The application of wireless sensor networks to residential energy efficiency and demand response

Rising residential energy consumption and electrical power demands continue to challenge suppliers and consumers. A broad survey of energy efficiency and load management approaches revealed an opportunity to address the thermostat. The conventional thermostat is a sensor-limited device. Wireless sensor networks provide an enabling technology to transform the thermostat into a disaggregated system of actuation, sensing, and computation. In doing so, the thermostat can leverage information about the distribution of environmental conditions throughout a house using spatially distributed sensors with multi-sensor control strategies while using the existing heating and air conditioning actuation.; Four temperature-based multi-sensor strategies and three comfort-based multi-sensor strategies were evaluated through simulations and a real-world deployment. Simulation data show multi-sensor strategies can reduce energy consumption without sacrificing comfort compared to a thermostat with temperature setpoint threshold logic. Simulation data also show multi-sensor strategies in combination with comfort offsets increase the diversity and range of cost-comfort performance options beyond temperature setpoint changes for temperature threshold logic in conventional thermostats. These additional options are well-suited for application to Demand Response load management.; The integration of wireless sensor network technology into a residential energy and power management control system required evaluation of wireless sensor network communication performance in residential environments and development of a suitable system architecture. A series of in-situ experiments testing communicate performance of 2.4 GHz wireless sensor network technology show packet loss occurs in short "bursty" events on a few links throughout a house. A multi-agent architecture was developed to integrate wireless sensor networks with multi-sensor residential HVAC control strategies.; This system was deployed two real-world environments to evaluate the performance of multi-sensor residential HVAC control strategies. The real-world data confirm the energy efficiency performance and Demand Response capability of multi-sensor HVAC control strategies using wireless sensor networks.