Non-intrusive Electricity Sub-metering in Selected Households in Qatar

Abstract

Per-capita electricity consumption in the Gulf region is one of the highest in the world due to high disposable incomes, year-long need to air conditioning, and energy subsidies. Electrical consumption data and load profiles of major household appliances are crucial elements for demand response programs which aim to reduce electricity consumption. In this study, we choose three typical villa-type accommodation in the State of Qatar and deployed multiple smart energy monitors to gain insights about energy consumption patterns. Measurement study covered the first five months of 2019 and the data is recorded at every five minutes. Electricity bills of all houses are subsidized by their employees, hence, results provide an opportunity to reveal the impacts of subsidies on consumption patterns. The analyses show that air conditioning (AC) and water heater loads are the major electricity consumers and significant demand savings can be achieved by introducing applications for them. To the best of author's knowledge, this is the first study conducted in the Gulf region that presents the measurement of appliance-level electricity consumption.