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.