A semantic representation of energy-related information in future smart homes

With the ever increasing device count and the introduction of pervasive computing in residential homes, naturally also the energy demand constantly rises. Currently, much effort is put in counteracting this development by making appliances more energy efficient. However, a still widely neglected potential for energy savings resides in the use, control and interaction of facilities. To reach their full efficiency during operation, a comprehensive software system that orchestrates all energy facilities in the home is needed. Such a solution also provides an integration point for decentralized energy production systems and smart grid applications. To operate successfully, the system has to be aware of a multitude of different energy parameters and facilities as well as providers in order to make energy efficient decisions on behalf of the user, thus aiding in the realization of an eco-friendly operation of the smart home. In this work, such a smart home knowledge base is realized following the Web Ontology Language (OWL) standard. Its structure makes all knowledge easily available to the smart home system and considerably supports the control processes with its inherent logic.