Energy Accountability Using Nonintrusive Load Monitoring

Conventional power meters measure total kilowatt-hours yet reveal little about how power was used. Modern solid-state metering solutions are not necessarily taking full advantage of the inexpensive but high performance computation capability that is available. This paper contains the details of a field test of a new software architecture for nonintrusive utility monitoring that endeavors to solve the big data problem of handling interesting but high bandwidth data streams from many monitored sites, e.g., residences and commercial buildings. Results from a field test are used to illustrate the utility of this system.

I. Actionable Consumption Information

Energy waste can and must be quantified—“You don't know what you're losing unless you measure it” [1]. Once measured, facts coupled with feedback can help reduce waste. Thorough reports on the subject estimate that energy scorekeeping will lead to savings of 4–12%, the highest percentage coming when information is real-time and detailed down to the appliance level [2], [3].