Showing papers on "Electricity meter published in 2014"

A Survey on Intrusive Load Monitoring for Appliance Recognition

Abstract: Electricity load monitoring of appliances has become an important task considering the recent economic and ecological trends. In this game, machine learning has an important part to play, allowing for energy consumption understanding, critical equipment monitoring and even human activity recognition. This paper provides a survey of current researches on Intrusive Load Monitoring (ILM) techniques. ILM relies on low-end electricity meter devices spread inside the habitations, as opposed to Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) that relies on an unique point of measurement, the smart meter. Potential applications and principles of ILMs are presented and compared to NILM. A focus is also given on feature extraction and machine learning algorithms typically used for ILM applications.

Load hiding of household's power demand

Abstract: With the development and introduction of smart metering, the energy information for costumers will change from infrequent manual meter readings to fine-grained energy consumption data. On the one hand these fine-grained measurements will lead to an improvement in costumers' energy habits, but on the other hand the fined-grained data produces information about a household and also households' inhabitants, which are the basis for many future privacy issues. To ensure household privacy and smart meter information owned by the household inhabitants, load hiding techniques were introduced to obfuscate the load demand visible at the household energy meter. In this work, a state-of-the-art battery-based load hiding (BLH) technique, which uses a controllable battery to disguise the power consumption and a novel load hiding technique called load-based load hiding (LLH) are presented. An LLH system uses an controllable household appliance to obfuscate the household's power demand. We evaluate and compare both load hiding techniques on real household data and show that both techniques can strengthen household privacy but only LLH can increase appliance level privacy.

Wireless Monitoring of Household Electrical Power Meter Using Embedded RFID with Wireless Sensor Network Platform

Abstract: Tracking and monitoring system using radio frequency identification (RFID) have gained a lot of improvements especially for applications that need automation with reduction in human intervention and become more interesting nowadays with the increasing market demand for internet of things (IoT) technologies. The objective of this study is to improve the machine-to-machine (M2M) communication using active RFID with wireless sensor networks (WSNs) with heterogeneous data transfer (regardless of power meter type) for monitoring and identification of household electrical consumption. M2M is a popular technology and has become a part of our daily life. WSN through ZigBee technology is applied to monitor data and to read the load consumption from the electrical household power meter by embedding a tag module into the meter. In-house built-in tag was embedded into an electrical power meter with a power management circuit communicating to a reader at an RF signal of 2.45 GHz based on the star network topology with the sleep mode function. The experimental results indicated that the electrical power meters with embedded tags successfully worked wirelessly with acceptable mean value of electrical consumption difference in Watts more than those without tags (standalone meter), which is in the range of 2.44 W to 2.5 W based on 10-hour measurements.

Off-grid grid-connected hybrid photovoltaic power generation control system and economical operation optimization method thereof

Abstract: The invention relates to an off-grid grid-connected hybrid photovoltaic power generation control system and an economical operation optimization method of the off-grid grid-connected hybrid photovoltaic power generation control system. The control system is composed of a photovoltaic array, a grid-connected inverter, a storage battery pack, a bi-directional inverter, a load, a power meter, a public grid, a demand response control system and a switch set. The photovoltaic array is connected into an alternating-current side through the grid-connected inverter, and the storage battery pack is connected into the alternating-current side through the bi-directional inverter. The grid-connected inverter is connected with the bi-directional inverter through a switch, and the public grid and the load are connected through the switch set (S1-S4). The whole off-grid grid-connected hybrid photovoltaic power generation control system is uniformly managed and controlled by the demand response control system. Through the turn-on and turn-off combination of the switch set, the system supports eight different operation modes to achieve the optimization of economic benefits and peak shifting of the grid, and the service life of the system is prolonged through the method of limiting the discharging depth and charging and discharging power of storage batteries.

