Near-Zero-Energy Building Management Based on Arduino Microcontroller—On-Site Lighting Management Application

Abstract

Near-Zero-Energy Buildings are a challenge in terms of energy production, storage, consumption and management, but these technological solutions remain financially difficult to access in developing countries. To this end, a complete low-cost and reliable home energy-management prototype was first developed and implemented on a scale model. A PWM charge controller drove the flow of energy produced and consumed in order to ensure the optimization of both the consumption of energy and energy savings. Battery storage was also managed by the home automation module using a set of sensors. The prototype of the scale model incorporated complete energy management of all electrical devices with group priorities through a graphical interface in a real-time mode. After testing this system, the lighting management part was implemented in a large-scale smart solar home. A smart lighting system via a complete algorithm integrated on an Arduino Mega board was then realized and implemented in the life-size house. This first step focuses, above all, on the users’ comfort and, in particular, on the lighting management. The results show that this smart device thus makes it possible to achieve additional energy savings on an essential and yet already energy-efficient device: lighting.