2019 IEEE PES Asia-Pacific Power and Energy Engineering Conference (APPEEC) | 2019
Proof of Concept of a Cloud-Based Smart Dual-Fuel Switching System to Control the Operation of a Hybrid Residential HVAC System
Abstract
A net-zero energy house was outfitted with IoT technology and devices to monitor its energy generation and consumption. The house has a rooftop PV array, an efficient hybrid (or dual-fuel) HVAC system, and efficient appliances to achieve net-zero status. Signals between the thermostat and the HVAC system were intercepted by a custom-built wifi-enabled circuit board to transmit the operating status of the HVAC unit and receive control signals from a remote server for optimal supervisory control. The project was developed as a proof of concept to show that a cloud-based intelligent control system that automatically chooses the best fuel source to use can benefit the homeowner (19% energy cost savings is possible) and contribute to decarbonization (29% reduction). If employed on a wide scale with a smart grid that sends pricing and demand response signals, huge potentials in reducing carbon emissions can be achieved without sacrificing homeowner costs and comfort.