Wireless networking method of electric power meter reading system and electric power meter reading device system

Abstract: The invention provides a wireless networking method of an electric power meter reading system and an electric power meter reading device system. The method comprises the following steps of dividing the electric power meter reading system into a plurality of clusters according to the field intensity distribution of each node in the electric power meter reading system, wherein each node in the electric power meter reading system is an electric meter; determining a cluster head node and at least one cluster member node in each cluster, wherein the cluster head node is used for managing routing information of the cluster member node and transmitting the routing information variation of the cluster member node to a concentrator. By adopting the wireless networking method and the electric power meter reading device system, the technical problems in the prior art that more time is consumed for networking and routing update because the routing information of all nodes in the system is managed by the concentrator can be solved, and a technical effect of shortening the networking and route updating time can be realized.

A non-intruding-type household-used electric load decomposition method and an apparatus

Abstract: The invention discloses a non-intruding-type household-used electric load decomposition method and an apparatus. According to the non-intruding-type electric load decomposition method based on a system fitting algorithm, a household intelligent electric meter acquires electric appliance load data, and an optimal fitting algorithm obtains various optimal parameters, and finally decomposition of electrical loads can be realized. The starting time, the operation time and an operation mode of electric appliances can be accurately calculated, and accurate decomposition can be carried out on conditions of usage of electric appliances of a same kind. The electric load decomposition of the electrical appliances can be realized, and load information of each household electrical appliance can be obtained. Results of load decomposition can effectively guide changes of users' behaviors of using electricity, so that intelligentization of household energy saving plans can be promoted, and simultaneously data supports can be provided for electric power departments in the formulating of corresponding demand side management, and the household use of electricity changes is enabled to change towards a direction of being higher in energy saving and efficient degrees.

Electric power meter reading system and electric power meter reading method based on two-dimensional code

Abstract: The invention discloses an electric power meter reading system and an electric power meter reading method based on a two-dimensional code. The electric power meter reading system comprises a plurality of electric meters, a plurality of concentrators with a communication function, a plurality of portable mobile terminals and a backstage service control end, wherein each electric meter is used for metering electric quantity and converting metering data into a two-dimensional code label; the signal output end of each electric meter is connected with the corresponding concentrator; the signal output end of each concentrator is wirelessly connected with the backstage service control end to send the two-dimensional code label of the corresponding electric meter; each portable mobile terminal is used for acquiring the two-dimensional code label from the corresponding electric meter and is wirelessly connected with the backstage service control end to send the two-dimensional code label of the corresponding electric meter; the backstage service control end is used for analyzing each two-dimensional code label, reading the metering data of each electric meter and storing the metering data in a database. A new method is provided for intelligent meter reading of an electric power system, a remote meter reading technology based on the two-dimensional code is successfully developed, and a system research and development platform is provided for advanced metering of a new intelligent power grid.

A low cost smart meter network for a smart utility

Abstract: As the electric transmission and distribution networks gain smartness from the use of renewable energies and latest measurement and communication technologies, also the utilities become smart. In a modern utility several energy sources are present and energy efficiency has to be guaranteed. Therefore, in order to be a smart utility, it has to be equipped with a measurement and control network to efficiently manage the various energy sources and loads. In this paper a low cost solution for the real-time energy management in a smart grid is presented. It provides several power meters, that continuously monitor connected loads communicating with a Data Concentrator via Power Line bus. Through the implemented web server the users can remotely control their consumption using a web browser. To prevent external attacks, a low computational cost protection software, based on Advanced Encryption Standard Code, was implemented. The paper illustrates the hardware architecture, discusses the adopted communication protocol solutions and is completed with an example of energy monitoring for a smart utility.

