Verv Smart Isolator: Developing prescriptive maintenance for domestic air conditioners

2016年，空调和电风扇约占全球用电量的10%。随着气温上升，预计到2050年，全球空调设备的能源使用量将增加两倍。美国目前的制冷用电量为616TWh， 87%的家庭已经安装了空调。尽管英国的市场渗透率要小得多（只有约1% -3%的家庭拥有空调），但空调销量正在增长（2018年与2017年相比增长了10%以上）。由于气温上升和城市生活环境变暖，到2050年，预计多达32%的英国家庭将安装空调。然而，空调可能是昂贵的和能源效率低下的运行，特别是如果单位没有很好地维护或定期维修。保养不善或有缺陷的空调机组将大大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，一台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的费用超过了650英镑，主要原因是空气过滤器效率低下。在世界范围内，仅低效的空气过滤器就造成了约0.1-0.3%的电力浪费。保养不善或有故障的空调设备不仅运行成本高/效率低，而且可能存在重大的火灾风险。在美国，由空调故障引起的火灾平均每年造成20人死亡，140人受伤，财产损失达6000万英镑。尽管空调有潜在的危险，而且是购买、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无法提供任何类似于汽车“检查引擎”灯的功能。Verv的使命是让我们的家更智能、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，分析空调机组的功耗变化，作为降低能源效率和故障进展的早期迹象，解锁规范性维护。使用我们的设备，家庭将受益于降低运行成本（更低的电力消耗）和显著提高安全性（降低火灾风险）。此外，通过在早期阶段（灾难性故障前）进行准确的故障检测，在维修设备仍然经济的情况下，我们的设备将延长设备的使用寿命并提高可持续性。该项目顺应了全球对家电制造商的压力，要求他们转向修理而不是更换的文化，符合生态设计政策，如“修理权”立法。

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.