Climate change has emerged as one of the most critical issues facing the world today. Energy usage, particularly in the built environment, is responsible for more than 45% of total carbon emissions in the UK each year. Therefore, reducing energy consumption is critical in combating the problems associated with climate change. Constructing new energy-aware buildings while improving the energy-efficiency of old ones is a key component of any energy usage reduction strategy and wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have emerged as a useful tool for pushing such strategies forward. Although initially aimed at the commercial market, these systems are being used increasingly in residential buildings deployed as energy consumption monitoring applications. A major advantage with using the technology is that it allows the environment to be monitored at a resolution and density not previously possible.

The Cogent Computing Applied Research Centre, based at Coventry University is at the forefront of British research in the field of pervasive sensing. Our approach to research is a combination of theoretical development and grounded, practical experimentation. The Live House Project is an ongoing wireless sensor network deployment at a residential property in Coventry, UK. The project aims to assess the impact of indoor environmental conditions (like temperature, humidity and air quality) on occupant comfort and wellbeing, identify areas in the house where energy waste may be a concern, in a bid to improve energy efficiency. A second goal is to provide a research platform and sensor data repository for other projects also in the area of indoor environmental monitoring.

This website documents the results of ongoing experimentation and provides access to a wealth of research materials and all sensor data collected. You can view the latest sensor measurements in each room of the house by accessing a variety of floor maps in our Live House section. Our Data section allows both viewing and download of archived data: to view graphs of historical data go to the View Historical Data page; to download data go to the Download Historical Data page; the Deployment Log provides context to the data and is a record of relevant details pertaining to the deployment (for example, changes in node position, structural modifications to the house, etc.)