  In recent few yearsWireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have seen an increased
interest in various applications like border field security, disaster
management and medical applications. So large number of sensor nodes are
deployed for such applications, which can work autonomously. Due to small power
batteries in WSNs, efficient utilization of battery power is an important
factor. Clustering is an efficient technique to extend life time of sensor
networks by reducing the energy consumption. In this paper, we propose a new
protocol; Energy Consumption Rate based Stable Election Protocol (ECRSEP). Our
CH selection scheme is based on the weighted election probabilities of each
node according to the Energy Consumption Rate (ECR) of each node. We compare
results of our proposed protocol with Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy
(LEACH), Distributed Energy Efficient Clustering (DEEC), Stable Election
Protocol (SEP), and Enhanced SEP(ESEP). Our simulation results show that our
proposed protocol, ECRSEP outperforms all these protocols in terms of network
stability and network lifetime.
