Chapter 3 - Smart home energy management system: concept, architecture, infrastructure, challenges, and energy management

Abstract

Today, various system components like software programs, hardware components, network connection and communication elements, different kinds of sensors, and other physical devices are required to connect to provide numerous services in smart homes. With the rapid advancements of intelligent systems, Smart Grid (SG) technologies have emerged to provide two-way communication infrastructures, enabling optimized electricity usage patterns and optimized load balancing mechanisms, to name a few. Of late, the Smart Home Energy Management System (SHEMS) has been extensively used for advanced energy management solutions in smart homes. Moreover, numerous research works have been carried out to use energy management that deals with efficient energy consumption. Besides, research on SHEMS has emerged across several disciplines, especially for smart home energy usage. The prime objective of SHEMS is to ensure energy savings, minimized peak average ratio, low electricity consumption cost, peak supply and demand, and reduced energy wastage. Nowadays, energy management has become a significant concern and essential part of human lives. However, energy management in households and the public and private service sectors must be considered to reduce the environmental burden to enable socio-economic impact on future generations. In this chapter, we primarily focus on three aspects. First, we present systematic literature on SHEMS, roles and responsibilities of various components, and benefits of SHEMS driving through energy efficiency. Second, we emphasize major concepts, components, functional capabilities, architectures, infrastructures, and existing energy management solutions for SHEMS. Last, we provide a comprehensive review of various energy management solutions, technological aspects, issues and challenges, and recommendations to enhance the performance of SHEMS.