Research Title: ‘Plug Alert’: A Realtime Arduino-Based Power Regulation and Monitoring

Device

Rationale of the Study:

The researcher decided to propose this idea as he believes that the approach towards the
preservation of the energy consumption in the world that we live in should not only be focused
on choosing the alternative energy options. They believe that through constant regulation and
monitoring of the certain appliances present in our homes, we could be more conservative on the
manner on how we consume electricity. An additional background on why the researcher
decided to formulate this product is due to him coming from a middle-class family where the
monthly billing of electricity often comes as a surprise. Through the creation of this product, he
can regularly check the power consumption and its corresponding billing price which can help
the family regulate their energy expenditure.

Objectives:

The researchers decided to develop Plug Alert’: An Arduino-based power regulation and
monitoring device to fulfill the following objectives:

i. To design and develop the device with consideration to the stated qualifications namely,

- Accurately determine the power consumption for the certain appliance

- Display the measured power through the OLED screen

- Relay the gathered data to the smartphone application

ii. To test the accuracy of the device to the monthly billing issued

iii. To determine the significant difference between the user’s energy consumption approach
before and after using the product
Conceptual Framework

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework for ‘Plug Alert’

According to Conte and Landy (2009), the Input–Process–Output (IPO) diagram provides
a framework for conceptualizing teams that suggest that many factors influence a team's
productivity and cohesiveness. It provides a way to understand how teams perform, and how to
maximize their performance. With this study, the researcher decided to include the raw materials
necessary to complete the project such as, the metal casing wherein the components will be
placed and the Arduino microcontroller which will serve as the brain for the contraption, as the
input. For the second column, the step-by-step procedure is included. It is noticeable that the last
part of the process is the stage of conducting various tests to ensure the accuracy of the product.
Lastly, the proponent aims to fulfill the output and develop a device satisfying the objectives and
classifications mentioned.
Definition of Terms

These terms were either conceptually or operationally defined for better understanding of
the readers.

Arduino microcontroller. A microcontroller commonly used as a tool for controlling

electronics by reading inputs and turning it into outputs (Yida, 2019). With this project, this
serves as the brain as it interprets the data given by the current sensors and relays this
information both towards the OLED display and the BLYNK application.

BLYNK. The BLYNK platform is a smartphone application the focuses on the

interaction between the device used by the user and the microcontroller used. The owner can
design the application fitted to the created prototype. This application is used for the mechanism
as one of the outputs for the data gathered.

Computer Aided Drawing. According to Bernstein (2020), computer aided drawings or

CAD are tools used by engineers, architects, and construction managers as a replacement to
manual drafting. He also added that through the rise of these applications, better approaches on
2D and 3D visualizations are accomplished. The researcher decided to use Autodesk’s AutoCAD
to design the bottom and upper casing for the ‘Plug Alert’.

Current. Defined as the electron flow caused by the electromotive force, current is
simply the electrical charge in motion. The project uses an ACS712 current sensor as it is
suitable for the microcontroller used. This device works under the Hall-Effect principle and is
capable of measuring from 5 to 30 amperes.

Electrical Expenditures. Sellero (2019) stated that the expenses circulating the amount
of power generated by the household and the rate per kwh corresponds to the electrical
expenditures. The researcher decided to include this factor in the output for the user to see the
real-time amount that equates the power consumed.

OLED Display. As expressed by Monney (2021), Organic Light-Emitting Diodes or

OLED displays feature a more emissive sense as compared to its LCD counterpart. For the
research, these displays serve as the output for the data interpreted by the microcontroller.
 Power Consumption. Power is defined as the amount of energy used to perform a
certain task. When the activity is recorded within a specific period, power consumption is then
calculated. For the researcher, accurately measuring the power consumption is one of the most
important objectives. It does not only reflect the rate of expenditure for each appliance, but it is
also an integral part for calculating the electricity expenses.

Conceptual Literature

From the earliest periods of history until today, the pursuit of finding answers on trivial
mathematical problems have been pursued by esteemed mathematicians and scientists. To aid
their journey, a certain machine was constructed and innovated through the years – the computer.
As Zimmerman (2017) stated on his timeline of the history, the primary purpose of developing
such devices is to help resolve the number-crunching crisis developed due to the constant rise in
population in the United States.

The history circulating around the development of computers that we use nowadays
started by the introduction of wooden punch cards to make the creation of woolen fabrics
automated (Calvello, 2019). She also added that through this concept, Charles Babbage, the
father of modern computer, first created a steam driven calculating device. Throughout the years
of innovation, the staggering growth of computers have been evident. Nowadays, different
variants have emerged from powerhouse companies such as Google and Apple that serves the
same purpose of the computer and even more.

In line with the rise of computers, various inventors also discussed the process of
developing microcontrollers – often associated as single-chip computers or computers on a chip.
Despite performing on a lower level than regular computers, these microcontrollers can store,
calculate, interpret, and even display the given data on a medium. Based on the studies
conducted by Smith in 2017, the usage of these devices ranges from the automobiles industry
towards the common household items such as refrigerator and even televisions. Due to this
capability, the knowledge circulating this tool can be very useful for future innovations.

One of the most famous microprocessors on the market revolve around Raspberry Pi and
Arduino modules. The significant difference between these powerful chips is the manner on how
the researchers use it. Raspberry pi can be called as a ‘minicomputer’ as it can fully run an
operating system. It is more complex than the latter as it has functioning memory boards,
processors, and graphics drivers. On the other part of the spectrum, Arduino modules are
commonly used by DIY enthusiasts on making much simpler machines that revolve around
doing one specific task (Teja, 2021). Budget wise, it is also relatively cheaper to buy the Arduino
products rather than the Raspberry Pi.

