Achieving demand side management with appliance controller devices

Demand side management is a concept that deals with efficient usage of electric energy at the consumer side. Its main objective is to reduce the energy demand of consumers. Demand is growing at a rate that is challenging for utility companies to keep up with. One of the ways of achieving demand side management is by utilizing appliance controller devices. An appliance controller device is a device installed within the premises of a customer. The function of the device is to regulate electricity use by controlling electric appliances within the customer's premises. This paper therefore simulated domestic energy consumption. Algorithms which control consumption during peak hours were developed. The results indicate that a 40% reduction in peak time energy demand was achieved for a domestic consumer. This translates to an annual energy bill saving of 6% using South African practice of time-of-use tariffs for domestic customers. The algorithm was found to succeed in reduction of peak time energy demand. The objectives of this paper are limited to investigating and developing control algorithms for appliance controller devices.