PlugID: A Platform for Authenticated Energy Consumption to Enhance Accountability and Efficiency in Smart Buildings

Raphael Machado (), Leonardo Pinheiro, Victor Santos and Bruno Salgado
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Raphael Machado: Clavis Segurança da Informação, Praia do Flamengo, 66, Sala 1607, Rua Aloísio Teixeira, 278—Prédio 3—Sala 307—Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro 22210-030, Brazil
Leonardo Pinheiro: Clavis Segurança da Informação, Praia do Flamengo, 66, Sala 1607, Rua Aloísio Teixeira, 278—Prédio 3—Sala 307—Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro 22210-030, Brazil
Victor Santos: Green Hat Segurança da Informação, Praia do Flamengo, 66, Sala 1607, Rua Aloísio Teixeira, 278—Prédio 3—Sala 309—Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro 22210-030, Brazil
Bruno Salgado: Green Hat Segurança da Informação, Praia do Flamengo, 66, Sala 1607, Rua Aloísio Teixeira, 278—Prédio 3—Sala 309—Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro 22210-030, Brazil

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-18

Abstract: Energy efficiency in shared environments, such as offices and laboratories, is hindered by a lack of individual accountability. Traditional smart metering provides aggregated data but fails to attribute consumption to specific users, limiting the effectiveness of behavioral change initiatives. This paper introduces the “authenticated energy consumption” paradigm, an innovative approach that directly links energy use to an identified user. We present PlugID, a low-cost, open-protocol IoT platform designed and built to implement this paradigm. The PlugID platform comprises a custom smart plug with RFID-based authentication and a secure, cloud-based data analytics backend. The device utilizes an ESP8266 microcontroller, Tasmota firmware, and the MQTT protocol over TLS for secure communication. Seven PlugID units were deployed in a small office environment to demonstrate the system’s feasibility. The main contribution of this work is the design, implementation, and validation of a complete, end-to-end system for authenticated energy monitoring. We argue that by making energy consumption an auditable and attributable event, the PlugID platform provides a powerful new tool to enforce energy policies, foster user awareness, and promote genuine efficiency.

Keywords: authenticated energy consumption; smart plug; energy efficiency; Internet of Things; user accountability; RFID authentication; smart buildings; energy monitoring; MQTT over TLS; behavioral energy management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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