Design and Construction of IoT Power

Control System With Metering For

Homes

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

A significant amount of technological development has taken place in this field of home
automation. Initial mobile-based home automation systems utilized Java-based boards, central
computers, and servers. Later, Bluetooth, RFID, cellular network, and Wi-Fi technologies were
utilized in home automation systems, along with Arduino and Raspberry Pi integrated into
Android phones. In recent times voice control over the internet, cloud networking, and wireless
communication have been utilized for home automation systems. Latest trends include Machine
Learning algorithms and Block-Chain technologies for enhancing communication, reliability,
and security, and the setting up of an intelligent home automation system employing integrity of
the network. A Raspberry Pi with a Python interface, on the other hand, is an economical,
efficient, and scalable method with excellent user experience.

The term Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the collective network of linked devices and the
technology that facilitates communication between them. Home automation is one of the best
examples of IoT as it seamlessly integrates consumer electronic gadgets, such as cameras,
kitchen appliances, lights, fans, air-conditioners, etc., to each other via the internet. The wireless
network approach towards IoT-based smart homes - employing a Raspberry device and Python
coding offers cost-effective and scalable solutions which can be easily maintained and preserved.
It results in numerous benefits such as security and continuous monitoring of our homes, energy
conservation, and addresses entertainment, comfort, and lifestyle aspects also. This project on
designing and constructing an IoT Power control system with metering for our homes examines
the practical trials and effectiveness of an economical home automation system. Through a
Raspberry Pi and Python web-based interface home automation system, the users operate their
home devices and manage their energy consumption. Using an electricity usage monitor, we can
measure and display the kWh consumed by each appliance. And in return, you can switch off a
device that may be consuming too much power through the application on your device
programmed by the Raspberry Pi 4. This is in tandem with the development of technology and
the continuous improvement of people's living standards, and people are pursuing automated,
intelligent, and convenient home control systems.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Home electronics can open up a new dimension in home automation, mainly when used with
Raspberry Pi. However, there are a few dangers and concerns when manually operating your
electricity from the main distribution box. This includes the risk of electrocution and the danger
of electrical fires if the components are not rated correctly. Another concern is the wastage of
electrical energy when the appliances connected to the mains are left on. The deplorable
economic situation of the country today has left homeowners looking for viable means to save on
electricity bills. This project dramatically tackles that aspect. With an electricity usage monitor
connected to the Raspberry Pi 4, a homeowner may be able to check the kWh consumed and
switch off said devices. It is true that every electrical appliance, even when on standby, still
consumes power, but this consumption cannot be compared to when the appliance is turned on.
So, therefore, the homeowner can save on energy bills and reduce any financial constraints
concerning his home’s electricity.

This design significantly reduces any health risk or wastage of energy by using commercially
available devices like smartphones and laptops for remote control. The power consumption is
monitored and controlled on your device, which enables you to have freedom of operation and
helps monitor and manage the energy consumption in your home.
1.3 AIM
The main objective of this project is to design and construct a control system that allows the
remote manipulation of the controls of home appliances. Additionally, we aim to enable the
homeowner to save and monitor the electrical energy consumption of home appliances. With the
state of the financial situation of the country and the world we live in today, we believe our
project will be a viable option for saving precious finances.

1.4 OBJECTIVES
i. To design and construct a system to control electrical appliances remotely based on the
Internet of Things technology.
ii. To use an electricity usage monitor to view your energy consumption rate via your device
iii. To construct a control system that will be of financial aid to homeowners in Nigeria and
beyond.
iv. To construct a control system that will be able to minimize and, in return, save energy
consumption.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

The users can monitor and control home appliances anytime, anywhere, making our houses more
automated and intelligent. Currently, the PC is used as the remote-control terminal for most
home control systems [however, there are some problems with the PC monitor terminal, such as
its great bulk, inconvenience to carry, high cost, limited monitoring range, and so on.] Therefore,
it is a good choice to design a terminal based on remote devices like your smartphone.
1.6 LIMITATIONS
i. The design operating effectiveness and performance is limited to the availability of power
supply.
ii. It is limited also to the availability of stable internet connection.
 CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 HOME AUTOMATION

