I-Corps: Translation Potential of a Longitudinal Diagnostic Method for Residential Branch Circuits Serving Sustained High Impact Electrical Loads

This I-Corps project is based on the development of a diagnostic method for residential electrical circuits. Many homes are not designed for today's growing combination of electric vehicle charging, heat pumps, induction cooking, electric water heating, and battery storage, which can draw high current for extended periods and accelerate hidden deterioration in connections, terminals, and insulation. This technology uses the normal operation of sustained electrical loads as a repeatable test signal. It tracks how each circuit responds over time, helping reveal gradual changes that may not appear during a one-time inspection. Potential users include homeowners, installation professionals, multifamily operators, insurers, utilities, and equipment manufacturers rather than a single application. This may support earlier maintenance, better risk decisions, safer electrification, fewer unnecessary upgrades, and greater confidence among households and property operators investing in high-impact electrical equipment. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning, coupled with firsthand investigation of the industry ecosystem, to assess the translational potential of a longitudinal branch circuit diagnostic platform for sustained high-impact electrical loads. Existing smart meters and panel-level monitors primarily characterize energy use or aggregate behavior, while conventional protection devices react only after predefined thresholds are crossed. This technology uses the normal operation of a 240-volt load as a repeatable electrical stimulus on the circuit supplying it. It tests whether changes in impedance, voltage-current response, harmonic distortion, contact nonlinearity, and thermal stress indicators can distinguish developing faults from normal variation and support an infrastructure health index. This platform evaluates the physical conduction path between the panel and the load across repeated operating cycles. Three hardware configurations feed a common diagnostic engine: a smart 240-volt outlet, a portable inline adapter, and a module embedded by equipment manufacturers. This technology may prevent infrastructure failures in residential branch circuits to sustain next-generation energy demands safely. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.