Monitoring and Validating Energy Savings

• US 20120029976A1
• Filed: 07/30/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Tennefoss, Michael R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,315,896 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/82 Energy audits or management systems therefor

Abstract

Calculating and validating energy savings. Energy savings from programs such as telework are calculated and validated through the use of authenticated remote access systems. A person or device working away from the place of work authenticates themselves with a remote access system using a personal digital device. Through such authenticated remote access logs including location information, systems can determine where a person and/or device is, and is not. Energy savings can be calculated based not only on the energy expenditures of avoided travel, but also on the energy expenditures saved at the place of work location. These energy savings may be summed over employees and/or devices and/or places of work. Energy savings are documented, and may be expressed in terms of KWH, BTUs, metric tons of CO2, or other similarly derivable units. These may be used for example for credit trading. Such monitoring, calculating, and trading may be locally provided, offered as a managed service, or provided as a Software as a Service application for individuals, devices, groups of individuals, groups of devices, or enterprises.

Claims

1. A method of operating a digital network having a plurality of access points comprising:

authenticating a device or user at an access point connected to the network forming an authentication event,

associating a first location with the authentication event,

comparing the first location to the primary location associated with the user, and

calculating energy savings from the user working at the first location rather than the primary location.

2. The method of claim 1 where the calculated energy savings includes the energy savings in avoided travel between the first location and the primary location.

3. The method of claim 1 where the calculated energy savings include the office energy savings from having the device and/or user away from the primary location.

4. The method of claim 1 where the calculated energy savings are summed across all devices and/or users at a primary location.

5. The method of claim 1 where the calculated energy savings are summed across all locations in an enterprise.

6. The method of claim 1 where the calculated energy savings are summed across a group of devices and/or users.

7. The method of claim 1 where the first location associated with the access event is obtained from the recorded location of the access point.

8. The method of claim 1 where the first location associated with the access event is obtained from a location-aware device and/or user device associating with the access point.