Electrical energy usage is ubiquitous in almost every aspect of life, and the demand is expected to continue growing far into the future. Meeting this demand with traditional approaches is costly and inefficient, because such approaches seek to meet peak demand, which occurs only a few hours during the year. Significant savings could be realized if consumers had a technology to allow them to actively participate in meeting demand, which could help stabilize the electrical grid.

PNNL scientists have developed a home energy management technology that enables consumers to manage electrical power usage in a house or other environment having multiple electrical loads. The technology consists of computer-based software with a user-interface that can be used to analyze and operate any electrical device that uses control signals. The software estimates market prices of power for an upcoming period of time; estimates operating times for a controllable electronic device during the same period; and generates a schedule for optimal operation of each device. The technology can then generate control signals for operating the device automatically according to the schedule.

The home energy management technology can be used with any type of electrical device that operates via control signals. Examples include appliances such as washers and refrigerators, water heaters, and thermostats. Use of the technology could save consumers hundreds of dollars a year in electrical costs and help reduce demand on the electrical grid.