Household Energy Management System

• US 20120109394A1
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Corporation
• Inventors: Takagi, Yasuo, Yamada, Takahiro, Murai, Masahiko, Tanimoto, Tomohiko
• Application Number:
  US13/283,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20120109394A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house

Abstract

A household energy management system includes: a schedule condition storage unit for storing schedule conditions that include operation-permitting time zones indicating time zones during which household electric appliances are permitted to operate, necessary operation times indicating operation times taken for the household electric appliances to finish operation, and operation time power consumption amounts indicating electric power consumed during the operation of the household electric appliances; a schedule calculation unit for receiving a CO2 emission intensity from a grid energy management system and for preparing operation schedules indicating operation times of the household electric appliances based on the CO2 emission intensity and the schedule conditions; and a control unit for controlling the household electric appliances based on the operation schedules.

Claims

1. A household energy management system, comprising:

a schedule condition storage unit for storing schedule conditions that include operation-permitting time zones indicating time zones during which household electric appliances are permitted to operate, necessary operation times indicating operation times taken for the household electric appliances to finish operation, and operation time power consumption amounts indicating electric power consumed during the operation of the household electric appliances; and

a schedule calculation unit for receiving a CO2 emission intensity from a grid energy management system and for preparing operation schedules indicating operation times of the household electric appliances based on the CO2 emission intensity and the schedule conditions.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a control unit for controlling the household electric appliances based on the operation schedules.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the schedule calculation unit calculates a CO₂ emission amount attributable to the operation of the household electric appliances based on the CO2 emission intensity and the schedule conditions and prepares the operation schedules such that the CO₂ emission amount is reduced within the extent of the schedule conditions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the schedule calculation unit receives a unit electricity price from the grid energy management system and prepares the operation schedules based on the unit electricity price and the schedule conditions.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the schedule calculation unit calculates an electric power charge attributable to the operation of the household electric appliances based on the unit electricity price and the schedule conditions and prepares the operation schedules such that the electric power charge is reduced within the extent of the schedule conditions.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the schedule calculation unit causes a display unit to display selection options on approval and disapproval of the operation schedules and the operation times of the household electric appliances and receives a schedule approval signal from an input unit, and wherein the control unit controls the household electric appliances based on the operation schedules for which the schedule approval signal is received.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the schedule calculation unit causes a display unit to display a CO₂ emission amount that can be reduced by operating the household electric appliances based on the operation schedules.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the schedule calculation unit causes a display unit to display an evaluation index corresponding to a CO₂ emission amount that can be reduced by operating the household electric appliances based on the operation schedules.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the schedule calculation unit receives predicted temperature information indicating a predicted ambient air temperature from the grid energy management system and prepares the operation schedules based on the predicted temperature information and the schedule conditions such that an emission amount of CO₂ emitted by operating a heat pump type water heater is reduced.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a DR condition storage unit for storing DR conditions including control contents of the household electric appliances and priority orders indicating priorities of the control contents; and

a DR calculation unit for receiving a power consumption control request from the grid energy management system and for preparing DR schedules indicating operation times of the household electric appliances based on the DR conditions and the power consumption control request.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a control unit for controlling the household electric appliances based on the operation schedules and DR schedules.

12. A household energy management system, comprising:

a DR condition storage unit for storing DR conditions including control contents of household electric appliances and priority orders indicating priorities of the control contents; and

a DR calculation unit for receiving a power consumption control request from a grid energy management system and for preparing DR schedules indicating operation times of the household electric appliances based on the DR conditions and the power consumption control request.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

a control unit for controlling the household electric appliances based on the DR schedules.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the power consumption control request includes control levels indicating indices of required power consumption reduction amounts and control times for which the household electric appliances are required to be controlled, wherein the priority orders are set in advance corresponding to the control levels, and wherein the control unit is configured to control the household electric appliances having the priority orders corresponding to the control levels during the control times.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the DR calculation unit causes a display unit to display selection options on approval and disapproval of the DR schedules and the operation times of the household electric appliances and receives a DR approval signal from an input unit, and wherein the control unit controls the household electric appliances based on the DR schedules for which the DR approval signal is received.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the DR calculation unit causes a display unit to display a CO₂ emission amount that can be reduced by operating the household electric appliances based on the DR schedules.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the DR calculation unit causes a display unit to display an evaluation index corresponding to a CO₂ emission amount that can be reduced by operating the household electric appliances based on the DR schedules.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein if the DR approval signal is received from the input unit, the CO₂ emission amount is transmitted to the grid energy management system or an electricity meter.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein if the DR approval signal is received from the input unit, the evaluation index is transmitted to the grid energy management system or an electricity meter.

20. A method for household energy management comprising:

storing schedule conditions that include operation-permitting time zones indicating time zones during which household electric appliances are permitted to operate, necessary operation times indicating operation times taken for the household electric appliances to finish operation, and operation time power consumption amounts indicating electric power consumed during the operation of the household electric appliances; and

receiving a CO2 emission intensity from a grid energy management system and preparing operation schedules indicating operation times of the household electric appliances based on the CO2 emission intensity and the schedule conditions.