Home energy monitoring is an application of IoT (Internet of Things) technology that enables homeowners to track and manage their energy consumption more effectively. By integrating IoT devices and sensors, home energy monitoring systems provide real-time data and insights into energy usage, allowing homeowners to make informed decisions to reduce energy waste, optimize efficiency, and potentially save on energy costs.
Studies have shown that home energy monitoring systems can help improve energy efficiency in households by 10% to 20%. By monitoring and analyzing energy usage, homeowners can identify inefficient appliances, energy waste, and opportunities for optimization, leading to reduced energy consumption and cost savings.
Plus, It is estimated that home energy management IoT will have an economic value of between 80 and 150 billion U.S. dollars by 2025, and is expected to grow to between 130 and 230 billion U.S. dollars by 2030①.
User: a Global Energy Management Solutions Provider
Market Segment: Home Energy Management
Project Time: 2021
Product: DSGW-030 IoT Gateway
How Does the Home Energy Management Work?
Through home energy management system, users can monitor, control, and optimize their energy consumption. By providing real-time insights, user-friendly interfaces, and integration with utility meters, the solution enables individuals and organizations to make informed decisions, reduce energy waste, and promote sustainability.
The main appeal of our customers is the linkage between smart plug and the Internet of Things. smart plugs can work with an IoT gateway in a Home Energy Management System (HEMS). Smart plugs are IoT-enabled devices that can be connected to electrical outlets and provide control over the power supply to connected appliances or devices.
When integrated with an IoT gateway within a HEMS, smart plugs can play a significant role in managing and optimizing energy consumption within a home.
Integration with IoT Gateway
Smart plugs are typically designed to connect to a home’s Wi-Fi network, allowing them to communicate with other IoT devices and the central IoT gateway. The IoT gateway serves as the central hub for collecting data from various devices, processing it, and controlling their operations.
Real-time Monitoring and Control
Once connected to the IoT gateway, smart plugs can transmit real-time energy consumption data to the HEMS platform. This data can include information such as power usage, on/off status, and energy consumption trends. The cloud platform can then display this information to homeowners through a user interface, providing insights into the energy consumption of individual devices.
Remote Control and Automation
Smart plugs integrated with an IoT gateway enable remote control of connected appliances or devices. Through a smartphone application or web interface, homeowners can turn on or off appliances, set schedules, or create automation rules based on specific conditions. For example, they can schedule the smart plug to turn off the coffee maker after a certain period or automatically turn off devices when no one is at home.
Energy Monitoring and Analytics
The platform can aggregate data from smart plugs along with other energy monitoring devices and provide comprehensive energy consumption insights. Homeowners can view detailed reports, track energy usage trends, and identify energy-intensive devices or behaviors. This information helps them make informed decisions and take actions to optimize their energy consumption.
Integration with Energy Management Algorithms
The data collected from smart plugs can be used by energy management algorithms within the HEMS to optimize energy usage. These algorithms can analyze historical usage patterns, detect anomalies, and provide recommendations for more efficient energy consumption. For example, the system may suggest turning off specific devices during peak demand periods to reduce overall electricity costs.
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IoT Energy Management Challenges
Based on some challenges, the company turned to Dusun IoT, a professional IoT hardware provider:
Device Interoperability
IoT devices in homes often use different communication protocols and technologies, such as Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. Ensuring interoperability and seamless communication between devices using different protocols can be a challenge. A high-performance multi-protocol gateway can bridge the gap by supporting multiple protocols and facilitating communication between devices with different technologies.
While our client’s main request was the integration of the smart plug with the gateway, a multi-protocol gateway could allow other smart devices in the house to be integrated into the system.
A high-performance gateway with support for multiple connectivity options can handle different network configurations and ensure reliable connectivity across various devices and platforms. The DSGW-030 gateway supports multiple communication protocols, including BLE, Z-Wave, Zigbee, and Wi-Fi.
This broad protocol support enables interoperability and seamless communication between devices using different protocols. It acts as a central hub, allowing devices with different technologies to connect and exchange data through a single gateway.
