Interpreting human activity from electrical consumption data through non-intrusive load monitoring

Abstract

Non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) has three distinct advantages over today's smart meters. First, it offers accountability. Few people know where their kWh's are going. Second, it is a maintenance tool. Signs of wear are detectable through their electrical signal. Third, it provides awareness of human activity within a network. Each device has an electrical fingerprint, and specific devices imply associated human actions. From voltage and current measurements at a single point on the network, non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) disaggregates appliance-level information. This information is available remotely in bandwidth-constrained environments. Four real-world field tests at military micro grids and commercial buildings demonstrate the utility of the NILM in reducing electrical demand, enabling condition-based maintenance, and inferring human activity from electrical activity.