There is a huge variety for the features on how an Arduino module can be used both for
experimental and leisure purposes. As Ravi Teja stated in 2021, there are various sensors that are
capable of being connected on these modules. These components are the ones who gathers data
and sends it towards the Arduino microcontroller for interpretation. Among these is the reed
switch module which detects the presence of magnetic fields. A passive infrared sensor or PIR
sensor is also often linked with Arduino projects especially ones used for safety purposes as it
can detect motion. Another module associated for the betterment of the society is MQ2 Gas
sensor which can determine the amount of smoke and other gases in the surrounding.

For electrical related Arduino projects, there are also different set of sensors available for
using. Some of these products include the automation of streetlights whenever there are no
people around. This would lessen the energy consumption for the product as it can prevent the
continuous usage if it is unnecessary. Another application revolves around the automated
measuring of voltages with the help of an ADC or an Analog Digital Converter.

Research Literature

Energy crisis has made the life of common people much difficult. This situation is
evident in Pakistan which is basically due to the inefficient policies of government’s rate of
inflation. Based on the study conducted by Nepra Pakistan (2009), it stated that the Pakistani
government should renew its current policies about energy crisis. Government failed in
controlling these ongoing phenomena and they had not done much to tackle this shortfall of
electricity. It is because the government prefers to use rental power plants and has done nothing
for searching alternate sources even though they have large coal reserves (News, 2010).

Another reason for this energy crisis is the lack of future planning. Sifat Shah (2010) said
that the government has totally failed to plan for what will happen in the future with the
increasing demand of electricity. Government should have planned to overcome this crisis in the
future, they had done nothing for searching alternate sources to produce electricity. This directly
affects the electricity rates of the whole country. One way to resolve this is finding alternative
energy plans and installing new energy generation plants for the provision of energy to common
people and mostly to those that are in the middle and low class at accessible rates.

The Philippines is also aware to the threats of energy depletion. According to Manila
Times writer Lagare (2018), there is a sudden rise of power consumption on the country from
90,798 GWh to 94,370 GWh, which amounts to a 3.93% increase. This increase can lead to the
scarcity of the supplies of energy thus limiting the production of electricity. This gives birth to
certain phenomena such as mass power outages and “summer brownouts”.

The Department of Energy also addressed the issue of electricity shortage as it estimates
that the country will need to triple its generation capacity by 2040 to meet the demand of the
vibrant economy. Although this steadfast growth is beneficial to our society, it also mirrors the
lack of capacity for the government to keep its electricity generation pace. Based on the studies
of Clarete (2018), the looming energy shortage is one of the Department of Energy’s hurdles as it
goes hand in hand with the developments to the country.

Aside from the integration of different renewable and alternate energy sources, another
factor that can help a local household in cutting down their power consumption is through
installing home energy monitors. According to Aimee Tweedale (2021), the ability to keep track
the real time amount of power consumed can be considered as the first step into cutting the
carbon footprint and electrical expenditures of a household.

There are various home energy monitoring devices that were researched on the previous
decade. As Nadeem and Uddin (2012) stated on their paper ‘EnergySniffer: Home energy
monitoring system using smart phones’, there are various products on the market such as TED
monitors and Watts Up that are established in delivering the amount of the power consumed.
However, they also added that each of these devices have their particular drawbacks such as
TED’s inability to measure the individual measurement for each appliance and the installation
problems regarding Watts Up.
 On the other hand, the team of Diana, Paramasivam, Thillainathan, and Zeynal (2014)
opted to develop their home engine monitoring through using the physical hardware of
Programmable Logic Controllers (PCL) and the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
(SCADA) systems. They developed the product to monitor the real time amount of power
consumed which is not only limited on a specific household but can be applied to a
neighborhood.

The product with the most similarity to ‘Plug Alert’ is developed by James Fletcher and
Weeratunge Malalasekera in 2016 which is entitled as ‘Development of a user-friendly, low-cost
home energy monitoring and recording system’. The project uses raspberry pi, a microcontroller
with more complex functions than an Arduino module, to determine the overall energy
consumption. However, the monitoring system developed by the proponents rely on using nodes
on electrical wirings which will trigger the device that an appliance is running. This principle is
different from the proposed product of the researcher as they rely on using current sensors and
the calculation of the actual power developed.

Force Field Analysis

Figure 2. Initial Force Field Analysis

 The figure above shows an initial force field analysis to determine various concepts
amidst the product that needs to be strengthened or weakened. Based on the forces to change or
the factors that can affect the development of the product, the researcher stated that the fast-
growing energy crises on the whole world is a huge factor for the creation of the product. They
also added that another primary reason to make the research is to lessen the monthly electricity
expenditures. ‘Plug Alert’ also serves as one of the steps needed to home automate the household
of the user. On the other hand, there are various drawbacks that limits the proponent. Among
these is the price of the product, the idea that using renewable energy is better than plain power
consumption monitoring and that the lessening of the monthly billing relies solely on the user’s
response towards the product. As seen on the force field analysis, the total score for the two
facets is equal. To address these drawbacks, the researcher decided to stress out that buying the
product is an investment for the longer run. They can also add specific calculations on the results
and discussion that can greatly steer the opinion of the user for the product. By doing this
change, the ‘Price of the product factor’ is then reduced to 2 points only. Another aspect that the
researcher can improve upon is including science driven data on the related literature regarding
the psychological effect of home energy monitors towards the users. This addition can lower the
‘relies solely on the effect towards the user’ aspect to 3 thus changing the total score to 9. These
changes can uplift the forces to change in comparison to the forces against change.

Figure 3. Modified Force Field Analysis