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Development of an Arduino-based automated household utility power

monitoring system

Conference Paper · November 2014

DOI: 10.1109/HNICEM.2014.7016233

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 7th IEEE International Conference Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology
Communication and Control, Environment and Management (HNICEM)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) – Philippine Section
12-16 November 2013 Hotel Centro, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

Development of An Arduino-Based Automated

Household Utility Power Monitoring System
Alan L. Vergara, Harreez M. Villaruz
Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology,
Iligan City, Philippines
alan.vergara@g.msuiit.edu.ph, harreez.villaruz@g.msuiit.edu.ph

Abstract—This work develops an automated household utility
power monitoring system and data logging in real-time. It utilizes
the Arduino Uno Rev3 Microcontroller board intended for use in
conjunction with the ATmega328 chip. For monitoring these
parameters, it will be connected to a current transformer
through the current and voltage sensor circuit. The system will
convert these raw data to digital input for data acquisition and
will log these to an SD card by the SD/MMC shield module for
data retention in case of power failures. The system is also
equipped with DS1307 serial RTC (Real-Time Clock) chip which
is responsible for providing real time clock and date needed in
the data logging operation. Results and findings indicated that
the device has indeed successfully performed its desired function
as an automated household utility power monitoring system. As
such it will display in real-time, the consumed average power in
watt along with its price. This will serve as an assessment
parameter in order to measure the acceptability, performance
relative to functionality, and marketability of the accomplished
technology.
Keywords— automation, microcontroller, power management,
power monitoring system, power utility.
I. INTRODUCTION
Since time immemorial household utilities remain one of
the most important priorities among the basic needs of the
family most especially in these present times where enabling
technologies play significant role in everyday lives. However,
there are expected trade-offs in the use of powered
technologies which contributes the bulk of the monthly
expenses of regular families that affects their economic
stability. As such influence the family’s capability to
sustainable development due to budget constraints. Power
consumption overheads spoil budgetary allocations due to
irresponsible and unmonitored utilities, thus compromising
budgetary concerns. Coupled with the increasing cost of power
consumption, economic household capabilities are definitely
affected that lead to chaotic financial management. Moreover,
the demand for comfort and economic status of the family
compels the use of more powered appliances without
consciously considering the effects of over utility. Hence,
monitoring and control of power utilities are of utmost priority.
The electrical power systems are highly non-linear,
extremely huge and complex networks. Such electric power
systems are unified for economic benefits, increased reliability
and operational advantages. Real-time monitoring of power
quality necessitates great abilities of data-handling and data-
processing. These requirements limit the possibility of
monitoring, in spite of the fact that microprocessor-based
monitoring systems have observed vital development in their
storage and computational power. Reference [1] suggests that
the development of compact algorithms benefits power quality
in the following two ways: 1. allow monitoring of more points
simultaneously for large systems, 2. help in building powerful
embeddable monitoring architectures within small power
devices, such as a breaker, motors, or power drives. The
modern electric equipment includes performing on-line
monitoring and diagnosis systems based on microcontrollers.
The electrical equipment, being characterized by small time
constants and high risk, impose major efforts in order to
develop competitive monitoring systems [2].
Moreover, according to [3] everyone wishes to save energy
and money. Minimizing your monthly electricity bill is a good
place to start. What makes it difficult is that your bill only tells
the total amount of electric energy that was consumed during a
long time window, typically one month. Hence, testing the
effect of a change in behavior as an energy consumer is not
practical. A working solution would be to frequently log the
values from your energy meter to a notebook, and then draw a
graph to reveal the before-after effect. But things like this need
to be automated to become practical. The use of a home
personal computer to build a measuring device that can be
attached to an electric meter may be feasible to undertake.
However, the use of microcontroller may be more practical
than the use of personal computer as such may also be cost
effective.
A study on microcontroller-based power utilities tending
machine was utilized for sports utility monitoring. The study
aimed to explore the use of microcontroller in tending machine
particularly as it is utilized to tender sports lighting facility in
an open court. However, the study encountered problem such
as input noise occurrence in the prototype. Due to these,
technical recommendations are being made such as to
eliminate input noise in the prototype; the output wiring of the
coin slot should be twisted to distribute evenly the capacitance
 7th IEEE International Conference Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology
Communication and Control, Environment and Management (HNICEM)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) – Philippine Section
12-16 November 2013 Hotel Centro, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

