Balance: Budget-driven smart thermostat control

Heating and cooling (HVAC) needs account for a large percentage of residential energy usage, which has prompted development of autonomous thermostat control to reduce unnecessary HVAC usage, primarily when occupants are away. We instead consider the balance of the financial burden of HVAC costs with occupants´ comfort desires while they are at home. We present Balance, an autonomous thermostat management system that balances a range of user comfort levels with a user-defined monthly budget for HVAC costs. We provide a simple agent that accomplishes this task in realistic simulated environments.