Smart Controls for Electrical Distribution Protection in Homes

As electrification of household appliances becomes more prevalent, it is estimated that millions of homes in the US will require upgrades to their electrical infrastructure. Seeking to reduce the need for these infrastructure upgrades, researchers at Purdue University have developed a smart control system to dynamically plan the use of multiple load sources (heat pumps, electric water heaters, electric vehicle chargers, etc) to supply energy without exceeding existing capacity. This technology offers benefits to homeowners, utility companies, and smart home system providers seeking to improve energy efficiency, lower operational costs, and aid in the electrification of communities by reducing peak power consumption.

Advantages

-Compatible with existing electrical infrastructure

-Improved energy efficiency and time-of-use

-Provides upfront and recurring cost savings

-Reduction in peak power consumption for communities

-Hardware-free solution

Applications

-Building energy management

-Distributed energy resources

-Renewable energy

Technology Validation:

This technology was validated through a 31-day experiment where it was used in a residential home in West Lafayette, IN during December and January.

TRL: 6

Intellectual Property:

Keywords: Smart control system, home electrification, electrical infrastructure upgrade, peak power consumption reduction, energy efficiency, distributed energy resources, renewable energy, building energy management, smart home system, time-of-use energy, distributed energy resources, electrification, Green Technology, grid, load balancing, Mechanical Engineering, Power, Renewable Energy, renewables