Monitoring energy consumption to derive the welfare of solitary seniors

In the research project ZELIA - Zuhause eigenständig leben im Alter, supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the conception as well as the opportunities and limitations of a minimally invasive Ambient Assisted Living system are investigated. The prototype is set up and tested in Bocholt, a small town in a rural area in the northwest of North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Currently seventeen test households participate in the project. The approach is based on the central measurement of energy (electricity, natural gas) and water consumption. The installation of sensors in the housing space itself as well as the need for direct actions of the users is intentionally avoided, therefore the approach is minimally invasive. Due to this intrusions into the immediate privacy and operating errors by the users are avoided. The meters to measure the consumption data must be installed in the near future in German households by law, thus additional costs are reduced to a minimum.