Verv Smart Isolator: Developing prescriptive maintenance for domestic air conditioners

Verv 智能隔离器：开发家用空调的规范性维护

• 批准号: 10006562
• 金额: $ 31.21万
• 依托单位: GREEN RUNNING LIMITED
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Feasibility Studies
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10006562
• 关键词: Verv; Smart; Isolator; Developing; prescriptive

In 2016, air conditioners and electric fans accounted for approximately 10% of global electricity consumption. With rising temperatures, global energy use from air-conditioning units is expected to triple by 2050\.The US currently consumes 616TWh for cooling, with air conditioners already found in 87% of households. Although UK market penetration is significantly smaller (only around 1-3% of households have air conditioning), air conditioner sales are increasing (by over 10% in 2018 compared to 2017). As a result of rising temperatures and warmer urban living conditions, by 2050, up to 32% of English households are expected to install air conditioning.However, air conditioners can be expensive and energy inefficient to run, particularly if units are not well-maintained or serviced regularly. A poorly maintained or defective air-conditioning unit will increase maintenance and operating costs substantially, while increasing carbon emissions and reducing unit lifespan. Studies from the US have found that a domestic air conditioner should cost about £120/year to run, but one-fifth of households pay over £650/year above this, primarily because of inefficient air filters. Worldwide, inefficient air filters alone are responsible for wasting an estimated 0.1-0.3% of power consumption.A poorly maintained or faulty air-conditioning unit is not just costly/inefficient to run, it can be a significant fire risk. In the US, fires arising from faulty air-conditioning units cause an average of 20 deaths, 140 injuries, and £60million in property damage each year.Despite being potentially hazardous and one of the most costly domestic appliances to buy, run, and repair, air conditioning units do not have integrated performance monitoring. Even the newest equipment fails to offer anything analogous to a vehicle's "check engine" light.Verv is on a mission to make our homes smarter, more efficient, and safer. With Innovate UK support, we will create a Smart Isolator that analyses changes in the power draw of an air-conditioning unit as an early indication of reducing energy efficiency and fault progression, unlocking prescriptive maintenance.Using our device, households will benefit from reduced running costs (lower power consumption) and significantly improved safety (reduced fire risk). Furthermore, by enabling accurate fault detection at an early stage (pre-catastrophic failure), when it is still economical to repair the unit, our device will extend appliance lifetime and improve sustainability.This project is aligned with global pressure on appliance manufacturers to shift to a repair-over-replace culture, in line with eco-design policies such as "right-to-repair" legislation.

2016年，空调和电风扇约占全球用电量的10%。随着气温的上升，到2050年，全球空调设备的能源消耗预计将增加两倍。美国目前的制冷消耗量为616太瓦时，87%的家庭已经安装了空调。尽管英国的市场渗透率明显较小（只有约1-3%的家庭拥有空调），但空调销售量正在增长（2018年与2017年相比增长了10%以上）。由于气温上升和城市生活条件变暖，到2050年，预计将有多达32%的英国家庭安装空调。然而，空调价格昂贵，运行效率低，特别是如果空调没有得到良好的维护或定期维修。维护不善或有缺陷的空调机组将大幅增加维护和运营成本，同时增加碳排放并缩短机组寿命。来自美国的研究发现，家用空调每年的运行成本约为120英镑，但五分之一的家庭每年支付超过650英镑，主要是因为空气过滤器效率低下。在全球范围内，仅低效的空气过滤器就浪费了约0.1-0.3%的电力消耗。维护不善或故障的空调机组不仅运行成本高/效率低，而且可能存在重大火灾风险。在美国，每年因空调故障引发的火灾平均造成20人死亡，140人受伤，以及6000万英镑的财产损失。尽管空调具有潜在的危险性，并且是购买、运行和维修成本最高的家用电器之一，但它没有集成的性能监控。即使是最新的设备也不能提供任何类似于汽车“检查引擎”灯的东西。Verv的使命是让我们的家庭更智能，更高效，更安全。在Innovate UK的支持下，我们将创建一个智能隔离器，它可以分析空调机组的功耗变化，作为降低能效和故障进展的早期迹象，解锁规范性维护。使用我们的设备，家庭将受益于降低的运行成本（降低功耗）和显著提高的安全性（降低火灾风险）。此外，通过在早期阶段（灾难性故障前）实现准确的故障检测，当维修设备仍然经济时，我们的设备将延长家电的使用寿命并提高可持续性。该项目与家电制造商的全球压力相一致，要求他们根据生态设计政策，如“维修权”立法，转变为“修理后更换”文化。