Overview of non-intrusive load monitoring and identification techniques

Load monitoring and identification is a method of determining electrical energy consumption and operation condition of individual appliances based on the analysis of composite load measured from the main power meter in a building. They can supply information such as type of load, electricity consumption detail and the running conditions of the appliances to both the consumer and the utility. The information can be used to formulate load plan strategies for optimal energy utilization. Load monitoring techniques can generally be grouped into intrusive and non-intrusive load monitoring. Intrusive load monitoring provides accurate results and would allow each individual appliance's energy consumption to be communicated to a central hub. However, this method is costly because of the number of equipment to be manufactured and installed. This has prompted the introduction of non-intrusive load monitoring system. Non-intrusive load monitoring is cost effective and convenient means of load monitoring since it requires lower equipment due to fewer components to install and smaller space requirements. This paper is concerned with the overview of different load identification and monitoring techniques for energy management focusing on non-intrusive load monitoring.