Title - Intelligent electricity management system for smart buildings.

Objectives

Maximizing conservation of electrical energy in homes through integrating time and

parameter based optimization in a single electricity management system. (Here time
based refers to scheduling of electricity according to needs at every instant and parameter
based means utilizing natural means like daylight and temperature for cooling and
heating purpose.)
Effective utilization of natural illuminance and temperature, in order to reduce energy
consumption in lighting, heating and cooling.
Turning on and off of lights, cooling and heating system at adequate times, such that
efficient energy conservation is achieved and simultaneously building needs are also
fulfilled.

Deliverables

Reduction of energy consumption in lighting system thus reducing load on power grids.
Decrease in electricity needs for space heating, water heating and air conditioning.
Efficient management of electrical power in order to reduce amount of money spent on
it.
Optimal scheduling of electrical power such that large amount of electricity is conserved
without disturbing the comfort of the users.

Techniques

Daylight system collectors collect sunlight which is guided into the space and then
distributed through diffusers.
Building designs in order to maximize natural ventilation for cooling purpose so as to
reduce air conditioning load
Natural ventilation is a whole-building design concept. The design utilizes the stack
effect and wind pressures to supply outdoor air to building interiors for ventilation and/or
space cooling purposes. The aim is to have an airtight building envelope while
controlling outdoor air supply to provide the required ventilation. Features of naturally
ventilated buildings include operable windows, exhaust vents located high in the building
with intakes located low in the building, and open building plans to facilitate air
movement.
Solar assisted stack ventilation - The core concept of the solar assisted stack ventilation
system revolves around the use of heat removed from solar panels to induce ventilation in
the school hall and classrooms (buoyancy effect). Heat is built up below the solar panels
when it is working. A 300mm gap is allowed between the solar panels and the metal roof
to allow ventilation which is essential to ensure efficiency of the solar panels. Heat in the
gap is also a good source to produce buoyancy effect which is the principle for natural

ventilation in the school hall and classrooms. Since the indoor space of the school hall
and classrooms is linked with the gap by channels, when heat is removed from the gap,
air flows into the air channel due to the negative pressure in the solar panel roof gap. To
keep the pressure balance in the rooms, outdoor fresh air will be induced through the
windows. Dark color metal ducts or solar panel can be used to construct air channel to
further enhance heat removal (stack effect). Several chimneys can be placed on the roof
and extraction fan is installed in each chimney to provide the extraction when stack effect
is not functioning.
Comparison of electricity prices and scheduling switching on of appliances like washing
machine and dish washers during low cost intervals.
Preparing a rulebase on the basis of electricity usage pattern of the consumers, electricity
needs for each instant and natural energy available. Switching on and off of appliances
according to the rulebase. For ex- in an office building load is more during 9-5
electricity usage pattern.
If daylight intensity is sufficient, lights will be switched off. After 5, natural light
intensity is less, lights will be switched on based on the presence of a human in a room.
Similarly air conditioning will be set according to the ambient temperature available. To
avoid continuous switching on of air conditioners, a suitable range of temperature will be
fixed based upon the ambient temperature and the air conditioner will remain switched
off in between that range.

Research work already done

An iPower system was developed in [1] for energy conservation in buildings. The suggested
system employed wireless sensor networks to monitor the energy usage by each appliance and to
turn them on or off. In another work, an intelligent electrical building employing computer,
communication and building technology was suggested in [2]. In a similar approach, a building
system using sensor networks and controllers for energy management was suggested in [3]. In
the works mentioned above, the emphasis was on design issues or communication issues rather
than electrical technology aspects. In a different approach, an intelligent building management
system incorporating electrical power monitoring and management system was proposed in [4].
The control system was suggested for an airport, thus its efficacy in residential buildings cannot
be determined. A green building concept was proposed in [5], where a building is integrated with
an electrical energy monitoring and a control system to employ energy preserving strategies. The
system was proposed for residential and business buildings. In many ways the suggested
strategies were more user dependent and less automatic, thus reducing efficiency of the system.
A system for conserving energy usage in cooling, heating and ventilation was presented in [6].
However, electricity conservation aspects with respect to lighting system were not discussed.

Research Gap

As discussed above, most of the works found in literature focus on energy conservation through
monitoring energy usage and wireless sensors utilizing communication and computer aspects. A
few work found in literature considering electrical technology measures has mostly neglected
residential buildings. Also, most of the attention is given to space heating and cooling in
residential buildings. Thus, there is a need to incorporate measures for conserving energy
through managing lighting systems in buildings. In addition to it a time based and parameter
based optimization should be integrated in order to make the buildings smart with respect to
electrical power.