Optimal smart home energy management considering energy saving and a comfortable lifestyle

One of the most challenging problems associated with operation of Smart Micro-Grids is the optimal energy management of residential buildings with respect to multiple and often conflicting objectives. In this paper, a multi-objective mixed integer nonlinear programming model is developed for optimal energy use in a smart home, considering a meaningful balance between energy saving and a comfortable lifestyle. Thorough incorporation of a mixed objective function, under different system constraints and user preferences, the proposed algorithm could not only reduce the domestic energy usage and utility bills, but also ensured an optimal task scheduling and a thermal comfort zone for the inhabitants. To verify the efficiency and robustness of the proposed algorithm, a number of simulations were performed under different scenarios using real data; and the obtained results were compared in terms of total energy consumption cost, users' convenience rates and thermal comfort level.