Innovating Current Sensor and Event Detection Algorithms for NIALM Application

reduction of energy consumption, especially the electric consumption in buildings, is a major challenge modern societies have to solve. The optimization and the reduction of the electric consumption require monitoring through accurate current. Deployment of a sensors network in a small existing building has been limited due to its cost. Minimizing the number of sensors, implementing non-intrusive technology and reducing the price of a sensor node are so many challenges we have to overcome in order to decrease the global cost of such a setup and make profitable the monitoring of energy consumption of all appliances. In this paper, we present a new sensor for power monitoring associated with the design of a NIALM smart meter for home appliances, with the ability to self-detect and differentiate most home appliances. In order to satisfy the compact, real-time, low price requirements and to solve the challenge in slow transient and multi-state appliances, two algorithms are used: the CUSUM to improve the event detection and the Genetic Algorithm (GA) for appliance disaggregation.