Informatics solutions for electricity consumption optimization

Electricity consumption optimization offers multiple advantages for both consumers and grid operators. At the electricity customer level, by optimizing electricity consumption savings are significant, valued at least 20% of invoice. For programmable equipment there is no involvement of the human factor, the consumer can carry out other activity while the computer system is sending an impulse to control operation of specific equipment. For non-programmable equipment, the consumer is informed about the opportunity to use that equipment at particular times. It is well-known that at peak load power grids are loaded much higher than at the off-peak load. By stimulating consumers so that they use the programmable equipment at off-peak load, the difference between the peak and off-peak load is reduced, avoiding costly investment in new grid capacity. In this way, the end consumers benefit both from direct savings and improving activity of the grid operators that can better plan their resources. In this paper a few scenarios of electricity consumption will be modelled. First, equipment of sample electricity consumer will be depicted and then its consumption will be optimized in order to minimize hourly peak consumption. As a further step, optimization will be performed in order to minimize payment for electricity.