To assist homeowners in selecting the most cost-effective air-conditioners while being environmentally friendly, Ecocents recommends air conditioners based on key purchase considerations shared by our target user group: striking an optimal balance between cost effectiveness and wanting to do their part for sustainable living. The website simplifies the decision-making process for users by honing down to key factors, such as household size, usage frequency, installation location, and budget. It also educates users about "energy efficiency" - what would otherwise be a rather abstract concept - in a meaningful, personal way during the selection process.
To understand the challenges homeowners face in choosing energy-efficient appliances, we conducted a survey and in-depth interviews with friends, family, and colleagues. The primary painpoints identified were a difficulty in making sense of complex technical information as well as making accurate evaluations based on personal household needs. As air-conditioners make up the largest share of household energy consumption (NEA Household Energy Consumption Study, 2017), our MVP will focus on air-conditioners as a start.
Singapore ranked 21st out of 155 countries in CO2 emissions per capita in 2021, with power generation accounting for about 40% of its total emissions. Households contribute 15% of this through electricity consumption. To address rising household energy consumption, the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment (MSE) launched several initiatives:
- Switch and Save Programme (2018): Encouraged LED light adoption in smaller flats
- Energy-Saving Challenges (2017, 2018): Promoted simple electricity-saving tips
- Mandatory Energy Labelling Scheme (MELS, since 2008): Covers a variety of appliances
- Climate Friendly Household Programme (2020) and Climate Vouchers: Helping households switch to energy-efficient appliances
The long-term effectiveness is uncertain as average household electricity consumption is now only returning to pre-pandemic levels. While the government is making efforts to help households become more energy efficient, people are still finding it difficult to understand energy labels. The technical considerations needed to choose suitable energy-efficient appliances based on personal needs can quickly become overwhelming. Moreover, climate change, resulting in a hotter Singapore, challenges energy-saving habits that have been promoted among citizens. Therefore, buying the right energy-efficient appliances is crucial as it locks in energy consumption for years. To help homeowners improve energy efficiency, it is essential to make understanding and choosing energy-efficient appliances easier.
From our user research findings:
“There’s a limit to how much detailed information I can process!”
“More ticks, just means better lor.”
“It is very hard to be convinced by the energy label as the metrics doesn’t match my lifestyle.“
- Robin Htun (Analytics/research)
- Seah Bei Ying (Software engineer - frontend / product strategy)
- Lim Junxue (Software engineer - backend)
- Joshua Teo (UI/UX)
- Lewis Ten (UX Research)
This is a Next.js project bootstrapped with create-next-app. The following content is generated.
Getting Started
First, run the development server:
npm run dev
# or
yarn dev
# or
pnpm dev
# or
bun devOpen http://localhost:3000 with your browser to see the result.
You can start editing the page by modifying app/page.tsx. The page auto-updates as you edit the file.
This project uses next/font to automatically optimize and load Inter, a custom Google Font.
Learn More
To learn more about Next.js, take a look at the following resources:
- Next.js Documentation - learn about Next.js features and API.
- Learn Next.js - an interactive Next.js tutorial.
You can check out the Next.js GitHub repository - your feedback and contributions are welcome!
Deploy on Vercel
The easiest way to deploy your Next.js app is to use the Vercel Platform from the creators of Next.js.
Check out our Next.js deployment documentation for more details.