Load Signature Study—Part II: Disaggregation Framework, Simulation, and Applications

Load signatures embedded in common electricity consumption patterns, in fact, could render much information pertaining to the nature of the appliances and their usage patterns. Based on the proposed disaggregation framework, we use three advanced disaggregation algorithms, called committee decision mechanisms (CDMs), to perform load disaggregation at the metering level. Three random switching simulators are also developed to investigate the performance of different CDMs under a variety of scenarios. Through Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that all CDMs outperform any single-feature, single-algorithm-based disaggregation methods. With sensitivity analysis, we also show that the CDMs are less sensitive to any load dynamics and noise. We finally demonstrate some applications of this technology in terms of appliance usage tacking and estimated energy consumption of each appliance.