Optimizing Energy Costs in Energy Communities: A Monthly Tariff Clustering Approach

In collaborative energy communities, optimizing energy costs is a critical aspect of sustainable management. This article explores the potential benefits of applying clustering algorithms to vary retail tariffs monthly, aiming to reduce energy bills for the community as a whole. The article compares a traditional approach of applying the same tariff to all community members throughout the year with a novel approach of dynamically changing tariffs based on monthly clustering results. A case study is conducted, wherein energy bill costs per month are analyzed under different tariff scenarios utilizing k-means clustering. Results indicate that the proposed approach yields promising reductions in energy costs, up to 8.76% (1170.18 EUR) improvement compared to the traditional method. The study contributes valuable insights into the practical application of clustering in energy community management and highlights the potential for significant cost savings through dynamic tariff adjustments.