Evaluation of a Residential Energy Monitoring and Management System
With new time of use electricity rates and rising costs there are ever more opportunities to save energy and money by automating home use of electricity. Several commercial home energy monitors are now available to help do just that by providing information to homeowners on their energy use through two-way communications enabled receptacles, switches or circuits.
At the Archetype Sustainable House located within the Living City Campus, we evaluated a home energy management system that takes these energy monitors one step further by providing both user feedback and the ability to actively control household electrical loads. This study assesses the effectiveness of the system to reduce energy, shift loads to off-peak times, and optimize the operation of household electrical use for cost savings to the homeowner.