When people think about home automation, most of them may imagine living in a smart home:
One remote controller for every household appliance, cooking the rice automatically, starting air
conditioner automatically, heating water for bath automatically and shading the window
automatically during night. To some extent home automation equals to smart home. They both
bring out smart living condition and make our life more convenient and faster. Early home
automation began with labor-saving machines. Self-contained electric or gas-powered home
appliance became viable in the 1900s with the introduction of electric power distribution led to
the introduction of washing machine (1904), water heater (1889), refrigerator, sewing machines,
dishwashers and clothes dryers. As per our survey currently there exists system neither at
cheaper rates nor easy to handle. Various systems are hard to install, difficult to use and
maintain. Current systems are generally proprietary, closed and not very user friendly based on
low-cost home automation system.

Previous Works - In their paper, Tan, Lee and Soh (2002) proposed the development of an
Internet-based system to allow monitoring of important process variables from a distributed
control system (DCS). This paper proposes hardware and software design considerations which
enable the user to access the process variables on the DCS, remotely and effectively rent
designations.

Potamitis, Georgila, Fakotakis, and Kokkinos’s, G. (2003) suggested the use of speech to interact
remotely with the home appliances to perform a particular action on behalf of the user. The
approach is inclined for people with disability to perform reallife operations at home by directing
appliances through speech. Voice separation strategy is selected to take appropriate decision by
speech recognition.

In the year 2006, S. M. AnamulHaque,S. M. Kamruzzaman and Md. Ashraful Islam proposed a
system entitled “A System for Smart-Home Control of Appliances Based on Time and Speech
Interaction” that controls the home appliances using the personal computer. This system is
developed by using the Visual Basic 6.0 as programming language and Microsoft voice engine
tools for speech recognition purpose. Appliances can be either controlled by timer or by voice
command.

Jawarkar, Ahmed, Ladhake, and Thakare (2008) propose remote monitoring through mobile
phone involving the use of spoken commands. The spoken commands are generated and sent in
the form of text SMS to the control system and then the microcontroller on the basis of SMS
takes a decision of a particular task.

Prof. Era Johri Dept. Of Information and Technology K.J.Somaiya College of Engineering
VIDYAVIHAR, MUMBAI in (2001) have successfully completed the project on “Remote
Controlled Home Automation”

2.2 METER CONTROL

In smart metering mechanism, the electronic power meter is utilized to fully remote control the
appliances, anti-tampering or anti-theft mechanisms, diagnostics, consumption and power peak
analysis, time-variable tariffs, fault alerts, and other possible instances. The use of the
“PowerLine Communication”, known as PLC or relevant wireless and wired types of
technologies for the connection of the service provider to the meter allows these aforementioned
features compatible and realistic with the future protocols of smart grid. Smart energy meters are
typically digital meters that work in substitute for the old analog meters many homes use for the
recording of their electrical use. Details of energy consumption can be transmitted by digital
meters frequently to the utility as opposed to the conventional analog meters that need transmit
the information using a meter reader. Home electric energy use is being recorded hourly or less.
With smart meters, monitoring your consumption is easier and accurate to enable you make any
informed decisions regarding the energy or controlling the use of energy. Some feature sets of
the meter are capable of notifying about power outage or enable the switching on or off of the
electricity service of the utility.

Previous Work - In this section, we have highlighted some of the previous works that are
relevant to the proposed design.
A) Design of an Automatic Meter Reading System: This project discusses the process of the
Automatic Meter Reading system (AMR), which is a programmable meter reading,
integrated, and control system as opposed to the usual telephone networks. As expected,
the AMR is an automated type of system, having a two-way system that enables utility
meter management and remote reading. The management processes and meter reading
are free from the involvement of humans. Efficiency, cost-effectiveness, speed, and
accuracy are different benefits from the adoption of AMR systems. The entire system
operates on the basis of the current telephone networks; consequently, anywhere a
telephone network is reachable, this service works. These are fully automatically and
electronically achieved, thereby putting an end to the semi-automatic (and manual) meter
entry and reading, reading errors, billing floats, and callbacks.

