Apparatus and Method for Determining Load of Energy Consuming Appliances Within a Premises
First Claim
1. A thermostat for monitoring energy consumption associated with an HVAC unit having a compressor, the thermostat comprising:
- a sensor operable for providing an output indicative of a temperature within a space of a premises;
a processor operable for controlling activation of at least the compressor of the HVAC unit to control temperature in the space relative to a desired set-point temperature, the processor configured to receive energy consumption information from a utility meter for the premises prior to activation of the compressor and subsequent to activation of the compressor, the processor further configured to estimate energy consumption of the HVAC unit based at least in part upon the difference between the energy consumption prior to activation and the energy consumption subsequent to activation of the compressor; and
a display device operable for displaying a graph indicating estimated cost of energy consumed by the HVAC unit for days within a given month.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed herein are exemplary embodiments of apparatus and methods for determining load of energy consuming appliances within a premises. An exemplary embodiment includes a thermostat operable for displaying information relating to energy consumption associated with an energy consuming load in a premise. In this exemplary embodiment, the thermostat includes a display device and a processor. The processor is configured to receive a signal including energy consumption information. The processor is further configured to control the display device to display a graph indicating an estimated cost of energy consumed for days within a given month.
84 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A thermostat for monitoring energy consumption associated with an HVAC unit having a compressor, the thermostat comprising:
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a sensor operable for providing an output indicative of a temperature within a space of a premises; a processor operable for controlling activation of at least the compressor of the HVAC unit to control temperature in the space relative to a desired set-point temperature, the processor configured to receive energy consumption information from a utility meter for the premises prior to activation of the compressor and subsequent to activation of the compressor, the processor further configured to estimate energy consumption of the HVAC unit based at least in part upon the difference between the energy consumption prior to activation and the energy consumption subsequent to activation of the compressor; and a display device operable for displaying a graph indicating estimated cost of energy consumed by the HVAC unit for days within a given month. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A thermostat operable for displaying information relating to energy consumption associated with an energy consuming load in a premise, the thermostat comprising:
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a display device; and a processor configured to receive a signal including energy consumption information, the processor further configured to control the display device to display a graph indicating an estimated cost of energy consumed for days within a given month. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for monitoring energy consumption for an energy consuming load in a premises that is supplied with power monitored by a utility meter, the system comprising:
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a thermostat including a display device; a gateway in connection with the thermostat, for enabling connection via the internet to a website, the gateway including; a transmitter operable for transmitting wireless signals to a utility meter for the premises to request energy consumption information; and a receiver operable for receiving wireless signals including energy consumption information from the utility meter; wherein at least one of the gateway and the thermostat is configured to estimate energy consumption of the energy consuming load based at least in part upon a difference between energy consumption during operation and energy consumption during non-operation of the energy consuming load; and wherein the display device is operable for displaying a graph indicating estimated cost of energy consumed by the energy consuming load for days within a given month.
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Specification