Strom API calls can be adjusted so that it works for a city of your choice.

Weather Location

To change the location for weather data:

  1. Modify the city parameter (YourCity) in the API call in get_weather_data(): 
    call_str = "https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/forecast?q=YourCity&appid=" + API_KEY

Electricity Price Country

To change the country for electricity prices:

  1. Modify the country code in get_prices(): 
    country_code = 'XX'  # Replace with your country code

Scheduling

For automated operation, consider setting up a cron job (Linux/Mac) or Task Scheduler (Windows) to run main.py at regular intervals. Our recommended cadence is once an hour.

Further Details

Data Collection

Weather data is fetched from OpenWeatherMap for Barcelona by default. The system:

  • Gets 3-hour forecast data
  • Interpolates to create hourly temperature forecasts
  • Converts temperatures from Kelvin to Celsius

Price data is fetched from ENTSO-E for Spain by default. The system:

  • Gets day-ahead market prices
  • Converts prices to €/kWh
  • Aligns timestamps with weather data

Optimization Logic

The optimization uses convex programming (via CVXPY) to determine when to heat based on:

  1. Objective Function: Minimize electricity cost while maintaining comfort
  2. Constraints:
    • Indoor temperature must stay above minimum threshold
    • Thermal dynamics model (heating power, heat loss rate)
    • Initial temperature conditions

The optimization can run in two decision modes:

  • Relaxed: Allows continuous values between 0-1 (partial heating)
  • Discrete: Binary decisions (on/off)

And two optimization types:

  • Optimal: Minimize monetary cost
  • Baseline: Minimize temperature deviation from target

Thermal Model

The system models building thermal dynamics with these parameters:

  • heat_loss: Rate at which the building loses heat to the outdoors (°C/hr per °C difference)
  • heating_power: Rate at which the heater can increase indoor temperature (°C/hr)
  • min_temperature: Minimum acceptable indoor temperature (°C)