Opportunistic RPL for reliable AMI mesh networks

Abstract: Driven by the need to improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact, we observe a thrust towards enabling a Smart Grid. It is envisaged that to achieve these goals, the Smart Grid will be equipped with communications infrastructure and mechanisms that will enable near real-time control of the grid components. One of the key elements of the Smart Grid is the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) which is expected to facilitate the transport of meter readings from a smart electricity meter at the customer premises to the utility provider, and control data in the other direction. These communications can be potentially realized by deploying a self-organizing mesh network composed of smart metering nodes connected to concentrator nodes which in turn are connected to the utility provider data management systems. This paper explores a cooperative communications approach to improve reliability of such mesh networks. The proposed opportunistic forwarding protocol called `ORPL' has been realized as an enhancement on top of the routing protocol for low power and lossy networks, a connectivity enabling mechanism in AMI mesh networks. In ORPL, smart meter nodes select multiple candidate relays to facilitate reliable transport of smart metering data to the concentrator node. Moreover, it is designed to work in a distributed manner thereby ensuring scalability. We also present a further extension to ORPL, i.e., ORPLx with adaptive medium access control retransmit limit, which reduces unnecessary retransmissions. Our protocols have been evaluated and verified with comprehensive experimental results, demonstrating their effectiveness and favorable characteristics.

Meter collar for plug-in connection of distributed power generation

Abstract: An electric power meter collar with external electrical connection points enables expedited connection of distributed energy resources to the customer premises or the electric power grid. The meter collar is installed between an electric meter and the meter socket box that the meter would otherwise plug into at the site of a customer who receives two-phase service from an electrical utility company, and has electrical connection points that are electrically upstream and downstream of the meter. It enables “plug and play” connection of on-site power generation resources since the collar includes both a receptacle for a “plug” from on site power generation and overcurrent protection.

FEPMA: fine-grained event-driven power meter for android smartphones based on device driver layer event monitoring

Abstract: This paper introduces a novel sensor-less, event-driven power analysis framework called FEPMA for providing highly accurate and nearly instantaneous estimates of power dissipation in an Android smartphone. The key idea is to collect and correctly record various events of interest within a smartphone as applications are running on the application processor within it. This is in turn done by instrumenting the Android operating system to provide information about power/performance state changes of various smartphone components at the lowest layer of the kernel to avoid time stamping delays and component state observability issues. This technique then enables one to perform fine-grained (in time and space) power metering in the smartphone. Experimental results show significant accuracy improvement compared to previous approaches and good fidelity with respect to actual current measurements. The estimation error of the proposed method is lower by a factor of two than the state-of-the-art method.

Clustering algorithm-based exceptional event analysis method for evaluating whole state of electric meter

Abstract: The invention discloses a clustering algorithm-based exceptional event analysis method for evaluating the whole state of an electric meter. The method comprises the steps of aiming at the abnormal users with overvoltage, overcurrent, wrong clock of the electric meter, undervoltage of the electric meter, overhigh temperature of the electric meter, opened cover of the electric meter, continuous exceeding on the upper limit of a load, voltage reverse phase sequence, current reverse phase sequence, inversed current, imbalanced voltage three phases, imbalanced current three phases and the like, the document information of the users are checked, and the users having documents with problems are filtered; for the users with the abnormity, the whole state of the electric meter is evaluated and analyzed by combining information such as marketing service metering fault, fault meter changing and information lack examining on site through the comprehensive analysis of the clustering algorithm according to multiple dimensions such as the manufacturer, the batch, the region, the type of the metering device, the voltage level, the user class and the line, a technical means and a reference basis are provided for whether an electric power company for on-site inspection needs to be performed and whether a shift plan needs to be made, and the method is accurate and has small errors.

EnergyLens: combining smartphones with electricity meter for accurate activity detection and user annotation

Abstract: Inferring human activity is of interest for various ubiquitous computing applications, particularly if it can be done using ambient information that can be collected non intrusively In this paper, we explore human activity inference, in the context of energy consumption within a home, where we define an "activity" as the usage of an electrical appliance, its usage duration and its location We also explore the dimension of identifying the occupant who performed the activity Our goal is to answer questions such as "Who is watching TV in the Dining Room and during what times?" This information is particularly important for scenarios such as the apportionment of energy use to individuals in shared settings for better understanding of occupant's energy consumption behavioral patterns Unfortunately, accurate activity inference in realistic settings is challenging, especially when considering ease of deployment One of the key differences between our work and prior research in this space is that we seek to combine readily available sensor data (ie home level electricity meters and sensors on smartphones carried by the occupants) and metadata information (eg appliance power ratings and their location) for activity inference Our proposed EnergyLens system intelligently fuses electricity meter data with sensors on commodity smartphones -- the Wifi radio and the microphone -- to infer, with high accuracy, which appliance is being used, when its being used, where its being used in the home, and who is using it EnergyLens exploits easily available metadata to further improve the detection accuracy Real world experiments show that EnergyLens significantly improves the inference of energy usage activities (average precision= 752%, average recall= 778%) as compared to traditional approaches that use the meter data only (average precision = 284%, average recall = 223%)

