Energy Conservation Incentivisation System

• US 20120084134A1
• Filed: 09/14/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Conrady, Paul
• Original Assignee: Conrady, Paul
• Inventors: Conrady, Paul
• Application Number:
  US13/232,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20120084134A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.36
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user

Abstract

An energy conservation incentivisation system is disclosed. The energy conservation incentivisation system is provided with a website having a web server reading information representative of a customer'"'"'s energy usage for a given period of time in relation to a corresponding period of time. The website verifies a reduction of energy usage, and registers the customer in a rewards program. The energy conservation incentivisation system also includes a communication system communicating with the Internet using an Internet protocol to receive the information from the customer. The information representative of the customer'"'"'s energy usage can be one or more electronic files of utility invoices from the given period of time and the corresponding period of time.

Claims

1. An energy conservation incentivisation system, comprising:

a website having a web server reading information representative of a customer'"'"'s energy usage for a given period of time in relation to a corresponding period of time, verifying a reduction of energy usage, and registering the customer in a rewards program; and

a communication system communicating with an Internet using an internet protocol to receive the information from the customer.

2. The energy conservation incentivisation system of claim 1, wherein a category of an applicable prize of the rewards program is determined based upon an amount of reduction of energy usage demonstrated by the customer.

3. The energy conservation incentivisation system of claim 1, wherein a size of an applicable prize is determined based upon an amount of reduction of energy usage demonstrated by the customer.

4. The energy conservation incentivisation system of claim 1, wherein the customer is a first customer conserving more energy than a second customer, and wherein registering the customer in the rewards program includes the first customer receiving more entries into the reward program than the second customer.

5. The energy conservation incentivisation system of claim 1, wherein the information received from the customer includes at least one electronic file of the customer'"'"'s utility bill for the given period of time, and the customer'"'"'s utility bill for the corresponding period of time.

6. A computer, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory memory storing computer executable instructions to cause the processor to;

store information received from a customer, where the information is representative of energy usage by the customer for a given period of time in relation to a corresponding period of time,

verify a reduction of energy usage for the given period of time in relation to the corresponding period of time by comparing the energy usage by the customer for the given period of time to the energy usage by the customer for the corresponding period of time, and

register the customer into a rewards program based upon the verification in the reduction of energy usage;

wherein the processor reads and executes the computer executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory; and

a communication system receiving the information from the customer via a network using an internet protocol.

7. The computer of claim 6, wherein the information received from the customer includes at least one electronic file of the customer'"'"'s utility bill for the given period of time, and the customer'"'"'s utility bill for the corresponding period of time.

8. A non-transitory memory storing computer executable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to:

(a) read energy usage information received from a customer, by a communications system via a network using an internet protocol, the energy usage information representative of a customer'"'"'s energy usage for a given period of time in relation to a corresponding period of time;

(b) determine whether the customer has conserved energy by comparing the customer'"'"'s energy consumption for the given period of time in relation to a corresponding period of time; and

(c) if the customer has conserved energy, register the customer into a rewards program.

9. The non-transitory memory storing computer executable instructions of claim 8, wherein the energy usage information is normalized by an appropriate time period taking into account differing lengths of time between the given period and the corresponding period of time.

10. The non-transitory memory of claim 8, wherein the energy usage information includes an electronic copy of the customer'"'"'s utility bill for the given period of time, and an electronic copy of the customer'"'"'s utility bill for the corresponding period of time.

11. An energy conservation incentivisation system, comprising:

a web server providing a webpage to a customer'"'"'s computer via an Internet for prompting the customer to enter energy usage information;

a communication server receiving the energy usage information from the customer'"'"'s computer via the Internet;

a database server receiving the energy usage information from the communication server and verifying a reduction in energy usage with an applicable energy supplier and registering the customer into a rewards program responsive to the verification of the reduction in energy usage exceeding a predetermined amount.

12. The energy conservation incentivisation system of claim 11, wherein the energy usage information is received by the communication server in a form of one or more electronic files.

13. The energy conservation incentivisation system of claim 11, wherein the webpage includes an online form, and wherein the energy usage information is received from the customer'"'"'s computer via the online form.

14. The energy conservation incentivisation system of claim 11, wherein the database server creates and stores a historical reference point from the energy usage information received from the customer'"'"'s computer.