Background
Discuss about the “Energy management for Internet of Things in smart cities “.
Around the world, innovation is taking place in integration with the information and communication technologies (ICT) along with the physical infrastructure, which is set at highest priority for the government, so that they can pursue green and smart living for enhancing the efficiency of energy, environment protection, enhancement in quality of life and for bolstering the competitiveness of economy [1]. Currently, cities are facing various multifarious issues, in which fundamental problems relate to homes energy efficiency and residential dwellings as the primary requirement. Successfully attaining it with the assistance of contextual systems and intelligent sponsors can support in building the smart cities in coming time. Within the environment of smart homes, Management of home energy plays an integral role in exploring the appropriate as well as a relevant solution for curtailing the high demands and attaining the conservation of energy. This paper will discuss about three research methods that are helpful in understanding the research topic. Case study, survey and literature review will be conducted for understating the perception of respondents, case and previous literatures on similar topic.
There is an international trend as well as demand for the application of smart technology for minimizing the consumption of energy. As per Ashton (2010), heat production and electricity contribute to around 25% of the peak total international GHG emission proportion [2]. This depicts the significance as well as the energy of consuming sustainable energy to reduce the emissions. The present research will identify the household perceptions about the saving of energy and offer right analysis about the smart technology acceptance in households. This research aims to evaluate the stories of energy saving in households by smart homes, with the help of case study method. It will also assess the perception of households about saving energy by building smart homes through survey method. To analyse the loT smart city services, a literature review method will also be followed.
The primary purpose of conducting this study is to explore how the households living in smart cities are trying to save energy. To get the understanding about the research problem, the investigation will be developed, which will assist the research in moving towards the new aspects, because it’s not so easy to predict the outcome of the study, due to the different investigation environment. There are various possibilities linked with the study design and selecting the research approach like qualitative and quantitative. A qualitative and quantitative approach will be applied while reviewing the research topic through different research methods. Under the qualitative approach, research will be explained and deeply investigated. Data collection strategies that will be applied by researcher will be case study, survey with Smart homes households, as well as literature review. A research tool that will be used for collecting data will be a questionnaire, journals, and books.
Research Methods
Method 1- Case Study
Case studies related to the topic will be discussed, which have implemented the smart homes for energy saving in urban households. This case study will offer a right insight into how the smart technologies and smart homes can be used for energy saving [3]. This case will also be aligned with polices, and perception of consumers on saving energy.
Method 2- Survey
Survey method will include an online survey, which will be conducted for collecting the insight about the consumption of energy in households by viewing at the practical policies of the government for saving energy, use of smart technologies at houses, and perception of households about the saving of energy by constructing smart homes. Fifty households will be chosen for study, and questionnaire is sent through email. The questionnaire is also enclosed with the close-ended questions.
Method 3
The third method is the literature review method. In this method, two keywords will be used such as smart city and Internet of things for building the search query. Along with that scientific database will be explored for the appropriate topics like Google Scholar, IEEE Explore, and ACM Digital Library [4]. Before 2012, research on these topics was quite scared, but it is noted that since the beginning of 2013, the number has increased rapidly. There are more than 70% of the papers that were published between the years 2015-16 [11]. The main reason for its reduction in 2017 was that its review took place in January 2017. These data show us entirely new area of research in both the loT as well as smart city, as it’s the current buzzword, and with time it has a gain interest within the academic groups. Usually, many papers, somewhat around 58 papers were presented during the scientific conference, and 14 papers got published in book sections, journal articles as well as two papers.
Description of methods
Case Study
Kani and Nehir (2013) case included 246 attitudes of consumers towards saving of energy in 2009-10. This survey was held in China, and it was face to face. Between the years 2000-08, consumption of energy has risen in China [12]. To handle this problem, the government has come up with policies for increasing energy efficiency by enhancing the equipment of power plant and appliances of labelling. This leads to a positive effect on households as they could save money. Consumers were given with products that were energy efficient, but still, awareness was the big issue. It is essential to educate them and change their behaviour when they use these appliances [13]. The findings are related to the questionnaire, including awareness, knowledge, and pattern of behaviour. Outcome depicts the knowledge level among participants that energy is a real problem, but they had less information about saving energy. Youth were clear about policies of government and awareness was there about energy costing. In conclusion, this case depicts about the necessary awareness about policies and energy savings.
Case Study
Survey
Participants in the survey show the awareness related to households consumption of appliances, which includes water heater, air-conditioner, and washing machine. In context of viewpoint about the smart homes, participant’s shows that they were not convinced with the technology, that it’s capable enough in saving the energy as compared to appliances of energy efficiency [5]. Legislation of government is another aspect, which was accepted by participants. The government of China has implemented all these policies for increasing the efficiency of energy in households.
