Exploring Cost–Comfort Trade-Off in Implicit Demand Response for Fully Electric Solar-Powered Nordic Households

This paper proposes a household energy management system for all-electric households, focusing on the interplay between cost savings and occupant comfort through an implicit demand response programme. A sequential multi-objective optimisation model is developed based on the lexicographic approach, allowing for the effective prioritisation of objectives. The model optimally schedules a diverse range of electricity demands using real-world data from a Norwegian pilot household to evaluate its unique flexibility potential, while remaining adaptable for other regions. This includes integrating thermal and non-thermal demands with electric mobility via vehicle-to-home enabled electric vehicle charger. This approach achieves significant cost savings on energy bills and enhances user comfort across aggregated comfort indicators. Multiple scenarios are designed to evaluate the performance of the proposed demand response under diverse pricing mechanisms. Results indicate that transitioning from variable pricing to fixed pricing can lead to lower average electricity costs and higher average user comfort. The analysis reveals that prioritising occupant comfort can substantially increase electricity demand, resulting in a nearly fourfold rise in average annual expenses, while also leading to a decrease in self-consumption and self-sufficiency. Additionally, the study illustrates how grid tariff adjustments can benefit households and support the development of local renewable energy.