Method for distinguishing power distribution area and phase through voltage characteristics

Abstract: The invention discloses a method for distinguishing a power distribution area and a phase through voltage characteristics. According to the method, similarity comparison is conducted on a voltage curve of a node to be determined and a voltage curve recorded by a concentrator so as to determine whether the node belongs to the power distribution area or not. According to the method for distinguishing the power distribution area and the phase through the voltage characteristics, the problem of inaccurate power measurement caused by power distribution area file errors, communication crosstalk and the like is effectively solved, the collection success rate of the power distribution area is increased, the meter reading stability of the power distribution area is improved, the line loss rate of the power distribution area is reduced reasonably, it is guaranteed that electric meter file information of an SG186 system is correct, the phenomena of carrier communication power distribution area crosstalk and electric meter file errors are avoided, and fine management of a marketing system is achieved.

Automated electric meter reading and monitoring system using ZigBee-integrated raspberry Pi single board computer via Modbus

Abstract: In recent years, automated meter reading systems (AMR) are being utilized in most developed countries like the United States and other European countries. The advantages these electric metering system offers make it a more accurate measuring device than the conventional electromechanical meter reading system being used in developing countries like the Philippines. AMRs capacity to automatically transmit data real-time increases the reliability of this metering system, unlike electromechanical meters which occasionally make use of previous readings as a basis of the consumer's current billing. It also puts consumers at a disadvantage as the accuracy of power consumption readings is being compromised. The integration of ZigBee protocol in singleboard computer Raspberry Pi, through the programming language Python, has successfully facilitated the reading and wireless transmission of the voltage or power consumption of the user. Through Python, the raw data transmitted to the coordinator ZigBee is then converted to a CSV file, the data type required by the MySQL database for the received data to be uploaded in the Web site.

Wireless power meter monitoring with power theft detection and intimation system using GSM and Zigbee networks

Abstract: With the electric industry undergoing change, increased attention is being focused on power supply reliability and power quality. Power providers and users alike are concerned about reliable power, whether the focus is on interruptions and disturbances or extended outages. Monitoring can provide information about power flow and demand and help to identify the cause of power system disturbances. The proposal in this paper is to monitor the power consumed by a model organization such a household consumers from a centrally located point. Monitoring the power means calculating the power consumed exactly by the user at a given time. The power consumed by the user is measured and communicated to the controlling substation whenever needed by the person at the substation. The feedback from the user helps in identifying usages between authorized and unauthorized users which helps in controlling the power theft, one of the major challenges in current scenarios. Communication between user/household and substation can be of wired and wireless

Channel Characterization of an Open Source Energy Meter

Abstract: In this paper, a prototype of an energy monitoring device based on an open source concept is presented. This architecture assures several advantages with respect to traditional energy meters, such as easy development of new applications making cost- and time-effective the migration to future smart grid infrastructures and simple adjustments to change in the relevant standards. The open source philosophy has been adopted designing the software components to make all features easily customizable by the user. In this paper, the characterization of the acquisition channels using measurement data obtained stimulating them with signals generated using a high-accuracy waveform generation module is presented.

A smart energy meter for power grids

Abstract: The growing demand of energy and the need of finding alternative energy sources to the traditional ones, due to the progressive decrease of fossil fuels and an increasing concern towards the environment, have led to a revolution in terms of energy production in the last decade. As a consequence, the distributed generation is more and more widely spreading. The network, in this new dimension, has to change its management and the energy distribution so to achieve and maintain high efficiency requirements. Coming to drop the concept of centralized production, it is immediate to conclude that an efficient distribution of energy must necessarily bring into account the energy footprint of the area, because the energy transport should be always as short as possible, to minimize losses and maximize the efficiency of the network. This concept is the core of the smart-grid idea, on which the global scientific community is investing heavily in research, the idea is a power distribution grid, based on the experience in the information and communications technology field, which can route the energy through appropriate algorithms that are able to determine the optimal path. Of course, behind all this there must be a network structure capable of acquiring detailed data from widespread production and consumption of energy and make them easily available along with additional information, e.g. the Power Quality of the energy exchanged. This information is demanded by simple user, who wants to personally evaluate the functioning of the system, and also by technical personnel, who needs to access to reliable data to perform targeted and efficient interventions. In the present paper, the authors propose a smart energy meter for energy management in power grids. The measurement system has been projected and developed according to the IEEE 1451 (ISO/IEC/IEEE 21451) guidelines. The system is based on a mobile application in order to improve the data exchange and availability.

Detection of Electric Power Diversion

Abstract: Techniques for detecting electrical meter bypass theft are described herein. In one example, a time-series of voltage-changes and current-changes associated with electrical consumption measured at a meter are obtained. The time series may track associated voltage and current changes at short intervals (e.g., 5- minutes). The voltage and current changes may indicate a slight voltage change when an appliance is turned on or off. An analysis (e.g., a regression analysis) may be performed on the voltage-changes against the current-changes. Using the correlation from the analysis, it may be determined if the meter was bypassed.

System, method and apparatus for computing, monitoring, measuring, optimizing and allocating power and energy for a rod pumping system

Abstract: A system and methods are provided for controlling a motor of a rod pumping system using previous RPMs of the motor and predicting an RPM of the motor; correcting a power factor of a motor of a rod pumping system; allocating energy consumption and allocating energy generation for a set of wells connected to an electricity meter using an amount of energy generated by each well; and generating an alert if a set of data is beyond a threshold for the set of data.

PowerPlay: creating virtual power meters through online load tracking

Abstract: Online load tracking is the problem of monitoring an individual electrical load's energy usage by analyzing a building's smart meter data. The problem is important, since many energy optimizations require fine-grained, per-load energy data in real time; it also differs from the well-studied problem of load disaggregation in that it emphasizes efficient, online operation and per-load accuracy, rather than accurate disaggregation of every building load via offline analysis. In essence, tracking a particular load creates a virtual power meter for it, which mimics having a networked-connected power meter attached to it. To enable high performance, we take a model-driven approach that focuses on efficiently detecting a small number of identifiable load features in smart meter data. Our results demonstrate that our system, called PowerPlay, i) enables efficient online tracking on low-power embedded platforms, ii) scales to thousands of loads (across many buildings) on server platforms, and iii) improves per-load accuracy by more than a factor of two compared to a state-of-the-art load disaggregation algorithm.

Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring: Disaggregation of Energy by Unsupervised Power Consumption Clustering

Abstract: There is a growing trend in monitoring residential infrastructures to provide inhabitants with more information about their energy consumption and help them to reduce usage and cost. Device-level power consumption information, while a functionality in newer smart appliances, is not generally available to consumers. In electricity consumption disaggregation, Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) refers to methods that provide consumers estimates of device-level energy consumption based on aggregate measurements usually taken at the main circuit panel or electric meter. The traditional NILM approach characterizes changes in the power signal when devices turn on or o , and it infers the consumption of different devices present in the home based on these changes. Generally, these NILM methods require training and models of the devices present in the home in order to function properly. Because of these challenges, much of the NILM literature does not address the actual energy disaggregation problem but focuses on detecting events and classifying changes in power. In this dissertation, we propose a relaxation to the traditional NILM problem and provide an unsupervised, data-driven algorithm to solve it. Specifically we propose Power Consumption Clustered Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (PCC-NILM), a relaxation that reports on the energy usage of devices grouped together by power consumption levels. In order to solve the PCC-NILM problem, we provide the Approximate Power Trace Decomposition Algorithm (APTDA). Unlike other methods, APTDA does not require training and it provides estimated energy consumption for different classes of devices.

A system and method for inferring schematic relationships between load points and service transformers

Abstract: A system and method for identifying which of several candidate service transformers is powering a specific service point an electrical distribution grid are disclosed. An audio-frequency electrical signal, the detection signal, is injected onto the power line at the service point via a meter socket or electrical outlet. The Transmitter for the detection signal may be a portable device or it may be incorporated into an electrical meter. The audible or mechanical resonance caused in the service transformer by the detection signal is detected and recorded using an accelerometer or directional microphone in a Receiver. A variety of methods for fixing the Receiver at or in proximity to the service transformers are disclosed in order to adapt to variations in the siting and housing of service transformers. A variety of mechanisms and methods for collecting detection events are disclosed.

Energy management system

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an energy management system employing power line communication so that simple and reliable communication with a user receiving electric power by a single-phase three-line system can be performed.SOLUTION: An energy management system comprises: a PLC modem 40 having a power line communication function including a relay function by being connected between voltage lines L1 and L2 at a three line aggregation place like a power meter at a user receiving electric power by a single-phase three-line system; a PLC modem 14 that is provided and attached to an electric appliance of the user and has a function to perform power line communication with the PLC modem 40 by being connected between the voltage line L1 and a neutral line N; a PLC modem 15 that, in a similar fashion, has a function to perform power line communication with the PLC modem 40 by being connected between the voltage line L2 and the neutral line N; and an energy management device 12 that collects information from a power line communication network made up of elements including the respective PLC modems, and transmits information to the network.

An automatic testing system and an automatic testing method of a continuous wave radio frequency power amplifier

Abstract: The invention relates to an automatic testing system and an automatic testing method of a continuous wave radio frequency power amplifier. The method comprises contents 1 that a computer is used for via a communication bus comprehensively managing devices such as an instrument power supply, a signal source, a power meter, a spectrum analyzer, a network analyzer, a radio frequency management and interface control unit, and a power amplifier, and automatically measuring power characteristic, saturation power, gain characteristic, output stationary waves, flatness characteristic, harmonic suppression, spurious suppression, cross modulation characteristic, group delay, and AM/PM characteristics of the radio frequency power amplifier, 2 that calibration of a radio frequency input access and a radio frequency output access is achieved; 3 that the radio frequency management and interface control unit provides all radio frequency accesses, cables are not required to be detached and radio frequency ports are not required to be replaced when indexes are tested, and TTL level, 422 level, relay driving, a serial port, and a LAN bus remote control interface are provided for different power amplifying single machines, and power amplifying transmission and reception, wave band remote control, and state monitoring are achieved; 4 and that system software modular design is achieved.

Gemini: A Non-invasive, Energy-Harvesting True Power Meter

Abstract: Power meters are critical for sub metering loads in residential and commercial settings, but high installation cost and complexity hamper their broader adoption. Recent approaches address installation burdens by proposing non-invasive meters that easily clip onto a wire, or stick onto a circuit breaker, to perform contact less metering. Unfortunately, these designs require regular maintenance (e.g. Battery replacement) or reduce measurement accuracy (e.g. Work poorly with non-unity power factors). This paper presents Gemini, a new design point in the power metering space. Gemini addresses the drawbacks of prior approaches by decoupling and distributing the AC voltage and current measurement acquisitions, and recombining them wirelessly using a low-bandwidth approach, to offer non-invasive real, reactive, and apparent power metering. Battery maintenance is eliminated by using an energy-harvesting design that enables the meter to power itself using a current transformer. Accuracy is substantially improved over other non-invasive meters by virtualizing the voltage channel -- effectively allowing the meter to calculate power as if it could directly measure voltage (since true power requires sample-by-sample multiplication of current and voltage measurements acquired with tight timing constraints). Collectively, these improvements result in a new design point that meters resistive loads with 0.6 W average error and a range of reactive and switching loads with 2.2 W average error -- matching commercial, mains-powered solutions.

