A new heuristically optimized Home Energy Management controller for smart grid

•A new HEM controller is designed with four heuristic algorithms: BFOA, GA, BPSO, WDO.•A new hybrid algorithm; GBPSO 9s also proposed.•GPSO has run essential home appliances in RTP environment.•Experimental results prove that electricity cost is reduced and curtails the PAR.•GBPSO based HEM controller performs better for cost reduction and PAR curtailment.

Recently, Home Energy Management (HEM) controllers have been widely used for residential load management in a smart grid. Generally, residential load management aims to reduce the electricity bills and also curtail the Peak-to-Average Ratio (PAR). In this paper, we design a HEM controller on the basis of four heuristic algorithms: Bacterial Foraging Optimization Algorithm (BFOA), Genetic Algorithm (GA), Binary Particle Swarm Optimization (BPSO), and Wind Driven Optimization (WDO). Moreover, we proposed a hybrid algorithm which is Genetic BPSO (GBPSO). All the selected algorithms are tested with the consideration of essential home appliances in Real Time Pricing (RTP) environment. Simulation results show that each algorithm in the HEM controller reduces the electricity cost and curtails the PAR. GA based HEM controller performs relatively better in term of PAR reduction; it curtails approximately 34% PAR. Similarly, BPSO based HEM controller performs relatively better in term of cost reduction, as it reduces approximately 36% cost. Moreover, GBPSO based HEM controller performs better than the other algorithms based HEM controllers in terms of both cost reduction and PAR curtailment.