Analyzing Domestic Energy Behavior with a Multi-Dimensional Appliance-Level Dataset

Data, in its purest nature, has an authority on the systems it accompanies by feeding an accurate representation of the observed reality. In energy efficiency, the underlying motivation for big data efforts revolves around the intrinsic need to understand end-user electric energy consumption and means to improve it. Hence, developing a rich, detailed, and realistic power consumption dataset entails a deliberate process of preparing the data collection environment, configuring proper Internet of Energy (IoE) sensors and managing the collected data. In this work, a novel power consumption dataset is presented in efforts to improve the state-of-the-art of energy efficiency research in buildings. The dataset is also accompanied by a two-dimensional (2D) counterpart produced using Gramian Angular Fields (GAF) that creates pictorial summaries from one-dimensional (1D) data. Data acquisition is carried out using the ODROIDXU4 edge computing hub, Home Assistant software, and a collection of smart plugs and sensors. A notable use case is presented to signify the merits of the data and its analysis tools to achieve computationally efficient classification.