Method for Receiving Bids on an Energy-Savings and Energy Supply Portfolio

• US 20110106687A1
• Filed: 11/02/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enel X North America, Inc. (ENEL SPA)
• Original Assignee: World Energy Solutions, Inc. (ENEL SPA)
• Inventors: Warnick, Derek
• Granted Patent: US 8,386,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for determining an optimal award schedule for satisfaction of energy efficiency and energy supply requirements for a portfolio of one or more buildings. A first auction is conducted so as to receive over a computer network, from one or more prospective efficiency suppliers, a plurality of first bids for the provision of energy efficiency, each such first bid specifying an amount of energy saved and a cost. A computer is used to determine a schedule of remaining portfolio energy supply requirements that would remain after the provision of energy efficiency from at least a plurality of the first bids. A second auction is then run so as to receive over the computer network, from one or more prospective energy suppliers, one or more second bids for a plurality of the remaining portfolio energy supply requirements, each such second bid specifying a cost. A computer is then used to determine the lowest cost combination of a first bid and a second bid that satisfies the portfolio energy requirement.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining an optimal award schedule for satisfaction of energy efficiency and energy supply requirements for a portfolio of one or more buildings, where the energy requirements of the portfolio are known, the method comprising:

receiving over a computer network, from one or more prospective efficiency suppliers, a plurality of first bids for the provision of energy efficiency, each such first bid specifying an amount of energy saved and a cost;

determining by a computer a schedule of remaining portfolio energy supply requirements that would remain after the provision of energy efficiency from at least a plurality of the first bids;

receiving over the computer network, from one or more prospective energy suppliers, one or more second bids for a plurality of the remaining portfolio energy supply requirements, each such second bid specifying a cost; and

determining by a computer a combination of a first bid and a second bid that satisfies the portfolio energy requirement.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of prospective efficiency suppliers that place first bids.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first bids comprise a quantity of avoided kilowatt hours (kWh).

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first bids further comprise a cost per avoided kWh.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining by a computer a combination of a first bid and a second bid that satisfies the portfolio energy requirement comprises determining the costs of one or more combinations by calculating a first bid total cost plus a second bid total cost.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein determining by a computer a combination of a first bid and a second bid that satisfies the portfolio energy requirement further comprises determining the least expensive combination of a first bid and a second bid.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving over a computer network, from one or more prospective efficiency suppliers, a plurality of first bids for the provision of energy efficiency comprises conducting a first auction.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein conducting a first auction comprises soliciting bids of an amount of energy efficiency at a bid cost, wherein the amount of energy efficiency bid on is variable.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein bidding on the variable amount of energy efficiency is constrained to bidding in blocks of avoided energy usage.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the costs are bid per block of avoided energy usage.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein during the first auction the costs of bids are made available to prospective bidders over the computer network but the amount of energy efficiency bid on in the first bids is not made available to prospective bidders over the computer network.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the amount of energy efficiency is divided into units comprising avoided kilowatt hours and the cost is bid on a per avoided kWh basis.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein determining by a computer a schedule of remaining portfolio energy supply requirements that would remain after the provision of energy efficiency from at least a plurality of the first bids comprises determining by a computer one or more possible lowest total cost combinations of energy efficiency first bid costs plus the cost of remaining portfolio energy supply requirements at different energy supply unit costs.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein receiving over the computer network, from one or more prospective energy suppliers, one or more second bids for a plurality of the remaining portfolio energy supply requirements comprises conducting a second auction.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein conducting a second auction comprises soliciting bids for energy supply amounts equal to the remaining portfolio energy supply requirements for each of the one or more possible lowest total cost combinations of energy efficiency first bid costs plus the cost of remaining portfolio energy supply requirements at different energy supply unit costs.

16. A computer-implemented method for determining an optimal award schedule for satisfaction of energy efficiency and energy supply requirements for a portfolio of one or more buildings, where the energy requirements of the portfolio are known, the method comprising:

conducting a first auction and during the first auction receiving over a computer network, from a plurality of prospective efficiency suppliers, a plurality of first bids for the provision of energy efficiency, wherein the amount of energy efficiency that can be bid on is variable, each such first bid specifying a quantity of avoided kilowatt hours (kWh) and a cost per avoided kWh, and wherein during the first auction the costs of bids are made available to prospective bidders over the computer network but the amount of energy efficiency bid on in the first bids is not made available to prospective bidders over the computer network;

determining by a computer a schedule of remaining portfolio energy supply requirements that would remain after the provision of energy efficiency from at least a plurality of the first bids, wherein determining by a computer a schedule of remaining portfolio energy supply requirements that would remain after the provision of energy efficiency from at least a plurality of the first bids comprises determining by a computer one or more possible lowest total cost combinations of energy efficiency first bid costs plus the cost of remaining portfolio energy supply requirements at different energy supply unit costs;

conducting a second auction to solicit bids for energy supply amounts equal to the remaining portfolio energy supply requirements for each of the one or more possible lowest total cost combinations of energy efficiency first bid costs plus the cost of remaining portfolio energy supply requirements at different energy supply unit costs, and during the second auction receiving over the computer network, from one or more prospective energy suppliers, one or more second bids for a plurality of the remaining portfolio energy supply requirements, each such second bid specifying a cost; and

determining by a computer a lowest cost combination of a first bid and a second bid that satisfies the portfolio energy requirement.

17. A computer-implemented method for screening bids in a supply auction of an energy-savings portfolio that is executed over a distributed networked computer system, comprising:

a) gathering from the buyer information relating to a portfolio of building properties, the information including square footage, building usage, location, energy usage and existing energy-efficiency measures;

b) combining the gathered information to create a profile for the portfolio;

c) using a computer to make the profile available to vendors'"'"' computers that are connected to the network;

d) conducting a supply auction by receiving over the network bids placed by vendors, the bids including the quantity of energy efficiency units, and the price per unit at which the energy efficiency will be delivered;

e) during the auction using a networked computer to make the price per unit of the bids, but not the quantity bid, available to vendors'"'"' computers that are connected to the network;

f) closing the auction; and

g) after the auction has closed, determining one or more combinations of bid prices and quantities that may comprise viable winning bids.