Verv Connect: High-definition fault-finding technology for the next generation of smart, sustainable appliances

生态设计政策传统上侧重于提高家用电器的能源效率，从A+（最高能源效率）到D（最低能源效率）。以滚筒式烘干机为例，家用电器，与顶级型号（销售价格：350 - 1,000英镑）相比，具有较低能量等级的型号通常具有更便宜的前期成本（销售价格：150 - 300英镑）。然而，在标准使用条件下，（定义为160个干燥周期/年），C级滚筒式烘干机可能消耗的能量是顶级型号的三倍以上，这意味着在10年的使用寿命中，C级型号最终可能比A+级型号多花费数百英镑，同时也是二氧化碳排放量的三倍。随着现代热泵技术提供高能效的滚筒式烘干机，近来注意力转向使器具更容易修理和更持久。在目前的实践中，滚筒式烘干机通常只有1-2年的制造商保修期。客户可以支付延长保修期的费用（例如，5年），但大型家用电器总是在没有警告的情况下发生故障，而且当它们发生故障时，更换往往比修理更容易。事实上，英国领先的家用电器专业保修提供商仅在2017年就更换而不是维修了50多万台损坏的家电（Domestic&General\_2017）。家电制造商面临着越来越大的全球压力，要求其转变为“先修后换”的文化; 77%的欧洲消费者宁愿维修而不是更换商品（European\_Commission\_2014）。然而，目前我们还没有必要的监测技术来实现家用电器的故障诊断和常规维护。在Innovate UK的支持下，Verv与一家领先的英国家电制造商合作，将创建一种新的设备，安装在单个家用电器和墙上插座之间，分析家用电器的功率消耗变化，作为故障进展的早期迹象。这些数据将改变我们对大型家用电器的看法，从而在早期阶段（灾难性故障前）实现准确的故障检测，此时修复这些电器仍然是经济的。通过避免不合时宜/突然的设备故障，我们的监控设备将减少设备停机时间（提高用户的便利性），并显著提高家用电器的安全性，这可能是一个重大的火灾风险。通过进行适当的维护，客户将进一步受益于降低运行成本（较低的功耗），虽然现代，智能家用电器也可能适合软件更新，以提高能源效率，而无需更换整个产品。因此，支持家用电器向可持续发展的未来过渡。

Eco-design policy has traditionally focused on improving energy efficiency of household appliances, rated from A+++ (highest energy efficiency) to D (lowest energy efficiency). Taking tumble dryers as an example household appliance, models with lower energy ratings typically have cheaper upfront costs (sale price: c£150-£300) compared to top-rated models (sale price: c£350-£1,000). However, under standard usage conditions (defined as 160 drying-cycles/year), a C-rated tumble dryer may consume more than three times the energy of a top-rated model, meaning that over a 10-year lifespan, a C-rated model can end up costing hundreds of pounds more than an A+++-rated model, while also being responsible for three times more carbon dioxide emissions.With modern heat-pump technology delivering highly energy efficient tumble dryers, attention has recently switched to making appliances easier to repair and longer lasting. Under current practice, tumble dryers typically have manufacturer warranties of only 1-2 years. Customers can pay for extended warranties (e.g., for 5 years), but large household appliances invariably fail without warning, and when they do, replacement tends to be easier than repair. Indeed, UK's leading specialist warranty provider for household appliances replaced rather than repaired more than half a million broken appliances in 2017 alone (Domestic&General\_2017).Appliance manufacturers are under increasing global pressure to shift to a repair-over-replace culture; 77% of European consumers would rather repair than replace their goods (European\_Commission\_2014). However, today, we do not have the required monitoring technology to enable fault diagnostics and prescriptive maintenance of household appliances.With Innovate UK support, Verv, working with a leading UK-based appliance manufacturer, will create a new device that sits between an individual household appliance and the wall socket, analysing changes in the power draw of the household appliance as an early indication of fault progression. This data will transform how we view our large household appliances, enabling accurate fault detection at an early stage (pre-catastrophic failure), when it is still economical to repair these appliances. By avoiding untimely/sudden appliance failures, our monitoring device will reduce appliance downtime (improving user convenience) and also significantly improve the safety of household appliances, which can be a significant fire risk.By enabling proper maintenance, customers will further benefit from reduced running costs (lower power consumption), while modern, smart household appliances will also potentially be suitable for software updates to improve energy efficiency without replacing the entire product. Thus, supporting the transition of household appliances towards a sustainable future.