Development of a Smart Power Consumption Monitoring Device for Household Load Activities

Different investigative methods for proficient energy usage while achieving energy reduction in residential buildings have been or are being undertaken. However, all most attempts have shortcomings, as a result, the grid tends not to meet the load demand effectively and most economically in terms of everchanging anticipated load. This study aims to propose an efficient solution for energy consumption and reduction in residential dwellings. This paper presents a hardware implementation of a smart power consumption monitoring device (a standard/peak load control technique) for household load activities in a laboratory experimental test environment. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the practicality of the developed meter/monitor and its efficacy in terms of its ability to capture/record energy information down individual appliance levels; the remote switching of loads; the remote control of loads (load priority classifications); the meter's ability to set the maximum demand limit; and lastly, the developed smart monitor is expected to provide a remote two-way communication between the utility and the user. In this study part of the circuit was simulated using Proteus Simulation, an online internet communication protocol. While the other part consists of the use of offline mode components. Atmel Studio 7 IDE software was used for the writing of the software code. Furthermore, the design operation performance was carried out using Simulink in MATLAB environment and MATLAB graphics. Three types of loads, namely, resistive, capacitive, and inductive loads were used to test the proposed technique adeptness. The results obtained demonstrated the proficiency of the developed monitoring device, this includes the ability to capture the individual appliance energy information, switch and control loads, and set desired maximum demand limit. Based on the test outcomes, the smart control technique is viable and can contribute towards reducing the strain on the grid while reducing household energy consumption due to improved demand utilization (usage).