Enabling Sustainable Smart Homes: An Intelligent Agent Approach

Smart homes can offer significant benefits to residents. Specifically, their combination with electric vehicles (EVs) can support environmental sustainability, as they can use part of their battery to cover household consumption needs. We present a Mobility Integrated Energy Management IS artifact that supports a smart home owner’s decisions with regard to using household appliances and charging electric vehicles. The artifact offers personalized energy consumption recommendations based on individual characteristics using information available. We observe that by adopting it, owners reshape their energy consumption curve and can save on their electricity bill. At the same time they create benefits for the electricity grid by reducing peak demand and increasing sustainability. We conclude by offering energy policy recommendations with regard to EV and smart home appliances adoption rates.