Literature review
After collecting the appropriate list of papers, all the papers were divided through the services of the smart city. All the literature were not restricted to the only individual smart city; that’s why individual papers were shown in different categories. Along with that, boundaries among the groups were not limited, as one specific smart city might be included in more than one category [6]. In these cases, author’s intention, categorizing services was explored as quite dominant. It is investigated that few categories like healthcare, accessibility, transport and traffic, monitoring of the environment, management of energy, public lighting, healthcare, management of waste, and city infrastructure. A loT is referred as the critical enabler as well as a smart city driver. It supports in offering the way for city sensing as well as its inhabitants and supports in gathering the vast quantity of information related to activities and city events.
Comparison of methods
Case study related to group explains the group behaviour, instead of any individual in the group. Nevertheless, when the case is used in the sense of abstract or either an argument or claim, then such case can be referred as the subject for various research methods, instead of just case study method [8]. Case study method also includes the quantitative and qualitative methods of research.
The survey is the method of gathering data through asking questions. In particular case, the survey is done face to face, or questionnaire can be mailed too, and respondents reply back to that mail. In some instances, the survey is also done through the telephone.
At one side, a case study is descriptive by its nature, and the survey is entirely predictive and descriptive by its nature.
A literature review method is referred as the stand-alone publication. It also comes under the case study, in which authors try to conduct a literature review [9]. Literature review in case studies strive to meet two functions such as, informs readers about the concepts required for analysing the paper, and for persuading the reader about the credibility of the research question.
Survey
Implication of methods
Smart homes in future will include all the advanced technologies that will impart user comfort as well as entertainment. It is analysed by the research methods that intelligent systems will be made available to make sure about the reliability and its ease. Through this advancement in technologies, future energy management need to be done. The local energy of users depicts the considerable amount of total demand for electricity [11]. Home energy system will also make use of rudimentary types of energy efficiency as well as management. Research explores that in near time households will need an adequate quantity of energy for their domestic purpose like lighting, cooking, communicating and heating. To enhance the living standards and health, it is essential that poverty should be reduced. Due to unavailability of modern energy, households will be most likely to turn towards other types of sources like coal.
Critical analysis of methods
All the three methods hold significance in some of the other ways. Case study mention has its importance as it discusses the research topic with the help of case, in which specific questions were formed and according the whole case moves on and discuss the concluding remark [15]. In case of an interview, data will be collected from participants. Face to face interview always help in getting more data, and facial expression can be noted about whom, who is taking the interview. In the last method, a literature review is helpful, as it helps in assessing previous journals and books.
Differences in viewpoints
The difference between the case study and survey is the case of degree, and it mainly includes the trade-off among the information generalizability and accuracy of details. Earlier, survey and case studies were referred as some different kind of research. Therefore, in some cases, case studies are highly intended as representative and relate with survey findings [10]. Case study method includes the logic, but fail to have a statistical reference. As per the research topic and method review, it is analysed that loT is the primary enabler as well as act as a driver of various services of the smart city. It also enables the transformation of previous city service towards the smart services. For doing the same, its complement and get collaborated with other advanced technologies like cloud computing and big data.
Case study findings depict the pattern of behaviour among consumers, which might not get a change just for saving energy. Though individual people claim to be concern towards energy saving or the environment, it is analysed that security, as well as comfort, play an essential role in the life of people [14]. The above research depicts the design and maturity gap in technology, as it fails in taking the behaviour of people and their views on the functioning of smart homes.
Literature Review
Case study
A case study based on energy management for loT in smart cities is quite narrow and includes limited generalization as well as representation. Case study method might even have the memory as well as judgment errors. It is analysed that it’s a subjective method instead of an objective method. Another limitation of this method is that it’s not at all easy, and no layperson can perform it. Because of the narrow study, the bases as well as narrowness might happen while investigating about the social unit. This method also relies on the situation and can even have the fixed investigation limits for the researcher [16]. It also has the limitation of cost as well as time consumption. As compared to other methods it takes more time and leads to more cost.
Survey
In case of survey method, most of the participant might not be aware of the reasons behind giving any answer, as they might lack knowledge about that subject or it can happen due to boredom. Surveys are mostly close-ended, and even hold low validity rate, and might have data errors because of non-responsive questions [14]. Participants that are selected to respond to questionnaire might be variant from the one, who is not elected; therefore, such situation leads to biases.
Literature review
The main limitation is that it is entirely relied on the previously published research as well as on the availability of studies, which use this method in search methodology, and for appropriateness of the study.
Ethical considerations
As per ethics, respondent’s dignity should be respected and should be given priority. Along with this privacy of respondents should be ensured [15]. It is essential that all the exaggeration and deception related to the research aim should be avoided [16]. No misleading information should be pass or nor it should be biased.
Conclusion
For the above research, it is analysed that survey, case study and literature review methods are applied for analysing the energy management through loT in smart cities. Various methods were included and critically analysed in this paper.
References
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