Automatic Meter Reading System

B) Data Reading from Smart Energy Meters in a Modern Metering Infrastructure: Data
frequently gathered through the conventional method from electricity meters on the basis
of people displacements have the tendency of being substituted from the electricity
meters, with respect to the people moving houses; have the tendency of being substituted
by modern solutions: the Automated Meter Reading and the drive-by. Drive-by is just the
mobile devices, moving close to the meters, gathering data. There are less personnel and
nothing like manual readings. Moreover, the AMR is the automatic collection of data
 directly from the meters and transferring it to a particular central computer. AMR has
benefits like subsidized costs to read meter, accessing meters easily, which can be
otherwise hard to access due to their security measures or positions, higher fraud
detection, real-time pricing supported, decreased read-to-bill time, and many more. Smart
meters are very essential to AMR. Asides from their conventional functions, reading the
consumptions requires smart meters to be capable of sending the readings directly across
the communication lines. Many advanced systems require the meter to identify
consumers’ address as well as the activation or deactivation of internal modules. The
required requirements must be satisfied by a meter, particularly for getting the data read
from the convention area of the meter as well as providing a response to the commands
provided by the lines. A particular infrastructure is required by the AMR. These include
the unidirectional system, which implies that there is a periodical sending of data by
meters, or could be bidirectional, where the possibility of getting the system managed is
added, an instance is the connection and disconnection of users, for the gathering of the
data directly from the meters based on set standards, for the grouping of the meters and
more. This infrastructure is regarded as Advanced Metering Infrastructure, represented as
AMI. AMI has a communication channel, which has to make sure the data collector
otherwise known as gateway and the data collector of the communication smart meter
otherwise known as gateway of the central computer exist. The solutions include the
wired solution or the wireless solution. The preferred solution has to consider the
distances that exist between the devices, while considering the current infrastructure and
associated financial implications.

C) IR Remote Controlled Home Automation: The IR based wireless type of communication

system for the control of home appliance is discussed in this work. The entire process is
controlled using Arduino. A few commands are sent with the use of IR DVD/TV/MP3
remote to controlling system of the AC home appliances. Public Information 12 When
the signal had been received from the IR remote, the related signal is sent by Arduino to
relays that are in charge of getting the home appliances switched ON or OFF with the
help of the relay driver. This is quite simple. A code is sent when a button is pressed on
 the remote just like train of encoded pulses. 38 Kilohertz of modulating frequency is
used. The TSOP1738 sensor receives the pulses and Arduino reads and decodes directly
to a hexadecimal value after comparing the decoded value with the pressed button’s
predefined hexadecimal value. Any match from this makes Arduino operate as expected
and the 16x2 LCD presents the corresponding result with the use of the suitable
commands.

Block diagram of IR remote controlled home automation.

D) SMS-based Reconfigurable Automatic Meter Reading System Most utility organizations

and engineers now popularly use the AMR system. Besides just substituting the manual
meter reading, AMR uses an automatic procedure, with lots of benefits, including
enhanced load profile, higher speed, real time energy cost, automatic billing invoice,
alarm warning, load management, tamper detection, and remote power switch on or off.
In the near future, AMR will become renowned. Presently, there is a constant evolvement
of AMR schemes. An integration of the benefits these digital energy meters provide
makes contemporary AMR systems very advanced, with adaptable features as opposed to
the past systems of many years ago. The emergence of these recent communication
 technologies, including their constantly reducing costs and competitive markets make the
traditional meter reading system extinction appear unavoidable.

SMS based system

Since the development of energy, conservation for homes and commercial buildings is
increasing, providing suitable methods to assess energy usage efficiently. Several efforts have
been made and are discussed in the literature part of this chapter. In our work, we have proposed
a simple, more economical solution for energy conservation. The method is implemented with
accurate calculation of line parameters, and can determine the various values like voltage,
current, power calculation and energy usage. In addition, the system is equipped with a Wi-Fi
module to control the appliance remotely. This would help the consumers with better options to
monitor the energy usage and at the same time, would have an option to control the home
appliances remotely. This low-cost solution is mostly suitable for domestic applications.
 CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION
In this chapter, we will discuss the research methodology, various design constraints and
available options for implementing the various stages of smart energy metering and remote
controlling of home appliances. This chapter focuses on the design steps of the energy meter
implementation.

