|---|---|
T1 | Security threats against user data (confidentiality, integrity, and availability). | High | High | Implement the best possible security features and implement secure data backup and restoration. |
T2 | Reliance on third-party APIs/Utilities(AWS). | High | High | Perform troubleshooting, proof of concept, and prototyping to ensure functionality. Different third-party resources may be used if desired functionality is not initially achieved. |
T3 | Differing structures of bills may cause problems for automatically extracting billing information. | High | Medium | Identify key phrases for system to recognize and extract. |
Customer
ID | Risk Title | Probability | Impact | Mitigation |
---|---|---|---|---|
C1 | User will discontinue use of service if data extraction isn't accurate. | Low | Medium | Optimize the recognition algorithm and allow the user to identify the data they would like to be extracted. |
C2 | Product is not useful to utility customers. | Medium | Medium | Provide useful energy saving solutions and regularly perform surveys to ensure end-user satisfaction. |
Legal
ID | Risk Title | Probability | Impact | Mitigation |
---|---|---|---|---|
L1 | Compromise of personally identifiable information. | High | High | Implement the best possible security features and do not collect personal information such as: names, account number, DoB, etc. |
L2 | Buy-in from utilities required for syncing accounts to Ener-G View. | High | Medium | Manually input data from utility bill and offer incentives for utility companies to partner with Ener-G View. |
Labs
User Stories
End User
I must be able to do:
- Create a new user account.
- Upload my utility bills as any common image file format (JPG, PDF, etc.).
- View the usage data of each of my utilities from a centralized location.
- See a graphical representation of my usage of each of my utility bills.
- Receive alerts whenever a sharp jump in utility usage occurs.
- Receive tips on how to reduce utility usage.
I wish to be able to do:
- Connect my smart home devices to Ener-G View.
- View the data from my smart home devices from a centralized location.
- Use Multi-Factor Authentication to keep my account secure.
I must not be able to do:
- View or alter the personal details of other users.
- View or alter the utility usage of other users.
Administrator
I must be able to do:
- Update the layout or design of the website to improve functionality.
- Apply updates and patches to the back end systems.
- Assist users in troubleshooting issues surrounding the use of Ener-G View.
- Add or remove "Bright Ideas."
I wish to be able to do:
- Use Multi-Factor Authentication to keep my account secure.
I must not be able to do:
- View or alter the personal details of other users.
- View or alter the utility usage of other users.
References
1.
What is the Average Cost of Utilities? Nationwide. (2021).
2.
U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent
Statistics and Analysis.
Short-Term Energy Outlook - U.S. Energy Information Administration
(EIA). (2021, January 12).
3.
One in three U.S. households faces a challenge in meeting energy
needs.
Roberts, J. (2018, September 19).
4.
Utility Bills 101: Average Cost of Utilities. Move.org.
(2021, January 22)
5.
How we use water. Environmental Protection Agency. (2018,
February 5).
6.
Fix a Leak Week. Environmental Protection Agency. (2021,
January 11).
7.
4 Ways to Measure a 5 Minute Shower. Sustainability at
Harvard. (2020, February 4).
8.
How Much Does A Smart Home Cost? HomeAdvisor. (2021).
9.
Smart Thermostat Installation Cost: Smart Thermostat Prices.
Fixr. (2020, October 22).
Glossary
- Applicable Riders
- - temporary rate changes (fluctuate based on weather or demand on the supply system)
- Delivery
- - cost of materials to transmit natural gas to residence
- Distribution Service
- - cost of equipment to deliver electricity
- Electricity Supply Svc (ESS)
- - cost of generation, transmission, and fuel to deliver electricity
- Hcf
- - hundred cubic feet (1 hcf=748 gallons) (measurement for water and natural gas; also known as ccf)
- kWh
- - kilowatts per hour (measurement for electricity)
- Sales and Use Surcharge
- - fee charged to recover Energy company’s purchase and leases, based on personal consumption
- Supply
- - cost of the amount of utility delivered ($/unit of measurement)