Enhancing Power Efficiency in Meeting Rooms of Commercial Buildings Using Smart IoT Devices

Inefficient manual control of Air Conditioning (AC) units is a significant source of energy waste in meeting rooms, particularly in commercial buildings. To address this issue, we propose a cost-effective solution using the M5StickC IoT development kit, equipped with an Infrared (IR) emitter and a Real-Time Clock (RTC) for automating AC operation. This system eliminates the need for manual intervention by synchronizing with Google Calendar to detect scheduled meeting times, automatically turning the AC on before meetings and off afterward. Further enhancing energy efficiency, a Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor monitors human presence near the AC unit, allowing it to deactivate during periods of inactivity. Additionally, a simple web service is developed which enables users to easily track room occupancy and AC status remotely. Tested with a Gree AC unit in a meeting room, the solution achieved significant energy savings, demonstrating its potential as a highly effective and economical approach to reducing electricity consumption.