Method, apparatus and computer program product for reporting energy consumption

• US 20060259447A1
• Filed: 05/26/2005
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kings, Jennifer E., Stading, Tyron Jerrod, Peterson, Robert R., Richter, Jon F., Ulerich, Rhys, Spivey, Ian P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,376,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/45 Utility meters networked together within a single building
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

Energy consumption meters are associated with owners who hold accounts with a power supplier. The meters are assigned meter identifiers and identifiers for their respective owners. Such a meter may be a parent meter having associated submeters. In response to being plugged into a power source from the power supplier, such a meter reports its owner identifier and meter identifier to the supplier. Also, in response to being plugged into a power source supplied by one of the parent meters, a meter communicates with the parent meter. This establishes that the parent meter is associated with the submeter. The submeter measures energy delivered reports this to the power supplier. Also, the indicated association of the submeter to the parent meter is reported to the power supplier. The receipt of this information enables the power supplier to debit and credit owner accounts in a manner permitting temporary associations of meters.

Claims

1. A method for providing power consumption measurement and identity information from power consumption meters to a power supplier in order to permit the power supplier to post power consumption measurements to owner accounts, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that a first power consumption meter has a parent relationship to a second power consumption meter, so that the second meter is a submeter to the first meter;

measuring respective amounts of energy delivered by the first and second meters;

reporting, by the first and second meters to the power supplier, the respective amounts of energy measured by the meters;

reporting, by the first and second power consumption meters to the power supplier, respective meter identifiers and owner identifiers, wherein the power supplier has accounts and each owner identifier identifies a holder of one of the accounts; and

reporting the parent relationship to the power supplier, so that the power supplier is able to post the reported energy consumptions to corresponding owner accounts in response to the information received from the meters, including selectively posting a credit to an account for power delivered by the parent meter to the submeter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the parental relationship includes the step of communicating between the first and second meters.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating between the first and second meters includes the step of receiving the first meter'"'"'s identifier by the second meter, and wherein the reporting the indicated parental relationship to the power supplier includes the step of the second meter reporting the first meter'"'"'s identifier as a parent meter identifier.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating between the first and second meters is in response to the second meter being supplied power by the first meter.

5. The method of claim 3, including the steps of:

receiving such reporting from the meters; and

debiting the second meter'"'"'s reported energy measurement to the account of the second meter'"'"'s owner and crediting the second meter'"'"'s reported energy measurement to the account of the first meter'"'"'s owner if the first meter'"'"'s owner identifier is not the same as the second meter'"'"'s owner identifier, and, if the first meter'"'"'s owner identifier is the same as the second meter'"'"'s owner identifier, debiting only one of the reported energy measurements from the first and second meters to the account of the first and second meters'"'"' owner.

6. The method of claim 5, including the steps of:

determining whether the received reporting from a reporting one of the meters includes the first meter'"'"'s identifier as a parent meter identifier in addition to the reporting meter'"'"'s own meter identifier; and

looking up the owner identifier for the first meter if the received reporting includes the first meter'"'"'s identifier as a parent meter identifier in addition to the reporting meter'"'"'s own meter identifier, and comparing the first meter owner'"'"'s identifier to the second meter owner'"'"'s identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein such reporting from a reporting one of the meters is relayed by a transceiver from the reporting meter to the power supplier.

8. A computer program product for enabling a power supplier to post power consumption measurements to owner accounts, wherein the computer program product resides on a computer usable medium having computer readable program code, the program code comprising:

a) program code for a plurality of power consumption meters for reporting power consumption measurements and identity information to the power supplier, wherein the power consumption meter program code for such a meter comprises;

first instructions for causing a computer to receive a meter identifier and an owner identifier for an owner of the meter, wherein the power supplier has accounts and the meter'"'"'s owner identifier identifies a holder of one of the accounts;

second instructions for causing a computer to send a report from the meter to the power supplier, including the meter'"'"'s owner identifier and meter identifier;

third instructions for causing a computer to determine that the meter has a relation with another meter, wherein one of the meters in the relation is a parent meter and one of the meters is a submeter;

fourth instructions for causing a computer to measure an amount of energy delivered to a load by the meter;

fifth instructions for causing a computer to report to the power supplier the amount of energy delivered by the meter; and

sixth instructions for causing a computer to reporting to the power supplier the relation of the meters, wherein at least one of the meters in the relation reports the relation; and

b) power consumption accounting program code for the power supplier, comprising;