Interconnection meter socket adapters

Abstract: Interconnection meter socket adapters are provided. An interconnection meter socket adapter comprises a housing enclosing a set of electrical connections. The interconnection meter socket adapter may be configured to be coupled to a standard distribution panel and a standard electric meter, thereby establishing connections between a distribution panel and a user such that electrical power may be delivered to the user while an electrical meter measures the power consumption of the user. An interconnection meter socket adapter may be configured to be coupled to a DC-AC inverter, which may be coupled to various energy sources. As such, the energy sources are coupled to an electrical power system. In addition, a connector such as a flexible cable or flexible conduit containing insulated wires can be provided for connecting various energy sources and/or sinks.

Smart meter led probe for real-time appliance load monitoring

Abstract: —Non-intrusive load monitoring of domestic appli-ances has received steady interest in the last twenty years, firstbecause of interest from energy companies interested in usagestatistics for power balancing and, more recently, in order toassist users in tuning their habits for reduced power consumption.We discuss how this concept can be used in real-time with acheap, easy-to-install device based on Arduino to monitor theusage of domestic appliances and thus the activities of personsinside their home. The device is presented, complete with freesoftware and hardware, and a proof-of-concept web-based userinterface is depicted that is able to discriminate very simpleactivities.Index Terms—Arduino, energy meter, NIALM, AIDL, appli-ance usage detection I. R EAL - TIME NON - INTRUSIVE APPLIANCE LOADMONITORING Load monitoring of domestic appliances has received steadyinterest in the last twenty years, both due to the attentionby energy companies interested in using statistics for powerbalancing and, more recently, in assisting users in tuningtheir habits for reduced power consumption. Home automationnetworks for smart energy [1] have the potentiality to becomethe main energy management tools to reduce residential energyconsumption, but often they require a common communicationinfrastructure among the household appliances. Whereas newappliances could be manufactured with the necessary com-munication and control systems, existing appliances wouldneed to be modified. This aspect leads to the need for anon-intrusive, low cost and easy-to-install electrical end-useappliance load monitoring system for buildings.The term Non-Intrusive Appliance Load Monitor (NIALM)was introduced in the early nineties [2] to identify the tech-nique for disaggregating the entire electric load of domes-tic houses into major end uses. The main idea of NIALMsystems is to obtain appliance-specific time and power drawcharacteristics by disaggregating the information collected atthe main breaker level (or at a circuit breaker level) [3]. Inorder to do this, a hardware installation (sensor and dataacquisition system) that can detect the selected features, isrequired. Commercially available off-the-shelf sensors existon the market, such as The Energy Detective (TED)

Inelegant remote anti-electricity-stealing inspection method

Abstract: The invention discloses an inelegant remote anti-electricity-stealing inspection method and belongs to the field of measurement. According to the method, a fore-meter CT is arranged in front of an intelligent electric meter; a wireless current detection unit is arranged on a high-voltage line to be monitored; a magnetic-field detection unit and a high-frequency detection unit are arranged in the intelligent electric meter; an anti-electricity-stealing inspection host is arranged; a CPU of the anti-electricity-stealing inspection host receives current data, detected by the wireless current detection unit, of the high-voltage line to be monitored through a Zigbee module, extracts a fore-meter current and the collected current of the intelligent electric meter from the fore-meter CT and the intelligent electric meter, finds out an under-current electricity stealing event and specific links through comparison, finds out an under-voltage electricity stealing event by reading voltage data from the intelligent electric meter, and detects strong magnetism and high-frequency interference in the intelligent electric meter through magnetic field detection and high frequency detection; once the electricity stealing events happen, the CPU uploads a result to a monitoring center through a GPRS module. The method can be widely applied to the field of anti-electricity-stealing inspection of high-voltage power supply lines or low-voltage power supply lines.