and inductance of the line. The output device driver should be
Solid State Relay (SSR) to drive an external load to eliminate
external noise produce by electro-mechanical relay that may be
consequently sensed by the input interrupt of the
microcontroller as legitimate data thus, changing the playing
lighted time set [4].
There are other applications of microcontroller-based
control and monitoring, some are utilized in instrumentation
and control where measurement and monitoring of temperature
of a closed-loop system is vital in an oven. The same
microcontrollers are used in the educational and entertainment
mobile robotics was utilized to establish autonomous control
and other embedded systems. The use of these microcontrollers
may also be explored to establish measurement and monitoring
of household power utilities to effectively track down real time
power consumption.
of task using the Arduino microcontroller will be programmed
accordingly as shown in Fig.2, the system block diagram along
with the arduino sketches. The Arduino-based microcontroller
will utilize the open-source software or the Arduino sketch
which is the piece of software that runs on the Arduino.
The principle on how the device works begins from taking
raw data using the current transformer from the AC main line
which is then converted as digital input to the Arduino
microcontroller. By accessing the registers for both the voltage
and current channels sequentially and scaling these according
to the calibration done during the testing of the device. Arduino
will then process the data to get the updated power consumed
and its corresponding price. These are then displayed on the
LCD section of the device. Thus, this device will allow the
consumer to monitor its power consumption from time to time
and eventually help him manage his electric bill.

II. DEVELOPMENT OF THE POWER MONITORING SYSTEM

A. Data Gathering
This section involves the investigation of the related studies
and literature to come up with an Arduino-based automated
household utility power monitoring system. Benchmarking
activities were conducted to gather significant information on
various locally made microcontroller-based power monitoring
system while technical related literature were explored to
reinforce the design concept of the study. In conjunction, the
locally distributed electrical bills were also studied thoroughly
to get the pricing per average watt electrical consumption since
the generation charges, transmission charges, distribution
revenues, government revenues and other charges were not
clearly emphasized on the bill.
B. Power Monitoring System Design and Simulation
This section deals with the design and simulation
processes of the device in order to develop the complete
prototype of the Arduino-based microcontroller in accordance
to the application as an automated household utility power
monitoring system. The system circuit design of the device, as
shown in Fig.1, is designed to perform monitoring of real-time Fig 1. System Circuit Design
power rate consumption. The hardware will be using Arduino
microcontroller board, labeled as A, which will act as the
central controlling device which will be correspondingly
interfaced with an SD/MMC shield device, labeled as B; 20x4
LCD display, labeled as C; 4x4 keypad, labeled as D; Real
Time Clock (RTC), labeled as F; and the Sensor Circuit design,
labeled as E, that includes the AC voltage measurement and
AC measurement.
Modules are mounted together with the Arduino
microcontroller board on Printed Circuit Board or PCB layout
that comprise the overall assembly and desired complete
prototype. Testing and troubleshooting will be conducted to
check the proper operation and functionality of each sections of
the device using an experimental board. While Simulation and
compilation includes the development of algorithm intended
for the overall functionality of the device where actual coding Fig 2. System Block Diagram
 7th IEEE International Conference Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology
Communication and Control, Environment and Management (HNICEM)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) – Philippine Section
12-16 November 2013 Hotel Centro, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