Security and Privacy
IoT devices in homes are susceptible to security risks, such as unauthorized access, data breaches, or device tampering. Managing the security and privacy of the IoT ecosystem is crucial. A high-performance gateway with robust security features can help protect data transmission, authenticate devices, and implement encryption protocols to ensure the integrity and privacy of sensitive information.
The DSGW-030 gateway incorporates robust security features to ensure data transmission and device security. It supports encryption protocols to protect data integrity and privacy. The gateway implements authentication mechanisms to verify the identity of devices before granting access. This helps prevent unauthorized access and protects sensitive information within the IoT ecosystem.
Additionally, the DGGW-030 gateway offers a USB dongle feature, which enhances its versatility and expandability. The USB dongle allows for easy connection of additional IoT devices or peripherals, expanding the gateway’s capabilities and supporting further device interoperability.
Software Platform Integration
Home energy management systems may rely on different software platforms, such as cloud-based analytics, energy management applications, or third-party platforms. Integrating these software platforms and ensuring seamless data exchange and interoperability can be a challenge. The gateway plays a vital role in docking different software platforms, enabling data synchronization and facilitating smooth communication between platforms.
The DSGW-030 BLE 5 gateway facilitates software platform integration. It can dock with different software platforms, allowing for seamless data exchange and interoperability. This means that the gateway can integrate with various energy management applications, cloud-based analytics platforms, or third-party software solutions.
It enables the gateway to synchronize data with different platforms, providing a unified view of energy consumption and enabling efficient management and control. In this case, the customer has its own cloud platform, and Dusun IoT’s engineer team has helped the customer realize the seamless connection between the platform and the device.
Cost-Effectiveness
Our customers were grappling with the challenge of high hardware costs. Like many companies in the industry, they encounter various factors contributing to this issue. Rising component costs, manufacturing expenses, and research and development investments significantly impact the overall cost-effectiveness of their hardware products. To address these challenges, the company decides to negotiate favorable supplier deals, and seek cost-effective component alternatives.
By allowing customization in module selection, the DSGW-030 gateway offers a cost-effective solution for IoT home energy management systems. It enables users to tailor the gateway to their specific requirements, providing the necessary functionality while minimizing costs associated with unused features or protocols. This flexibility and scalability contribute to an optimized cost-performance balance in deploying an energy management system.
Dusun IoT’s Solution – DSGW-030 IoT Gateway
The DSGW-030 BLE 5 gateway is a multi-protocol smart home hub gateway that supports both regular Bluetooth 5 and the latest ZigBee 3.0 protocols. The USP port is optional, however a WLAN/LAN port is included. Wi-Fi and Ethernet are two backhaul choices.
It is a small-size indoor gateway with a compact design (70mm x 70mm x 25mm), suitable for any place, extensively used and proven successful in the field of smart home automation and other IoT projects to collect data from various field sensors (e.g. temperature and pressure).
This smart home hub gateway’s most important characteristic is its programmability and ease of interaction with any public or private cloud. We provide a variety of API interfaces for clients to use (Zigbee2MQTT/BLE2MQTT, for example) as well as SDK fast guides, development tool chains, and Luci configuration manuals to assist you simply design your own home automation apps, with firmware porting support.
For more information, you can refer to A Guide to Understand DSGW-030 IoT Gateway
The DSGW-030 gateway can be applied in numerous IoT projects of different fields, you can fill the form or use the chat to tell us your needs. The professional team of Dusun IoT will help you to complete your IoT solution.
Reference:
Vailshery, L.S. (2022) Economic value from home energy management IOT, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1319046/economic-value-from-iot-home-energy-management/
IoT Home Energy Management FAQs
What is the price of a home energy management system?
The answer is difficult, but it can range between $5,000 and $250,000. The cost of a BMS system varies depending on what you want. The value of an installation can be affected by factors such as building type and system application.
What is the distinction between IoT and BMS?
HVAC activities are controlled by BMS systems, but Internet of Things networks take things a step further by employing sensors to automate operations. IoT may significantly improve the efficiency of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning by integrating with existing BMS.
