A. Economic

In today’s world of high energy consumption and rising cost of energy, tremendous attention is turning toward energy conservation and alternative energy sources. In the spirit of energy awareness the main goal of developing this watt-hour meter is to enable electricians and others who are energy conscious to easily monitor residential electricity use. While making an effort to use less energy by turning off unused lights and/or taking other conservative measures is a good idea, it is not always easy to tell what effect these actions actually have on the energy consumption of a household. With this watt-hour meter, it will be very easy to look at each circuit and get an idea of where the power is being used. Home owners could record the power used daily, weekly or monthly to look for trends in its consumption.
This is a potentially marketable device, and production of it could be profitable. With the growing awareness and concern for energy consumption, the market for this device is evident. Although not a part of our project, proper research of marketability and manufacturing could result in the production of a profitable product. There are several companies which manufacture plug-in watt hour meters allowing the monitoring of power consumed by a single device. These companies have clearly made the decision that manufacturing such a device would be a profitable endeavor. Our device, which has the ability to monitor not one but several entire home circuits, could be profitable if manufactured in quantity.

B. Sustainability

Two aspects of sustainability were considered in the design of this product: the shelf life of device, and the manufacturing life considering manufacturing resources. We specifically chose internal memory that utilizes EEPROM versus a battery. This brings the shelf life from an expected 3-year to 25-years, with the limit now placed on the 10,000 EEPROM write cycle limit. The device will be kept small to reduce the need for large quantities of plastics and other petroleum based materials. This is one limit that we foresee in our near future.

C. Environmental

For the first watt hour meter, environmental impact is not an issue. It will consist of purchasing and assembling parts which have already been manufactured. In the case of mass production, non-renewable natural resources would be used up. At this time it is hard to say how much damage to the environment would be done. While the impact on the environment is an unavoidable byproduct of manufacturing, it seems that since the device is relatively small, the impact would not be too noticeable. The reduction of power usage that will result from the device will outweigh the damage done by manufacturing. Therefore the net effect on the environment will be positive.

D. Manufacturability

Our design for the DWM includes a printed circuit board, and components that are readily available. The printed circuit board means that the device could easily be assembled by machinery, cutting cost and man-hours needed for manufacturing. Another consideration is calibration of the individual meters. In our design, calibration for discrepancies in power supply voltages is done in the microprocessor rather than a potentiometer. This means that each meter could be tested and calibrated by a computer and machinery, and would not require a technician for the adjustments needed in manufacturing.

E. Ethical

The ethical impact of this device is negligible. There seems to be no way that the device could be used unethically without significant effort on the part of someone with malevolent intentions. The central purpose of this device is to allow consumers to monitor and reduce their household power consumption. This will improve, by some amount, the energy situation in the sense that it boosts conservative efforts and improves the environment.

F. Social

If this product is manufactured by an outsourced foreign contract, social issues may arise. The societies which produce this device benefit from jobs and foreign direct investment. In addition, the societies that use it benefit from its energy saving ability. We strongly believe in globalization production and markets. Our design can be reproduced and used in many different cultures. We do not include any country-specific materials in the design, and we expect to meet all CE codes by filtering any distortion introduced back into the power line. These measures will help keep costs down for consumers, benefiting as many people as possible.

G. Health and Safety

The main safety concern in using the DWM is the possibility of electrocution. The inside of the breaker box contains exposed high voltage wires and is usually the domain of electricians or knowledgeable home owners. Hopefully most consumers are competent; unfortunately this is not always the case. To reduce the possibility of electrocution we chose to use clip-on current transformers to monitor the current in the circuits being monitored. This means there is no need to take any wires loose within the breaker box. There will be warnings both on the case of the DWM as well as in the documentation telling of the possibility of electrocution, as well as detailed instructions for safe use. Emphasis on the importance of safe and careful installation will be foremost. It will be suggested that homeowners have a professional install the device and re-close the circuit breaker panel. The wires that come out of the panel to the device will pose no threat to the user, so while the DWM is monitoring there should be no hazard.

H. Political

The political implications of this device are not the motivating factor of the device. It is being created with the intent of cutting down energy consumption and in creating more awareness on the issue. However, a government may very well decide to employ this device into its buildings. This may spur other governments to promote energy awareness as well. Politically, this device should be a good thing.