However, it is important to note that after the data was measure and give the equivalent price of the power consumed
acquired from these registers, the Arduino microcontroller was by the household. It is by then very much important to check
put to sleep for approximately 9600 milliseconds since it was the ability of the voltage and current sensors to work
stated in the corresponding datasheet that the required time for accurately. Below are the simulation results of the above
the voltage and current channels to be fully stabilized at 100% mentioned sensors.
of its reading was approximately 9600 milliseconds. Therefore,
before the device would proceed in acquiring the next set of A. Simulation Results
values the device has to wait for the specific time. Using the Proteus 7 Professional (ISIS program) the designed
circuit sensors were simulated. Fig3 shows the Proteus
C. Power Monitoring System Development simulation of the voltage sensor and its oscilloscope reading on
Each module is developed separately and each of which is Fig4. On the other hand, Fig5 shows the Proteus simulation of
evaluated individually before it is interfaced with the main the current sensor with its oscilloscope reading on Fig6. Both
board. The size of the prototype area was also considered in the circuit shows acceptable readings.
development to fully utilize the area while accommodating the
Arduino Uno Microcontroller board along with its modules, its
external supply and its wire connection to computer interface
which is used to program the board. Thus, it must be properly
placed for it to be accessible for connection. The placement of
the SD/MMC Shield Circuit must also be considered for the
SD card slot to be easily accessible for the user. The first slot is
for the data acquisition and analysis for the monitored data
utilizing the Microsoft Excel Program for graphing through
personal computer (PC) while the second slot is for backing-up Fig 3. Proteus Simulation on Voltage Sensor Circuit
the file for accessing. The 20x4LCD with I2C Interface must
be connected correctly to its corresponding pins to the main-
board for GND (ground), VCC (+5V DC), SDA (DATA) and
SCL (Serial Clock). The 4x4 Keypad Matrix is connected to
proper combinations of rows and columns to its exact keys, this
can be obtained by checking the output example. Keypad
program using the serial monitor of the Arduino IDE Program.
The Voltage AC-AC adapter used 9Vac output as an
Analog Voltage Source that is plugged in directly to the AC-
main line. The Current Transformer is connected to one of the Fig 4. Oscilloscope Output on Voltage Sensor Circuit
line of AC main wire. It is both biased with correct values of
resistor before connecting to the analog pins of Arduino Uno
that contributed the signal for voltage and current (RMS
values) computing the real power as well as computing the
total power consumption of a single household.
D. Evaluation and Analysis
The most important output of this work is its ability to
measure in real time the consumed power through time and its
corresponding price. Moreover, this work is designed to have
data logging capabilitie. The software developed in the Fig. 5. Proteus Simulation on Current Sensor Circuit
Arduino sketch will be built around the interpretation of the
data which is stored in the SD card. The software will primarily
acts as a plotter for the logged data. It will simultaneously plot
all the line parameters that are saved. The main program of
Arduino sketch include the data logging development to plot
voltage and current against a recorded time <time.h> and date
< DS1307RTC.h> that are all dump in a single .CSV file.

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Fig. 6. Oscilloscope Output of Current Sensor Circuit
Considering the main function of this automated
household utility power management system, which is to
 7th IEEE International Conference Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) – Philippine Section
B. Power Monitoring System Development
After the careful system circuit design, circuit simulations
and testing of the developed system prototype shown in Fig7,
the PCB lay outing is done as shown in Fig8. Then follows the
etching, and fabrication, to make the complete hardware
prototype of the AHU-PMS as shown in Fig9 and Fig10. The
Arduino Uno Rev. 3 Microcontroller, SD/MMC shield,
DS1307 RTC Clock (RTC), 20x4 LCD with I²C (Inter-
Integrated Circuit) Interface), and Standard Matrix Key Pad
4x4 Flat “Numerical Shape” must be properly mounted to each
specified pin headers assignment located in the PCB layout.
The Sensor Circuit (Current and Voltage Sensor) was carefully
soldered directly in the PCB. Cautious with attentive soldering
of these types of components was done to ensure the integrity
of the overall device. Also, make sure that the copper paths
must be checked by performing a continuity test on each node
to ensure circuit integrity. The pin assignment of Analog
INPUT and Digital OUTPUT signal of the Arduino board is
checked to its corresponding interface of each device as the
circuit is set-up in the experimental board (breadboard) for
testing and interfacing.
Fig 7. Complete internal components of the AHU-PMS.
Fig 8. System PCB Layout
Communication and Control, Environment and Management (HNICEM)
12-16 November 2013 Hotel Centro, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines
Although the libraries of each device can be easily
downloaded, it’s important to change and setting up the
initialization of pins in the program proper where it is located.
The Prototype is tested in actual measured values of signal in
the Analog Pins (A3 and A4) of the Arduino board.
In details, the main device as shown in Fig9 and Fig10,
shows all the components which are required for data
acquisition, data logging, keypad application, real-time clock,
and sensor circuit functionality which is needed to capture the
raw data. It includes a current transformer used for current
measurement and a 9Vac adapter for the voltage measurement.
A 9Vdc was used as a power supply for the Arduino
Microcontroller.
C. Calibration
In order for the device to provide the consumer with
the results that has the least errors, the raw data acquired from
the initial testing of the device was scaled and calibrated
according to the dumped data (estimated measurement) from
different resistive and reactive loads with varying magnitudes.
This final step of this part is very crucial to the actual
performance of the device. Numerous data were dumped
during testing with loads that yielded distinct results.
Fig 9. Internal components of the AHU-PMS based on its PCB layout.
Fig 10. The final AHU-PMS package.
 7th IEEE International Conference Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology
Communication and Control, Environment and Management (HNICEM)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) – Philippine Section
12-16 November 2013 Hotel Centro, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

