Evaluating feedback systems for residential building energy monitoring

Rising global energy demand, increasing electricity prices, and the limitation of natural resources have led to increased interest in energy monitoring of residential buildings. Much research has been done to examine the effect of energy use feedback to building occupants. An important step towards energy awareness is to provide timely and finegrained consumption information of major household energy expenditures through feedback systems, known as residential energy monitoring systems (REMS). To accomplish this, researchers and product designers are intent on improving the residential whole-building energy consumption estimates gained through sensor networks at homes. Additionally, profiling the usage of appliances and devices within a home can be used to determine an occupant's daily activities and to optimize energy consumption. In this work, we take a step toward creating an evaluation procedure for REMS by determining factors that affect their ability to accurately convey energy usage to occupants. Two feedback sensor systems are assessed in a testbed in which electrical loads typical to a home are operated. Preliminary tests show that the accuracy of the REMS measurement is dependent on an electrical load's power factor. Together with other findings, the results will assist researchers in forming a comprehensive test procedure that will characterize feedback systems in the future.