Enhancing electricity audits in residential buildings with nonintrusive load monitoring

Abstract

Summary: Nonintrusive load monitoring (NILM) is a technique for deducing the power consumption and operational schedule of individual loads in a building from measurements of the overall voltage and current feeding it, using information and communication technologies. In this article, we review the potential of this technology to enhance residential electricity audits. First, we review the currently commercially available whole-house and plug-level technology for residential electricity monitoring in the context of supporting audits. We then contrast this with NILM and show the advantages and disadvantages of the approach by discussing results from a prototype system installed in an apartment unit. Recommendations for improving the technology to allow detailed, continuous appliance-level auditing of residential buildings are provided, along with ideas for possible future work in the field. © 2010 by Yale University.