A Phase Shift value of 1.7 is measured from the Voltage average watt of 217.637 a change from 964.719 expected
and Current phase angle calibration. This is because of standby-mode of electrical appliances would still affect the
inductive and capacitive loading, which makes the ac mains price, because time was directly proportional to the price.
voltage and current are sometimes out of phase. So when a CT
is used, the measured current has a phase lead (or lag) over the
original current. Fig11 shows the Proteus simulation of the
voltage sensor circuit where the V(in) and V(out) phase shift
is equal to 3.4µs. This is shown by oscilloscope output shown
in Fig12. Thus, providing phase shift angle 1.7 for current and
the voltage. All those values mentioned are used in compiling
the main program reflecting the exact calculations of voltage
and current through RMS (root-mean-square) values for
accurate energy monitoring.
Fig. 11. Phase Shift of Voltage Sensor Circuit in Proteus Simulation
D. Evaluation and Analysis
The Table 1 shows a corresponding graph on the result of
testing on the first reading (10 minutes, 30 minutes, and 1
hour) respectively. A refrigerator, Sony component, and a
Lenovo laptop served as the electricity loads at this time.
While in Table 2, an electrical loads comprised of Lenovo
laptop, 40” LED TV, ceiling fan, 20 watts fluorescent lamp, 5
pieces of 5 watts firefly bulb, desktop computer, and the .5 HP
air conditioning unit are used for the second reading (6 hours,
and 12 hours). Based on the experimentation, testing, and
software debugging, the device served its purpose in Fig. 12. Phase Shift Oscilloscope Output in Proteus Simulation
performing as an automated household utility power
monitoring system in real-time with its reflected price.
The consumption in watt was the apparent power
produced by the electrical loads and not the overall total
household consumption as shown in Table1 and Table2 during
the period of testing varied according to the corresponding
real-time monitoring. It is clearly stated that at 2:30-2:35 with

TABLE 1. FIRST READING RECORDED FROM THE POWER MONITORING SYSTEM

Electrical Loads:
Refrigerator, Sony Component, Lenovo laptop
Consumption
Date Time Price
(in average watt)
10/7/2013 11:33-11:43 154.319 0.289
10/7/2013 11:49-12:18 147.798 0.957 Fig. 13. Real-Time Graph for the first reading good for 1 hour
10/7/2013 12:18-13:17 146.133 2.388

TABLE2.SECOND READING RECORDED FROM THE POWER MONITORING SYSTEM

Electrical Loads:
Refrigerator, Lenovo laptop, 40” LED TV, ceiling fan, 20
watts fluorescent lamp, 5 pieces of 5 watts firefly bulb,
desktop computer, and the .5 HP air conditioning
Consumption
Date Time Price
(in average watt)
10/7/2013 13:25-2:30 964.719 28.998
10/7/2013 2:30-2:35 217.637 90.48
Fig. 14. Real-Time Graph for the second reading good for 12 hours.
 7th IEEE International Conference Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) – Philippine Section
Price always updates through time, in terms of decimal
point or small figures of change at this time interval. As time
was increasing, the price also increased. Hence, Table 2 shown
a lower consumption in watt but there was an increased of
price.
IV. CONCLUSION
Based on the results and discussions, the researchers
concluded the following:
• First, the development of an Arduino-based
microcontroller is proven necessary in automating and
monitoring the household power rate consumption in real-
time and displayed through human-machine interface thus
providing the immediate visual information of the
consumer.
• Second, the device performance was measured through a
series of testing, configuration, experimentation, and
calibration. The device was able to come up a ±10%
accuracy in real-time measuring compared to the actual
billing of the Electric Company. Thus the device was
performing well.
• Finally, when you look at the advantages and
disadvantages of the Arduino-based over conventional-
based cited as well as the cost of materials invested on the
device it is very practical to use the prototype over the
conventional way.
V. RECOMMENDATIONS
For further research directions, the following
technical considerations are recommended:
• A further duration of testing should be conducted to set
the exact derive factor value computation of pricing from
actual electric bill on the basis of standard amount really
reflected. The researcher found out that there were
differences on the monthly computation of electric bill as
shown in Table 2 based on the ILPI customer ledger.
• It was found out that the standard matrix keypad 4x4 flat
“numerical shape” needed additional circuit interface to
synchronize for data logging.
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Communication and Control, Environment and Management (HNICEM)
12-16 November 2013 Hotel Centro, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines
• An overall household total of KWH consumption should
be included in the main program and reflected with the
real-time price.
• Further testing should be conducted in order to get the
precise price calculation of 100% accuracy.
• A survey should be conducted to evaluate the system’s
performance of the household power utility system based
on acceptable assessment instrument that focuses on its
acceptability, performance and marketability.
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