Television usage recommendations for energy efficiency: A Probabilistic methodology based on the Wasserstein distance

F. Rodríguez-Cuenca, E.F. Sánchez-Úbeda, J. Portela, A. Muñoz, V. Guizien, A. Veiga, A. Mateo

Energy Vol. 322, pp. 135410-1 - 135410-13

Summary:

This paper presents a general and interpretable methodology for delivering personalized energy-saving recommendations to household televisions. TVs, though often overlooked, account for 7% of household energy consumption, ranking as the fourth most costly category. The methodology extracts five easy-to-understand scalar features from historical TV energy consumption data, each representing a key usage aspect: OFF consumption, ON consumption, Daily Consumption, Session Duration, and Schedule of Consumption. It then employs a probabilistic approach based on the Wasserstein Distance to compare these features across TVs. Based on this comparison, two methods—percentage and elbow— are introduced for identifying TVs with significant deviations by feature, accompanied by tailored recommendations.

The methodology is applied to case studies in Spain (RC4ALL project) and the UK (REFIT dataset), with results compared. The percentage method flags 60% of TVs (15 in RC4ALL, 12 in REFIT), while the elbow method flags 56% (14 TVs) in RC4ALL and 40% (8 TVs) in REFIT. Selected TVs in RC4ALL show greater deviations, with ON power 2.5 times and OFF power 16 times above normal, compared to 2 and 7 times in REFIT. TVs’ extended daily usage and long sessions raise health concerns. This methodology can also be applied to devices beyond TVs.

Spanish layman's summary:

Este artículo propone un método probabilístico para recomendar estrategias de ahorro energético en televisores domésticos, usando la Distancia Wasserstein para comparar consumos. Analiza cinco factores clave para detectar excesos. Validado en España y Reino Unido, es adaptable a otros dispositivos.

English layman's summary:

This article proposes a probabilistic method to recommend energy-saving strategies for household televisions, using the Wasserstein Distance to compare consumption. It analyzes five key factors to detect excesses. Validated in Spain and the United Kingdom, it is adaptable to other devices.

Keywords: Recommender system; Energy saving; Occupant behavior; Household appliances; Wasserstein distance; Data-driven

JCR Impact Factor and WoS quartile: 9,000 - Q1 (2023)

DOI reference: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2025.135410

Published on paper: May 2025.

Published on-line: March 2025.

Citation:
F. Rodríguez-Cuenca, E.F. Sánchez-Úbeda, J. Portela, A. Muñoz, V. Guizien, A. Veiga, A. Mateo, Television usage recommendations for energy efficiency: A Probabilistic methodology based on the Wasserstein distance. Energy. Vol. 322, pp. 135410-1 - 135410-13, May 2025. [Online: March 2025]