Scheduling of Electrical Loads in Home Automation Systems

In this paper we propose a novel approach to schedule electric loads with the aim of reducing households' energy cost or CO2 emission with acceptable change in comfort. The approach involves both shifting households' electrical loads to times when the electricity prices or CO2 intensities are low, and reducing households' electrical loads at times when electricity prices or CO2 intensities are high. This approach assumes availability of day ahead hourly data of CO2 emissions and/or electricity cost from the external service provider. We categorize energy loads in two groups; constant and one-shot loads. Constant loads ensure environmental comfort for a consumer (e.g., heating, ventilation), while one-shot loads have a more dynamic nature (e.g., smart appliances, EV charging). Our approach is a best effort approach suitable for resource constrained embedded systems.