SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS TO GENERATE AN ENERGY CONSUMPTION INDEX

• US 20100082499A1
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Consumer LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Inventors: Luff, Robert A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,170,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/317
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus to generate an energy consumption index are disclosed. In one described example, a method to generate an energy consumption index is disclosed, the method including measuring resources consumed at a home associated with a first person and calculating a home energy value indicative of the resources consumed at the home and measuring resources consumed by the person while located outside the home and calculating an out of home energy value indicative of the resources consumed by the person while located outside the home. The example method further includes identifying goods purchased by the person and calculating a purchase energy value indicative of the resources associated with the purchased goods, and generating an energy consumption index associated with the person based on the home energy value, the out of home energy value, and the purchase energy value.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A method to generate an energy consumption index, the method comprising:

measuring resources consumed at a home associated with a first person and calculating a home energy value indicative of the resources consumed at the home;

measuring resources consumed by the person while located outside the home and calculating an out of home energy value indicative of the resources consumed by the person while located outside the home;

identifying goods purchased by the person and calculating a purchase energy value indicative of the resources associated with the purchased goods; and

generating an energy consumption index associated with the person based on the home energy value, the out of home energy value, and the purchase energy value.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, further comprising allocating at least a portion of the home energy value, the out of home energy value, or the purchase energy value from the first person to a second person.

12. A method as defined in claim 10, further comprising displaying the personal energy consumption index at a location visible to the person.

13. A method as defined in claim 10, further comprising measuring resources consumed by the first person associated with a vehicle and calculating a transportation energy value indicative of the resources consumed by the vehicle.

14. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein resources consumed by the home comprise at least one of electricity measurements, natural gas measurements, gasoline measurements, fuel oil measurements, kerosene measurements, propane measurements, wood measurements, light measurements, temperature measurements, water measurements, and/or heating oil measurements.

15. A method as defined in claim 10, further comprising transmitting the energy consumption index to an external server for aggregating with additional energy consumption index.

16. A method as defined in claim 15, further comprising displaying the energy consumption index and the aggregated energy consumption indices at a location visible to the person.

17. An apparatus to generate an energy consumption index, comprising:

an activity converter to convert activity information associated with activities performed by one or more household members to at least one of a home energy value or an out of home energy value;

a raw material converter to convert raw material information associated with raw material usage to a household energy value;

a purchases converter to convert purchases information associated with purchased goods or services to a purchase energy value;

a transportation converter to convert transportation information associated with transporting one or more household members to a transportation energy value; and

an energy value summer to receive one or more of the home energy value, the out of home energy value, the household energy value, the purchase energy value, or the transportation energy value and to convert the received energy values to an energy index.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the energy value summer further receives data associated with an energy usage goal, and wherein the energy index is further based on the energy usage goal.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the energy value summer sums the received energy values, and outputs at least one of the energy index or the summed energy values to an external data processor.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the raw material information comprises at least one of electricity measurements, natural gas measurements, gasoline measurements, fuel oil measurements, kerosene measurements, propane measurements, wood measurements, light measurements, temperature measurements, water measurements, or heating oil measurements.

21. An article of manufacture, storing thereon machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

measure resources consumed at a home associated with a first person and calculating a home energy value indicative of the resources consumed at the home;

measure resources consumed by the person while located outside the home and calculating an out of home energy value indicative of the resources consumed by the person while located outside the home;

identify goods purchased by the person and calculating a purchase energy value indicative of the resources associated with the purchased goods; and

generate an energy consumption index associated with the person based on the home energy value, the out of home energy value, and the purchase energy value.

22. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 21, wherein the instructions further causing the machine to allocate at least a portion of the home energy value, the out of home energy value, or the purchase energy value from the first person to a second person.

23. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 21, wherein the instructions further causing the machine to display the personal energy consumption index at a location visible to the person.

24. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 21, wherein the instructions further causing the machine to measure resources consumed by the first person associated with a vehicle and calculating a transportation energy value indicative of the resources consumed by the vehicle.

25. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 21, wherein resources consumed by the home comprise at least one of electricity measurements, natural gas measurements, gasoline measurements, fuel oil measurements, kerosene measurements, propane measurements, wood measurements, light measurements, temperature measurements, water measurements, and/or heating oil measurements.

26. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 21, wherein the instructions further causing the machine to transmit the energy consumption index to an external server for aggregating with additional energy consumption index.

27. A method to generate energy consumption data, comprising:

receiving point of sale location information;

reading indicia associated with a purchased item;

querying a database for an energy value associated with the purchased item;

assigning the energy value associated with the purchased item to a purchasing household or a purchasing individual; and

outputting an indicator representing energy consumption of the household or the individual.

28. A method as defined in claim 27, further comprising:

receiving activity information associated with the individual;

querying the database or a second database for a home energy value or an out of home energy value associated with the activity;

assigning the home or out of home energy value associated with the activity to the household or the individual;

combining the energy values associated with the purchased item and the activity; and

outputting an indicator representing energy consumption of the household or the individual.

29. A method as defined in claim 27, further comprising:

receiving transportation information associated with the individual;

querying the database or a second database for a transportation energy value associated with the transportation information;

assigning the energy value associated with the transportation energy value to the household or the individual;

combining the energy values associated with the purchased item and the transportation energy value; and

outputting an indicator representing energy consumption of the household or the individual.

30. A method as defined in claim 27, further comprising:

receiving transportation information associated with the individual;

querying the database or a second database for a transportation energy value associated with the transportation information;

assigning the energy value associated with the transportation energy value to the household or the individual;

combining the energy values associated with the purchased item and the transportation energy value; and

outputting an indicator representing energy consumption of the household or the individual.

31-52. -52. (canceled)