Analysis of the Proposed System

The design and construction of an IoT power control system with metering for homes involves
the integration of different technologies to create an efficient and smart energy management
solution. The system comprises several components, including smart plugs, energy meters,
wireless communication, and cloud-based data analytics.

The IoT power control system provides homeowners with the ability to monitor and control their
energy consumption remotely. With the use of smart plugs and energy meters, the system can
measure the amount of energy used by different appliances and provide data to homeowners.
This information can help homeowners identify energy-hungry appliances and develop strategies
to reduce their energy usage.

The use of wireless communication technology enables the system to connect to the internet and
the cloud. This connectivity allows homeowners to access the system remotely through their
smartphones or web browsers. The cloud-based data analytics provide insights into energy
consumption patterns, cost-saving opportunities, and appliance performance. This information
can be used to optimize energy usage, reduce costs, and improve the lifespan of appliances.

Overall, the IoT power control system with metering for homes is an effective energy
management solution that can help homeowners monitor, control and optimize their energy
usage. The system provides real-time data, cost-saving opportunities, and remote control
capabilities, making it a valuable addition to any smart home. Some of the features are:

Some of the key features of an IoT power control system with metering for homes may include:

1. Relays - These are devices that can be attached to appliances to monitor and control
energy consumption remotely.
 2. Energy meters - These are sensors that can be installed in the electrical panel of a home
to measure energy usage.

3. Wireless communication - The system can use various communication protocols like Wi-
Fi, Bluetooth, or ZigBee to connect to the internet and the cloud.

4. Mobile app - A mobile application can be used to monitor energy consumption in real-
time, control appliances, and receive alerts and notifications.

5. Cloud-based analytics - The system can provide data analysis and insights on energy
consumption patterns, appliance performance, and cost-saving opportunities.

6. Scheduling - The system can allow users to schedule appliance usage during off-peak
hours when energy rates are lower.

7. Automatic power off - The system can automatically turn off appliances that are not in
use to reduce energy consumption and save on costs.

Overall, the features of an IoT power control system with metering for homes are designed to
provide homeowners with efficient and sustainable energy management capabilities. The system
can help users monitor and control energy consumption remotely, identify cost-saving
opportunities, and promote energy efficiency.

METHODOLOGY
The embedded system is an essential and digital system having a dedicated operation within a
massive electrical system or mechanical system, usually having real-time computing limitations.
It is incorporated as one of the complete devices, which usually include mechanical and
hardware parts. On the contrary, a personal computer or the general-purpose computer is made
flexible to satisfy the different needs of the end-users.

Most of the devices used nowadays are controlled by the embedded systems. The modern
embedded systems’ operations are on the basis of microcontrollers alongside peripheral
interfaces and/or the integrated memory, while the ordinary microprocessors (with the use of
external chips for the peripheral interface circuits and memory) remain popular, particularly in
complex systems. In any of these cases, there are different types of the processor(s) applied,
which include the general-purpose ones and the extremely specialized ones in specific
computation categories, or including the custom designed for the underworking application.
Generally, an energy or electric meter measures the quantity of consumed electric energy by an
entity (electrically powered device, residence or business). Typically, energy meters have
calibration in billing units – kilowatt-hour (kWh). The energy consumed and billing cycles are
set up by the periodic readings of the electricity meters amid a cycle. For the choice of energy
savings for a particular time, the settings of the meters can be used for the demand measurement,
including the maximum power used for a particular interval. Electric rates are allowed by “time
of day” metering to change during the day, for usage recording amid the off-peak lower-cost
intervals or the peak high-cost intervals. Additionally, other types of meters are designed with
demand response load, which shed amid peak load intervals. Since the 1880s when electric
energy spread commercially, it turned out to be extremely essential that an electric energy meter,
just like the gas meters around, was necessitated to appropriately get customers billed for the
energy costs, rather than being billed for a particular fixed lamp number each month. The
majority of the research kinds of meters were created. A DC electromechanical meter was first
operated by Edison alongside a straightforward reading register, but rather got the
electrochemical metering system designed, which made use of an electrolytic cell to sum up the
existing consumption.

