Development of an Energy-Efficient Smart Socket Based on STM32F103

Many efforts have recently been dedicated to developing smart sockets that seek to provide insights into the reduction of standby energy waste coupled to electric appliances. However, not all technical solutions consider the techno-economic benefits in the development. This research presents a hardware solution based on STM32F103 (STM32F103 devices use the Cortex-M3 core, with a maximum CPU speed of 72 MHz) for the development of an energy-efficient smart socket to address the standby energy waste of household electric appliances and associated economic losses. Input-output analysis on monitored voltage and current was employed to assess the performance and examine the precision of the developed system. As it was targeted at facilitating easier operation, the smart socket was developed to be compatible with other remote controllers of household electric appliances. Experimental results indicated that the developed system could measure voltage values accurately to avoid overvoltage for security protection. The measuring unit could monitor current values with high precision to support the energy-saving control. A functional testing was conducted on the prototypes with a lifecycle assessment employed to validate the economic attractiveness of the developed system. Results indicated that the system is user friendly and cost-effective as no extra wiring required and network environment independent. Indeed, indirect fruits, such as lifespan extension and safety enhancement, could also be achieved for appliances.