Demand Response Strategies to Optimize the Design and Operation of a Residential Energy System Considering Loss of Comfort

Abstract Considering energy demand as part of an energy system optimization problem and not as a given input (as commonly done in the literature) allows for increased system flexibility with both economic and environmental benefits. Demand Response (DR) strategies influence both the design and operation of the energy system, and change the way end users consume energy, being potentially a source of discomfort. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of DR applied to the energy system of a residential user by considering all the following aspects: a detailed characterization of both electrical and thermal loads, the impact of DR on the design and operation optimization of the energy system, the effects of DR on user’s comfort. The goal is to quantify the energetic and economic performance of the system resulting from DR application and assess to which extent cost savings entail a loss of comfort for the user. A Mixed-Integer Programming (MIP) model of the residential multi-energy system is developed to optimize its design and operation while considering DR in both electrical and thermal loads. Ad hoc constraints are also defined to account for different propensities of the user to lose comfort because of the modified load schedule. Results emphasize the key roles of photovoltaic power production and electricity prices in driving DR and show how a small change in the scheduling of appliances entails higher cost savings than those deriving from accepting an indoor temperature up to 3°C lower than the desired value.