A) Unit of Measurement: The simplest unit of measuring the electricity is the kilowatt-hour
[kWh], which is equal to the amount of power consumption used by a load of one
kilowatt over a period of one hour, or 3,600,000 joules. Power consumption is normally
measured in watts, but averaged over a period, most often a quarter or half hour. Reactive
power is measured in "thousands of voltampere reactive-hours", (Kw/h).
By convention, a "lagging" or inductive load, such as a motor, will have positive reactive
power. Only in the presence of external measuring pulse.
The number of pulses measured can be converted to current.
Number of pulses measured in 5sec = x
Number of pulses measured in 1sec = x/5;
Number of pulses measured in 60 sec = (60*x)
B) Hall Effect Based Measurements Technique: In the proposed design, the current used is
based on the Hall Effect sensor. The Hall Effect sensor-based measurement is a very
popular method for measuring magnetic field and can be found in many state of the art
devices for various applications. It may include vehicle speed as wheel speed, as motion
sensor, for motor speed measurements devices i.e., tachometer. MEMS compasses and
proximity sensors. In the Hall Effect sensor, current flows in a straight path in the Hall
Effect plate (sensor). If a magnetic field near the conducive plate is disturbed, the straight
flow of the charge gets disturbed and deflected to one side of the conducive plate and the
+ve charges on the other side of the conductive plate. Thus, a voltage difference is
created within the sensor and can be utilized to measure the speed of the motor.
The basic Hall Element of the Hall Effect magnetic sensors mostly provides very small
voltage of only a few microvolts; hence it is necessary to manufacture high gain built-in-
amplifiers within sensor IC.
 The Hall Effect sensor is connected with high gain amplifier within the IC and an analog
output voltage is obtained in the circuit. In the figure above, the output of the amplifier is
fed to the Schmitt trigger circuit. The Schmitt trigger circuit is a logic input type that
gives two different voltage levels, thus the output can be utilized as digital signal. The
output sensors provide 2 output states, either “ON” or “OFF”. This type of circuit is
useful to avoid noisy input and signals with abrupt and unexpected variation in the
signals.
The Hall Effect based measurement setup is very important to accurately determine,
provides a relatively simple method to measure the change in magnetic field, and can be
easily deployed in such applications. Because of its simplicity, low cost, and fast
turnaround time, Hall Effect sensor, based measurement techniques are indispensable in
the industry, research and in laboratories.

3.1 Hardware and Software Components Of Proposed Design

1. Hardware components:

Relays:

These are small devices that can be plugged into an electrical outlet and connected to an
appliance. These can monitor energy consumption and can be remotely controlled through
wireless communication.

A relay is an electrically operated switch. Many relays use an electromagnet to mechanically

operate a switch, but other operating principles are also used, such as solid-state relay. Relays are
used where it is necessary to control a circuit by a separate low power signal, or where several
circuits must be controlled by one signal. Relays were used extensively in telephone exchanges
and early computers to perform logical operation.
 Relay Board

A type of relay that can handle the high power required to directly control an electronic motor or
other loads is called a contactor. Solid state relay controls power circuit with no moving parts,
instead using a semiconductor device to perform switching. Relay calibrated operating
characteristics and sometimes multiple operating coils are used to protect electrical circuits from
overload or faults; in modern electric power systems these functions are performed by digital
instruments still called “protective relay”.

Channel Relay Board Description - 8 Channel Relay Board is a simple and convenient way to
interface 8 relays for switching applications in your project. Input voltage level supports TTL as
well as CMOS. Easy interface with Microcontrollers based projects and analog circuits.
Specifications:

● Input supply 12 VDC @ 336 mA

● Output eight SPDT relay
● Relay specification 5 A @ 230 VAC
● Trigger level 2 ~ 15 VDC
● Header connector for connecting power and trigger voltage
● LED on each channel indicates relay status
● Screw terminal connector for easy relay output and aux power connection
● Four mounting holes of 3.2 mm each
● PCB dimensions 152 mm x 60 mm
Energy meters

These are sensors that can be installed in the electrical panel of a home to measure energy usage.
The energy meter is a sensor that is installed in the electrical panel of a home to measure energy
usage. The energy meter works by detecting the electrical current flowing through the wires in
the panel and measuring the amount of energy consumed by the home.

