Smart Buildings as Smart Loads: A Real-World Methodology for Demand Management in the Smart Grid

Nasrallah, Mahmoud; Abdelaleem, Ahmed; Amer, Tarek; Abdelmoniem, Ahmed; Nagy, Omar; M. Abdo, Omar; Okasha, Ali; Nagar, Mohamed; Abied, Abdallh; El Sayed Taha, Hussein; Abdelzaher Kamel, Youssef; Mohamed Mahmoud, Ibrahim; Shams Eldien Mahmoud, Soad; Hassam Gad Almowla, Hossam; Mabrouk Ibraheem, Ibraheem; Abdullhameed Khalifa, Muhammad; Khalaf Zakhary Moharb, Michael; Mahmoud Ali, Fatma

doi:10.21608/svusrc.2025.389578.1288

Smart Buildings as Smart Loads: A Real-World Methodology for Demand Management in the Smart Grid

Document Type : Original research articles

Authors

Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of South Valley, Qena, Egypt

10.21608/svusrc.2025.389578.1288

Abstract

In recent times, energy demand on the grid has significantly increased, impacting its stability, reliability, and service continuity. One contributing factor is that many buildings—both old and new—lack modern electrical equipment, devices, and control technologies. To address this, the paper presents two case studies: the transformation of an existing traditional building (the Faculty of Engineering in Qena) into a smart building, and the design of a new two-level smart office building in Qena. Both cases involve replacing outdated electrical systems with smart devices and implementing advanced control technologies such as KNX. Additionally, both buildings are powered by on-grid photovoltaic (PV) systems. The methodology section outlines the detailed steps for converting a traditional building into a smart one and designing a new smart office building. The smart loads (smart buildings) improve the load efficiency and the grid performance by reducing demand, and are the first step to make the grid a smart grid with its benefits. This paper offers a comprehensive view of smart building development. Theoretical results, supported by real data, validate the proposed approach and confirm the effectiveness of the smart building methodology.

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