In this paper, we first introduce a general architecture of an energy management system in a home area network based on a smart grid. Then, we propose an efficient scheduling method for home power usage. The home gateway (HG) receives the demand response (DR) information indicating the real-time electricity price, which is transferred to an energy management controller (EMC). Referring to the DR, the EMC achieves an optimal power scheduling scheme, which is delivered to each electric appliance by the HG. Accordingly, all appliances in the home operate automatically in the most cost-effective way possible. In our research, to avoid the high peak-to-average ratio (PAR) of power, we combine the real-time pricing model with the inclining block rate model. By adopting this combined pricing model, our proposed power scheduling method effectively reduces both the electricity cost and the PAR, ultimately strengthening the stability of the entire electricity system.