Exploiting Demand Response in Web-based Energy-aware Smart Homes

Energy conservation is a global issue with tremendous environmental implications. By 2030, the global energy demand will double. High demands and environmental concerns, force the transformation of electricity grids into smart grids, towards more rational utilization of energy. Residential smart metering transforms homes into energy-aware environments, allowing residents to make informed choices about electricity. Web-based smart homes employ Web principles to interconnect electrical appliances. The Web, as a highly ubiquitous platform, can be used to connect energy-aware smart homes to the smart grid. An important characteristic of the future grid is demand response, defined as real-time pricing, according to supply conditions. Energy-aware smart homes can exploit this capability to schedule electricity-related tasks for future execution. We investigate this possibility by deploying a Web-based, energyaware smart home, adapted to demand response. An initial technical study denotes the feasibility of our approach and a small survey indicates the potential for saving energy and money. Keywords-Smart Home; Smart Meters; Electrical Appliances; Smart Grid; Demand Response; Web.