Hybrid ILM-NILM Smart Plug System

TL;DR

This paper proposes a hybrid load classification system combining non-intrusive and intrusive methods by extending smart plug solutions to multiple loads, aiming to reduce costs and improve control granularity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hybrid approach that connects multiple loads to a single smart plug, addressing a common household scenario and balancing cost with control capabilities.

Findings

Reduces system installation costs by grouping loads under one smart plug.

Enhances load classification accuracy through hybrid method integration.

Addresses practical household scenarios often overlooked in existing research.

Abstract

Electrical load classification is generally divided into intrusive and non-intrusive approaches, both having their limitations and advantages. With the non-intrusive approach, controlling appliances is not possible, but the installation cost of a single measurement device is cheap. In comparison, intrusive, smart plug-based solutions offer individual appliance control, but the installation cost is much higher. There have been very few approaches aiming to combine these methods. In this paper we show that extending a smart plug-based solution to multiple loads per plug can reduce control granularity in favor of lowering the system's installation costs. Connecting various loads to a Smart Plug through an extension cord is seldom considered in the literature, even though it is common in households. This scenario is also handled by the hybrid load classification solution presented in this paper.