IEEE 802.15.4-based Home Automation Networks for demand-side energy management come at a time when other standards for wireless home automation are becoming ubiquitous. Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN) is capable of providing low-cost, easily available home automation infrastructure, and hence it's natural for IEEE 802.15.4 to well integrate into HAN (Home Area Network) energy management applications as well. These Ad-hoc home automation networks let homeowners and utility companies to communicate in real time and manage energy consumption collaboratively, especially during times of peak demand. This research proposes a self-configuring, self-healing and easy-to-deploy home area network architecture that enables demand-side energy management. In such an infrastructure network, appliances can be dynamically added in the network in ad-hoc fashion and continue to communicate with Home Area Controller. This enables the collection and distribution of power consumption information to home users and the utility companies for time-of-day pricing information, demand-response actions, and remote service disconnects. Utilities can save significant amount of resources by not having to build new power generation plants and avoid CO2 emissions. Additionally, homeowners can benefit by lowering bills and gain ability to monitor and control the energy usage to avoid rolling blackouts.
