A Low-Cost Home Energy Management Model with Web-Based Emergency Toggling Switch

The quest for energy is increasing day by day. As a result, energy sources are getting depleted at a faster rate. Thus, it is essential to manage energy usage. Earlier the power utility companies introduced many demand response programs out of which many failed due to their impact on user comfort. As technology progresses, home automation is becoming popular nowadays. It reduces the usage cost, improves user comfort, and indirectly helps the power utility company to level its peak load. The paper proposes a novel home energy management model with provision for integrating solar energy and can schedule the operation of electrical appliances concerning real-time pricing. The availability of a web-based control platform improves user comfort too. The circuit also has provisions to manage the operation of non-schedulable electric appliances. The results revealed that 13.5% of energy can be saved bimonthly in a home by utilizing this model. The statistical analysis also proved that 25% of energy could be saved through scheduling along with a web-based control approach.