Milestone 2


Milestone 2.1: Project Plan

September - October 2023: Project Initiation and Planning

November - December 2023: Design and Prototyping

January - February 2024: Development and Testing

March 2024: Optimization and Refinement

April 2024: Finalization and Expo Preparation

CPE423 Gantt Chart

Milestone 2.2: Concepts

VEL (Virtual Home Energy Logger) envisions a solution to solve challenges associated with high utility costs and unpredictable energy spikes in households. With a strong emphasis on affordability, VEL should allow homeowners to invest in the system at a reasonable cost. To keep costs low, the maintenance requirements of VEL should be minimal. Ideally, the system will follow a "set it and forget it" model requiring not much more than annual or semi-annual inspections to ensure that everything is running smoothly. 

A key aspect of the VEL concept is making the data collected available in an understandable manner to the consumer. Homeowners should be provided with a clear and measurable indicator of their energy consumption practices. To further make this information useful to the user, tips, insights, and explanations shall be provided within the user interface (UI).  This UI will be in the form of a mobile application. To tackle the challenge of presenting information in such a manner,  Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be used within the VEL UI software. VEL aims to offer advanced data analysis capabilities. The proposed AI algorithms should examine energy usage patterns and offer personalized recommendations, empowering users to optimize energy consumption, save costs, and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

VEL aspires to overcome the limitations of existing home energy monitoring systems by offering an intuitive mobile app. The app should provide a detailed breakdown of energy usage by room and object, enabling homeowners to easily identify and mitigate high-cost areas, thus promoting targeted energy savings. Additionally, VEL should prioritize data security, proposing robust measures at both the application and device levels. Third-party verification should ensure the potential protection of residents' data, addressing privacy concerns associated with energy monitoring systems.


Milestone 2.3: Concept Selection

General Design Concepts

Minimum cost

Minimum maintenance and ease of maintenance

Specific Design Goals

Milestone 2.4: Design

System Model:

Milestone 2.5: Analysis

Hardware Specifications:

Software Specifications: 

Milestone 2.6: Test Plan


1. Software + Concept Testing (Nov - Dec 2023):

2. Hardware Prototype Testing (Jan - Feb 2024):

3. Integration and Compatibility (Jan - Feb 2024):

4. Mobile App Compatibility (Jan - Feb 2024):

5. System-wide Testing (Mar 2024):

6. Optimization and Refinement (Mar 2024):

7. Finalization and Expo Prep (Apr 2024):