So-called ‘smart thermostats’ are beginning to fill the gap left in efficiency programs after researchers and policy makers discovered that in practice, simple programmable thermostats do not guarantee energy savings. As a result, EPA ended EnergyStar certification of programmable thermostats in 2010. Many recent pilots for communicating thermostats, occupancy-responsive thermostats, and adaptive control schemes have shown significant annual HVAC savings on the order of 10-20%. However, the form and function for technologies in this space vary widely. Some controls merely allow for remote management (e.g., web-based setpoint scheduling or smart-phone interface and control), while other devices monitor occupancy and automatically adjust set-points when a space is vacant. Still other technologies automatically adapt to user behaviors and preferences in order to anticipate changes and adjust HVAC operation. These differences have different savings implications. Further, the application into which any of these technologies is installed also impacts savings potential. The study focuses particularly on a series of pilot evaluations conducted with one occupancy-responsive adaptive thermostat system that resulted in very little energy savings during normal operation in university residence halls. These results came as a great surprise to the research team, especially since the HVAC system run-time for vacant zones was reduced to nearly zero in the buildings. The detailed evaluation of this case forms a conceptual basis for explanation of the limitations for smart thermostat devices. The research shows that considerable savings can be had in certain instances, but that the impact is sensitive to technology and application. The study also reviews previous research on the technology and recommends methodological improvements for future studies.

The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) aims to accelerate biomedical advances by enabling the responsible sharing of clinical and genomic data through both harmonized data aggregation and federated approaches. The decreasing cost of genomic sequencing (along with other genome-wide molecular assays) and increasing evidence of its clinical utility will soon drive the generation of sequence data from tens of millions of humans, with increasing levels of diversity. In this perspective, we present the GA4GH strategies for addressing the major challenges of this data revolution. We describe the GA4GH organization, which is fueled by the development efforts of eight Work Streams and informed by the needs of 24 Driver Projects and other key stakeholders. We present the GA4GH suite of secure, interoperable technical standards and policy frameworks and review the current status of standards, their relevance to key domains of research and clinical care, and future plans of GA4GH. Broad international participation in building, adopting, and deploying GA4GH standards and frameworks will catalyze an unprecedented effort in data sharing that will be critical to advancing genomic medicine and ensuring that all populations can access its benefits.