A load model to support demand management decisions on domestic storage water heater control strategy

Load control of domestic water heaters is a well known demand side management activity. A model capable of simulating the effect of various control parameters which affect the control strategy is presented in this paper. These parameters include the tariff structure, the number of control blocks, the maximum demand set point and the maximum duration for which any block may be switched off continuously. The simulation results pointed out some negative effects that may occur when control parameters are not set properly. One example is the risk of moving the peak load upon the introduction of a time-of-use tariff without a financial incentive to avoid cold-load pickup.