Energy meters can be either analog or digital. Analog meters have a spinning disk that rotates in
proportion to the amount of energy consumed, while digital meters use electronic circuitry to
measure energy usage. Digital meters are generally more accurate and provide more detailed
information on energy consumption.

The energy meter in this design can be connected to the internet and send real-time data to a
cloud-based platform for analysis. The data collected by the energy meter can be used to provide
homeowners with a detailed breakdown of their energy consumption. This information can help
homeowners identify which appliances are consuming the most energy and take steps to reduce
their usage. The system can also provide alerts and notifications to homeowners when energy
consumption exceeds certain thresholds, helping them stay within their energy budget.

Overall, the energy meter is an essential component of an IoT power control system with
metering for homes. It provides critical data on energy consumption that can be used to optimize
energy usage, reduce costs, and promote sustainable energy management practices.

Current/Voltage Sensors:

This device acts as a bridge between the smart plugs and the cloud-based platform. It collects
data from the smart plugs and sends it to the cloud for analysis. In this project execution, we
have started our work by looking for voltage and current sensors. A number of sensors are
available online but it is hard to find them in the local market. We got SCT-013 & Voltage
sensor and design procedure and the selection of the rest of the components were based on this
sensor.
 ● Current Sensor
A current transformer (CT) is a type of transformer, which is used to measure
alternating current as shown in the figure below. It flows a current in its secondary coil, which is
proportional to the current in its primary coil. In this project, we have selected SCT-013 current
sensor.

Current Sensor

● Voltage Sensor
Voltage sensor made from the step-down transformer as shown in the figure below. It has high
accuracy for voltage and power measurement and it can measure up to 380V AC. It is simple
to use and highly accurate.

Voltage Sensor
Wireless Communication Technology:

The WiFi module is a crucial component in the design of an IoT power control system with
metering for homes. It provides wireless communication between the system components,
allowing data to be transmitted between the smart plugs, energy meters, gateway device, and
cloud-based platform.

Here are some ways in which the WiFi module is used in this design:

1. Connectivity: The WiFi module allows the smart plugs and energy meters to connect to
the internet and the cloud-based platform. This connectivity enables real-time data
transmission, allowing homeowners to monitor their energy consumption and control
their appliances remotely.

2. Remote Control: The WiFi module allows homeowners to remotely control their
appliances using the mobile app. For example, a homeowner can turn off an appliance
that was left on by accident using the mobile app. The WiFi module enables this
functionality by transmitting the control signal from the mobile app to the smart plug or
gateway device, which then sends the signal to the appliance.

3. Energy Management: The WiFi module enables the system to collect real-time data on
energy consumption and transmit it to the cloud-based platform for analysis. Machine
learning algorithms can be used to develop personalized recommendations to optimize
energy consumption, reduce energy costs, and promote sustainable energy management
practices.

4. Data Analytics: The WiFi module enables the cloud-based platform to receive data from
the system components, including energy consumption data from the energy meters, and
appliance usage data from the smart plugs. This data can be analyzed in real-time to
provide homeowners with detailed analytics on energy consumption patterns, appliance
performance, and cost-saving opportunities.
 5. Alerts and Notifications: The WiFi module enables the system to send alerts and
notifications to homeowners when energy consumption exceeds certain thresholds or
when an appliance is left on for an extended period. This feature helps homeowners stay
within their energy budget and avoid wasting energy.

Overall, the WiFi module is a critical component in the design of an IoT power control system
with metering for homes. It provides the necessary connectivity, data transmission, and remote
control capabilities required to create an efficient and sustainable energy management system.

The Wifi module used in this project is the ESP8266, which is a low-cost Wi-Fi chip with full
TCP/IP stack and microcontroller unit. This small module allows microcontrollers to connect to
a Wi-Fi network and make simple TCP/IP connection using Hayes style commands, The
ESP8266 with 1MiB of built in flash, allowing for single chip device capable of connecting to
Wi-Fi.

