Smart Energy Usage for Vehicle Charging and House Heating

In northern Europe the electricity price is set by hourly rates one day in advance. The price fluctuates due to supply and demand, and these fluctuations are expected to increase when solar and wind power are increased in the energy system. The potential in cost reduction for heating a house and charging of an electrified vehicle by using a smart energy management system in a household is investigated. Dynamic programming is used and a simulation study of a household in Sweden comparing this optimal control scheme with a heuristic controller is carried out. The time frame in the study is one year and a novel way of handling the fact that the vehicle is disconnected from the grid at some times is developed. A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is considered, but the methodology is the same also for pure electric vehicles. It is found that the potential in energy cost reduction for house heating and vehicle charging is significant and that using a smart energy management system is a promising path of cost reduction, especially with the introduction of electrified vehicles.