Automated Residential Energy Audits Using a Smart WiFi Thermostat-Enabled Data Mining Approach

Abdulrahman Alanezi, Kevin P. Hallinan and Kefan Huang
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Abdulrahman Alanezi: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering/Renewable and Clean Energy, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA
Kevin P. Hallinan: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering/Renewable and Clean Energy, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA
Kefan Huang: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering/Renewable and Clean Energy, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: Smart WiFi thermostats, when they first reached the market, were touted as a means for achieving substantial heating and cooling energy cost savings. These savings did not materialize until additional features, such as geofencing, were added. Today, average savings from these thermostats of 10–12% in heating and 15% in cooling for a single-family residence have been reported. This research aims to demonstrate additional potential benefit of these thermostats, namely as a potential instrument for conducting virtual energy audits on residences. In this study, archived smart WiFi thermostat measured temperature data in the form of a power spectrum, corresponding historical weather and energy consumption data, building geometry characteristics, and occupancy data were integrated in order to train a machine learning model to predict attic and wall R-Values, furnace efficiency, and air conditioning seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER), all of which were known for all residences in this study. The developed model was validated on residences not used for model development. Validation R-squared values of 0.9408, 0.9421, 0.9536, and 0.9053 for predicting attic and wall R-values, furnace efficiency, and AC SEER, respectively, were realized. This research demonstrates promise for low-cost data-based energy auditing of residences reliant upon smart WiFi thermostats.

Keywords: smart WiFi thermostats; energy auditing; residential; energy characteristics; energy savings (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: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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