An Energy Efficient Scheduling of a Smart Home Based on Optimization Techniques

After the introduction of smart grid in power system, two-way communication is now possible which helps in optimizing the energy consumption of consumers. To optimize the energy consumption on the consumer side, demand side management is used. In this paper, we focused on the optimization of smart home appliances with the help of optimization techniques. Cuckoo search algorithm, earthworm optimization and a hybrid technique cuckoo-earthworm optimization are used for scheduling the smart home appliances. Home appliances are classified into three groups and real-time pricing scheme is used. Techniques are evaluated and a performance comparison is performed. Results show that the proposed hybrid technique has decreased the electricity cost by 49% as compared to unscheduled cost and a trade-off exists between electricity cost and user comfort.