WindowBuddy

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  WindowBuddy Wireframe

Inspiration

Our apartment building has central air, which can be rare in New York City. Every apartment in the building has beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows. The windows that open are of the awning type, hinged at the top and open outward (very convenient for when it rains).

Every night I come home and see that no one has their windows open, even amidst this crazy weird 60 degree June weather! I find myself constantly wondering: Why won’t anyone open their windows for fresh air? Is it because of pollution? Is it because of outside noise? Aren’t their energy bills spiking with their A/Cs running all the time?

To address these questions, we've developed a compact system of sensors to remind residents our my building to take advantage of their windows and give their A/C units a break. WindowBuddy measures outside air quality as well as noise pollution and temperature to suggest moments that are perfect for open-air circulation.

Our idea is also inspired by IDEO’s Circular Design methodology. WindowBuddy is an opportunity to think holistically and circularly about air cooling systems in your home by using purposeful inputs and outputs to help you make the simple decision of when to open your window, and when it’s best to keep it closed. The project is a simple intervention in energy consumption and waste and helps residents save money on their energy bill.

What it does

How I built it

Challenges I ran into

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

What I learned

What's next for WindowBuddy

Built With

• arduino-101