System and Method for Control of Heat Pump Operation

• US 20090125150A1
• Filed: 10/18/2005
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Taras, Michael F., Lifson, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 9,200,811 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/278
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 12/02 having more than one heat source using heat pumps, in water central heating systems F24D3/18; in air central heating systems F24D5/12; in systems using heat storage masses F24D11/02
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 19/1039 the system uses a heat pump
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 2200/04 Gas or oil fired boiler
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 2200/12 Heat pump
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/34 Heater, e.g. gas burner, electric air heater
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/001 in which the air treatment in the central station takes place by means of a heat-pump or by means of a reversible cycle reversible cycle for humidifying and drying air F24F3/147
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/164 where the price of the electric supply changes with time
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/254 Room temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/258 Outdoor temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/281 Input from user
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/36 of burners
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/375 Control of heat pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/395 Information to users, e.g. alarms
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/414 using electronic processing, e.g. computer-based
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/45 remotely accessible
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 13/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle defrosting cycles F25B47/02
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1923 using thermal energy, the cost of which varies in function of time
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/00 Energy efficient heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC]

Abstract

There is provided a space heating system (100) that includes a heat pump (105), a supplemental gas heating system (110), and a controller (115) connected to the heating system (100). The controller (115) controls a switching set point, which in its simplest case is an ambient temperature at which the controller (115) switches between operation of the heat pump (105) and operation of the supplemental gas heating system (110). The controller (115) is connected to a real time source of information (195) providing at least one of current electricity prices and current prices of a source of heating such as gas, and changes the switching set point in response to changes in at least one of the electricity prices and the gas prices. There is also provided a method for control of the heating system (100).

Claims

1. A method for control of a heating system 100 having a heat pump 105 and supplemental heating 110, via a computer system, comprising:

at least periodically receiving data relating to current prices of at least one of electricity and a source of said supplemental heating 110;

automatically changing a switching set point in response to price changes in at least one of said electricity prices and prices of said source of said supplemental heating 110, wherein said switching set point is at least an ambient temperature at which said heating system 100 switches between operation of said heat pump 105 and operation of said supplemental heating 110.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said supplemental heating 110 is provided from a source of heat selected from the group consisting of:

oil, gas, heated water, and heated air.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said changes in at least one of said electricity prices and said prices of said source of heat are changes in a ratio between said prices of said source of heat and said electricity prices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said switching set point ambient temperature increases as said electricity prices increase relative to said prices of said source of heat, and wherein said switching set point ambient temperature decreases as said electricity prices decrease relative to said prices of said source of heat.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein changing said switching set point is accomplished by a method selected from the group consisting of:

changing said switching set point ambient temperature based on a predetermined mathematical relationship between at least said switching set point ambient temperature and at least one of said electricity prices and said prices of said source of heat;

changing said switching set point in accordance with performance maps of at least one of said heat pump 105 operation and said supplemental heating 110 operation;

changing said switching set point in response to at least one trend of a characteristic selected from the group consisting of;

electricity prices, prices of said source of said supplemental heating 110, ambient temperatures, indoor temperatures, and any combination thereof; and

changing said switching set point based on factors selected from the group consisting of;

a prediction of what said ambient temperature will be at a predetermined future time, historical trends of electricity and gas prices, and a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said method includes continuously receiving said data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said system 100 is selected from the group consisting of:

a single-circuit system, wherein said system 100 includes unloading means, wherein switching between operation of said heat pump 105 and operation of said supplemental heating 110 includes unloading said heat pump 105, and

a multi-circuit system having multiple independent circuits, wherein said switching includes shutting down at least one circuit of said heat pump 105.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically switching from operation of said heat pump 105 to operation of said supplemental heating 110 in response to a signal indicating a potential overload in an electric grid.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving ambient temperature information via the Internet.

10. A heating system 100 comprising:

a heat pump 105;

a supplemental heating system 110;

a controller 115 connected to said heating system 100 for controlling a switching set point, wherein said switching set point is at least an ambient temperature at which said controller 115 switches between operation of said heat pump 105 and operation of a source of said supplemental heating 110,

wherein said controller 115 is connected to a source of information 195 providing at least one of current electricity prices and current prices of said source of said supplemental heating 110, and

wherein said controller I 15 changes said switching set point in response to changes in at least one of said electricity prices and said prices of said source of said supplemental heating 110.

11. The system of claim 15, wherein said supplemental heating 110 is provided from a source of heat selected from the group consisting of:

oil, gas, heated water, and heated air.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said source of information 195 is a database that is updated in real time with current values of said electricity prices and said prices of said source of said supplemental heating 110.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said controller 115 is connected to said source of information 195 via a network selected from the group consisting of a local area network, an Intranet, the Internet, and any combinations thereof.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said source of information 195 is a periodically updated web site in the Internet.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising an interface 118 connected to said controller 115 for providing and receiving at least information related to at least one of said ambient temperature, said electricity prices and said prices of said source of said supplemental heating 110.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein said controller 115 receives at least one of said electricity prices and said prices of said source of said supplemental heating 110 with a frequency selected from the group consisting of:

at least periodically and continuously.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein said controller 115 is connected to and controls a thermostat, wherein said thermostat switches between operation of said heat pump 105 and operation of said heating system 110.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein said controller 115 changes said switching set point by a method selected from the group consisting of:

calculating a ratio between said electricity prices and said prices of said source of said supplemental heating 110, and changing said switching set point, including said switching set point ambient temperature, in response to changes in said ratio;

increasing said switching set point ambient temperature as said electricity prices increase relative to said prices of said source of said supplemental heating 110, and decreasing said switching set point ambient temperature as said electricity prices decrease relative to said prices of said source of said supplemental heating 110;

changing said switching set point based on a predetermined mathematical relationship between said switching set point and at least one of said electricity prices and said prices of said source of said supplemental heating 110;

changing said switching set point is performed in accordance with performance maps of at least one of said heat pump 105 operation and said supplemental heating 110 operation;

changing said switching set point in response to at least one trend of a characteristic selected from the group consisting of;

electricity prices, prices of said source of said supplemental heating 110, ambient temperatures, indoor temperatures, and any combination thereof; and

changing said switching set point based on factors selected from the group consisting of;

a prediction of what said ambient temperature will be at a predetermined future time, historical trends of electricity and gas prices, and a combination thereof.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein said system 100 is selected from the group consisting of:

a single-circuit system including unloading means, wherein switching between operation of said heat pump 105 and operation of said supplemental heating 110 includes unloading said heat pump 105, and

a multi-circuit system having multiple independent circuits, wherein said switching includes shutting down at least one circuit of said heat pump 105.

20. A system or method for control of a heating system as herein before described with reference FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings.