Design Considerations for Implementing a Home Energy Management System

Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) equip users with additional control over their energy consumption, allowing them to schedule economically how their appliances may be used. The essence of HEMS is to provide energy and cost saving while avoiding user inconvenience. A significantly high number of the proposed HEMS solutions in literature are focused mainly on developing algorithms for appliance scheduling while putting less emphasis on the selection of the appropriate technologies and modelling techniques. Moreover, the current rise of the internet-of-things (IoT) and low-cost microcontroller hardware present further opportunities for development of better HEMS. This work contributes to the study of HEMS in three ways. Firstly, it proposes an IoT-based HEMS framework. Secondly, it provides a brief comparison suitable for low-cost computing hardware. Lastly, it presents design considerations necessary for implementing HEMS. The analysis shows that the considerations must review available Demand-side management programmes, communication technologies and energy driving variables.