instructions for causing a computer to receive reports of the meter relations, relation, identifiers and measured amounts from the power consumption meters; and

instructions for in a computer to post the reported energy consumptions to corresponding owner accounts in response to the information received from the meters, including selectively posting a credit to an account for power delivered by the parent meter to the submeter.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the instructions for causing a computer to determine the meter relations include instructions for causing a computer to communicate between parent meter and submeter.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the communicating between the meters includes receiving the parent meter'"'"'s identifier by the submeter, and wherein receiving the reports of the meter relations includes receiving the parent meter'"'"'s identifier from the submeter.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the communicating between parent meter and submeter is in response to the submeter being supplied power by the parent meter.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the power consumption accounting program code includes:

instructions for causing a computer to debit the submeter'"'"'s reported energy measurement to the account of the submeter'"'"'s owner and credt the submeter'"'"'s reported energy measurement to the account of the parent meter'"'"'s owner if the parent meter'"'"'s owner identifier is not the same as the submeter'"'"'s owner identifier, and, if the submeter'"'"'s owner identifier is the same as the parent meter'"'"'s owner identifier;

debit only one of the reported energy measurements from the parent meter and submeter to the account of the meters'"'"' owner.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the power consumption accounting program code includes:

instructions for causing a computer to determine whether the received reporting from a reporting one of the meters includes a parent meter identifier in addition to the reporting meter'"'"'s own meter identifier; and

instructions for causing a computer to look up the owner identifier for the parent meter if the received reporting includes a parent meter identifier in addition to the reporting meter'"'"'s own meter identifier, and compare the parent meter owner'"'"'s identifier to the reporting meter'"'"'s owner identifier.

14. A system for providing information to a power supplier, the apparatus comprising:

a) a plurality of power consumption meters, such a power consumption meter including logic operable to i) receive a meter identifier and an owner identifier for an owner of the meter, wherein the power supplier has accounts and the meter'"'"'s owner identifier identifies a holder of one of the accounts, ii) send a report from the meter to the power supplier, including the meter'"'"'s owner identifier and meter identifier;

iii) determine that the meter has a relation with another meter, wherein one of the meters in the relation is a parent meter and one of the meters is a submeter, iv) measure an amount of energy delivered to a load by the meter, v) report to the power supplier the amount of energy delivered by the meter, and vi) report to the power supplier the relation of the meters, wherein at least one of the meters in the relation reports the relation; and

b) a power consumption accounting system including an accounting system processor and an accounting system storage device connected thereto, wherein the accounting system storage device is has stored therein a power consumption accounting program for controlling the accounting system processor, the power consumption accounting program comprising;

instructions for causing the accounting system to receive reports of the meter relations, relation, identifiers and measured amounts from the power consumption meters; and

instructions for causing the accounting system to post the reported energy consumptions to corresponding owner accounts in response to the information received from the meters, including selectively posting a credit to an account for power delivered by the parent meter to the submeter.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the logic operable to determine the meter relations includes logic operable to communicate between parent meter and submeter.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the communicating between parent meter and submeter includes receiving the parent meter'"'"'s identifier by the submeter, and wherein receiving the reports of the meter relations includes receiving the parent meter'"'"'s identifier from the submeter.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the communicating between parent meter and submeter is in response to the submeter being supplied power by the parent meter.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the power consumption accounting program code includes:

instructions for cawing the accounting system to debit the submeter'"'"'s reported energy measurement to the account of the submeter'"'"'s owner and credit the submeter'"'"'s reported energy measurement to the account of the parent meter'"'"'s owner if the parent meter'"'"'s owner identifier is not the same as the submeter'"'"'s owner identifier, and, if the submeter'"'"'s owner identifier is the same as the parent meter'"'"'s owner identifier, debit only one of the reported energy measurements from the parent meter and submeter to the account of the meters'"'"' owner.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the power consumption accounting program code includes:

instructions for causing the accounting system to determine whether the received reporting from a reporting one of the meters includes a parent meter identifier in addition to the reporting meter'"'"'s own meter identifier; and

instructions for causing the accounting system to look up the owner identifier for the parent meter if the received reporting includes a parent meter identifier in addition to the reporting meter'"'"'s own meter identifier, and compare the parent meter owner'"'"'s identifier to the reporting meter'"'"'s owner identifier.

20. The system of claim 14, including a transceiver for relaying such reporting from a reporting one of the meters to the power supplier.