Smart home energy flexibility (3/4)

The previous articles introduced the basic sources of flexibility in a smart home. This article looks at ways to manage flexibility and the concepts behind its use. It also outlines how flexibility can be viewed from a financial perspective. 

Formalising the flexibility model

To use the flexibility of various sources at smart home level, it needs to be aggregated at this level and viewed uniformly, regardless of its source. Each such form of flexibility has an energy volume that is limited to a certain range or fixed, and linked to a particular time interval. It will also have a limit on its power/input, as well as other operational parameters such as a minimum or maximum operating time.

Smart home EMS

Ultimately, a smart home energy management system controls the output of appliances and technologies in order to minimise energy consumption and make optimal use of self-generated energy. Depending on the financial model, the aim may be to optimise costs rather than minimise energy consumption. A simpler EMS responds to the current situation and the controllable portion of consumption. When cheaper energy is available, flexible consumption is activated. If cheaper energy is not available, activation of flexible consumption can be postponed. A more complex option is to plan and manage energy over a future time horizon. This requires knowledge of future operational requirements, future values of variables affecting operation, and future generation and consumption—or estimates of these.