ESP8266 used in this project

The various features of ESP8266 WIFI MODULE are as follows: -

● Processor: L106 32-bit Reduced instruction set computer processor core based on

Tensilica Xtensa Diamond Standard 106 micro running at 80 MHZ*.

● 64 KiB of instruction RAM, 96 KiB of data RAM.

● External QSPI flash: 512 KiB to 4MiB.

● WPA/WPA2 authentication, or open networks.

LCD
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen is an electronic character display module and find a wide
range of applications as shown in the figure below. A 20x4 LCD display is very simple module
and is widely used in various devices and circuits. These modules are preferred over seven
segments and other multi segment LCDs.
The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is an essential component in the design of an IoT power
control system with metering for homes. It provides homeowners with real-time information on
the energy consumed by their appliances, helping them to monitor their energy consumption and
identify opportunities to optimize their energy usage.
Here are some ways in which the LCD is used in this design:

1. Display Energy Consumption: The LCD displays the energy consumed by each appliance
connected to the system in real-time. This information can help homeowners identify
which appliances are consuming the most energy and take steps to reduce their usage.
The display also allows homeowners to see the impact of turning off an appliance or
adjusting its usage patterns, enabling them to make informed decisions about their energy
consumption.

2. Display Cost Information: The LCD can also display the cost of the energy consumed by
each appliance. This feature enables homeowners to see the financial impact of their
energy consumption and make decisions based on both their energy usage and their
budget.

3. Display System Status: The LCD can display system status information, such as whether
the system is connected to the internet, whether the energy meter is functioning correctly,
and whether any appliances are currently turned on. This information can help
homeowners troubleshoot any issues with the system and ensure that it is operating
correctly.

4. User Interface: The LCD can also serve as a user interface for the system. For example, it
can display menu options for setting up the system, configuring the energy meter, or
adjusting the settings for individual appliances. This feature enables homeowners to
interact with the system directly and make changes as needed.
The LCD is an essential component of an IoT power control system with metering for homes. It
provides real-time information on energy consumption, cost, and system status, helping
homeowners to monitor their energy usage and make informed decisions about their energy
consumption.

2. SOFTWARE COMPONENTS

The software components used in the design of an IoT power control system with metering for
homes are crucial for the system's operation, data analysis, and management. Here are some of
the software components used in this design:

Mobile App:

A mobile app is a critical component of the system, allowing homeowners to control their
appliances, monitor their energy usage, and receive alerts and notifications. The mobile app
enables remote control of the appliances, collects data from the system components, and displays
real-time information on energy consumption and cost. The app also uses machine learning
algorithms to provide personalized recommendations to optimize energy usage and reduce costs.

Cloud-Based Platform:

The cloud-based platform is where the data collected from the system components is stored,
analyzed, and processed. The platform receives data from the energy meters, smart plugs, and
gateway device, allowing homeowners to view real-time information on their energy
consumption, appliance usage, and system status. The cloud-based platform uses machine
learning algorithms to analyze the data and provide personalized recommendations to optimize
energy usage, reduce costs, and promote sustainable energy management practices.

Firmware:
The firmware is the software that runs on the system components, such as the energy meters,
smart plugs, and gateway devices. The firmware is responsible for collecting and transmitting
data to the cloud-based platform, providing remote control functionality, and interfacing with the
LCD display. The firmware is also responsible for providing the necessary security measures to
protect the system from cyber-attacks.

Machine Learning Algorithms:

Machine learning algorithms are used to analyze the data collected by the system components
and provide personalized recommendations to optimize energy usage, reduce costs, and promote
sustainable energy management practices. The algorithms analyze the data on energy
consumption patterns, appliance usage, and cost, providing insights into how to reduce energy
usage and save costs.

Communication Protocols:

The communication protocols used in the system, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and Zigbee, allow the
system components to communicate with each other and the cloud-based platform. These
protocols ensure that the data collected by the system is transmitted securely and reliably,
ensuring that the system operates efficiently and effectively.

The software components used in the design of an IoT power control system with metering for
homes play a critical role in the system's operation, data analysis, and management. The software
components enable remote control of the appliances, collect and transmit data, provide real-time
information on energy consumption and cost, and provide personalized recommendations to
optimize energy usage and reduce costs.