Signature of residential low voltage loads

A survey is presented in this work, regarding the essential measurements for the determination of the operational “signature” of Low Voltage (LV) electrical loads. The concept of load signature is explained, and measurements are analyzed and conducted according to specific criteria that may be used for the automated recognition of the operation of individual loads. To that purpose, LV loads that may be found in a residential installation are initially classified into categories according to their operational characteristics. Furthermore, the notion of load “labeling” is introduced as a fundamental step towards the development of efficient load recognition mechanisms. Moreover, the load recognition criteria are analyzed and classified into the ones that presuppose the existence of direct measurements, and the ones that may be indirectly calculated. Subsequently, the implemented measurement setup is presented, along with a set of measurements regarding specific LV loads, corresponding to the aforementioned load classification. The respective results are analyzed, denoting thus the limitations of the process of using the concept of load signature for the recognition of the loads´ individual operation.