METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HOME AUTOMATION AND ENERGY CONSERVATION
First Claim
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1. A system for monitoring and controlling utility consumption of at least one subsystem of a facility, comprising:
- at least one subsystem capable of being remotely controlled;
an energy meter coupled to the at least one subsystem capable of monitoring energy consumption of the at least one subsystem and providing data corresponding to the monitored energy consumption;
a controller in communication with the at least one subsystem and the energy meter, said controller configured to control the operation of the at least one subsystem based upon a subsystem operation protocol, the subsystem operation protocol dependent at least in part on the data received from the energy meter;
a user interface in communication with the controller, the user interface configured to allow a user to monitor and control the operation of the at least one subsystem and to selectively modify the subsystem operation protocol.
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Abstract
A system for reducing utility consumption of at least one subsystem of a facility is disclosed. A utility meter is coupled to the subsystem for monitoring utility consumption of the subsystem and provides data corresponding to the measured energy consumption. A controller in communication with the subsystem and the energy meter is configured to control the operation of the subsystem by employing an operating protocol with the protocol dependent on the data received from the utility meter. The system measures the reduction in utility consumption and generates a credit based on the measured reduction.
213 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring and controlling utility consumption of at least one subsystem of a facility, comprising:
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at least one subsystem capable of being remotely controlled; an energy meter coupled to the at least one subsystem capable of monitoring energy consumption of the at least one subsystem and providing data corresponding to the monitored energy consumption; a controller in communication with the at least one subsystem and the energy meter, said controller configured to control the operation of the at least one subsystem based upon a subsystem operation protocol, the subsystem operation protocol dependent at least in part on the data received from the energy meter; a user interface in communication with the controller, the user interface configured to allow a user to monitor and control the operation of the at least one subsystem and to selectively modify the subsystem operation protocol. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of generating carbon credits, comprising:
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determining a base carbon footprint of a facility; operating a system for monitoring and controlling utility consumption of the facility, the system comprising monitoring equipment for receiving utility usage data, controlling equipment for automatically controlling utility consumption of the facility based on a consumption profile; monitoring actual utility consumption in real-time; calculating a new carbon footprint based on the actual utility consumption; generating at least one carbon credit resulting from a difference between the base carbon footprint and the new carbon footprint. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for generating energy credits by monitoring and controlling energy consumption of at least one subsystem of a facility, comprising:
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means for determining a base amount of energy units used by at least one subsystem; means for measuring actual energy units used by a subsystem in real time; means for controlling the at least one subsystem to reduce the amount of energy units used by the subsystem compared to the base amount; means for calculating a difference between the base amount of energy units and the actual energy units; and means for generating an energy credit based on the difference. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification