Environmental service system and environmental service business

• US 20030033165A1
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Air Conditioning Systems Co., Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Air Conditioning Systems Co., Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Kazuhiko, Tojo, Kenji
• Application Number:
  US10/212,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20030033165A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

An environmental service business-entity designs at least one of a unit for heating a space or target space higher than an outside-air temperature and a unit for cooling the target space lower than an outside-air temperature, the target space having been defined between the business-entity and a client. The business-entity guarantees that the quality of environment including the temperature of the target space will be maintained in a range determined in consultation with the client. This condition substantially guarantees the total cost that results from assessing both an initial cost and a running cost. Accordingly, the user finds it easier to introduce an environmental facility without risk.

Claims

1. An environmental service system, comprising:

at least one of means for heating a space higher than an outside-air temperature and means for cooling said space lower than an outside-air temperature, said space having been defined between a client and said system, wherein a quality of environment including a temperature of said space, is maintained in a range determined in consultation with said client, a consideration being acquired in correspondence with said maintained quality of environment.

2. The environmental service system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said consideration is determined in correspondence with a contracted temperature of said space and a performance record of energy consumption.

3. The environmental service system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a basic rate of said amount of the consideration is determined based on a contracted temperature of said space and is increased or decreased in correspondence with a difference between a set-up value and a contracted value, said set-up value being set up by said client, as required.

4. The environmental service system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said amount of the consideration is determined in association with a size of said space and a range of a contracted temperature of said space.

5. The environmental service system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said amount of the consideration is determined based on an energy expense needed for maintaining said quality of environment of said space.

6. An environmental service system, comprising:

at least one of means for heating a space higher than an outside-air temperature and means for cooling said space lower than an outside-air temperature, said space having been defined between a client and said system,

means for monitoring a quality of environment including a temperature of said space,

control means for controlling said heating means or said cooling means so as to adjust said quality of environment of said space on a basis of monitor information by said monitoring means and a set-up value of said quality of environment of said space, and

means for judging, on a basis of said monitor information by said monitoring means, whether or not said quality of environment of said space has been maintained in a range determined in consultation with said client, and for calculating a consideration in correspondence with said maintained quality of environment.

7. The environmental service system as claimed in claim 6, wherein, if said set-up value of said quality of environment has been set up outside said range determined in consultation with said client, after a lapse of a constant time-period from said set-up, said control means restores said set-up value of said quality of environment back to within said range determined in consultation with said client.

8. The environmental service system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said set-up value of said quality of environment is of said temperature of said space.

9. The environmental service system as claimed in claim 6, wherein, if a set-up value of said temperature of said space has been set up outside said range determined in consultation with said client, said consideration calculating means increases or decreases said consideration in correspondence with a difference between said set-up value and a contracted value.

10. The environmental service system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said consideration calculating means, which is installed under a management of an environmental service business-entity, is connected to said monitoring means in a communicable manner via a communications network.

11. The environmental service system as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least one of said monitoring means, said heating means, and said cooling means includes communications means, said communications means collecting data on said quality of environment and operation states of said heating means and said cooling means so as to transmit said data to information managing means of an environmental service business-entity via a communications network.

12. The environmental service system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said information managing means has a function of comparing said collected data on said quality of environment and said operation states of said heating means and said cooling means with diagnosis data, and of making diagnosis of said heating means and said cooling means.

13. An environmental service system, comprising:

electric-power generating means, and

at least one of means for heating a target space and means for cooling said target space, wherein a quality of environment including a temperature of said target space, is maintained in a range determined in consultation with a client, a consideration being acquired in correspondence with said maintained quality of environment and an electric-power supply quantity from said electric-power generating means.

14. The environmental service system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said heating means and said cooling means utilize, as an energy source, a waste heat from said electric-power generating means.

15. An environmental service business, comprising the business-operations of:

designing at least one of environmental facilities, said environmental facilities including means for heating a target space higher than an outside-air temperature and means for cooling said target space lower than an outside-air temperature, and

guaranteeing that a quality of environment, including a temperature of said target space, will be maintained in a range determined in consultation with a client.

16. An environmental service business, comprising the business-operations of:

planning at least either of environmental facilities, said environmental facilities including means for heating a target space higher than an outside-air temperature and means for cooling said target space lower than an outside-air temperature,

guaranteeing that a quality of environment including a temperature of said target space, will be maintained in a range determined in consultation with a client, and

acquiring, as a consideration for said guarantee, a part of a reduction amount of a running cost obtained by an energy-saving effect of at least one of said environmental facilities.

17. The environmental service business as claimed in claim 16, wherein an environmental service business-entity collects measurement data on said quality of environment of said target space and working state data on at least either of said environmental facilities, said business-entity then performing, within a range of said consideration, a maintenance/management necessary for maintaining said quality of environment in said range determined in consultation with said client.