A product has appeared implementing an old idea, but in reverse: the user is the ultimate answer to saving energy.
Mitsubishi Electric Corp of Japan announced the ZW Series of air conditioners (see Fig) on Aug 24, 2009, equipped with a suggestion function called "Notification Navigation" that proposes ways to conserve energy; for example: "Closing the curtains will save electricity."
Air conditioner developers have always been keenly aware of user actions. A simple user action, like closing the curtains to shut out direct sunlight, can dramatically reduce power consumption. At present, though, users do not always do the right thing when needed.
And this is what Mitsubishi Electric focused on. The air conditioner has been fitted with four sensors (room temperature and humidity, outside temperature, and an infrared sensor), and the acquired data is used as the basis for suggesting the most efficient usage to the user. A total of 60 suggestions can be made.
The sensors are intended to improve automatic control performance. The infrared (IR) sensor, for example, divides the room floor area into 752 zones to determine temperature distribution. This sensor has been mounted in the ZW Series since it was announced in 2008, and by using the same sensors with the new suggestion function, cost hikes were held to a minimum.
Suggestions aren't made in a pushy manner, though: an indicator lights on the air conditioner, and when a special button on the remote is pressed, the liquid crystal display (LCD) shows the suggestion. Instead of implementing fully automatic control, designers recognized that the system can't decide what the user likes.
The "navigation" part of the name comes from hybrid cars, which engineers referenced in the design. The Insight from Honda Motor Co Ltd of Japan, for example, has an "Eco Assist" function that advises the driver on fuel-efficient driving, and has received praise from users. Mitsubishi Electric put the idea to work in its air conditioners, confident that energy-saving suggestions would work there in the same way they have in hybrid cars.
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