Determining Energy Consumption in a Structure

• US 20120197562A1
• Filed: 04/13/2012
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2009
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Netesco, LLC
• Original Assignee: Netesco, LLC
• Inventors: Scelzi, Michael Craig, Scelzi, James, Vaitses, Allan H., Bonwell, William Shawn, Hartman, Mark Christopher
• Application Number:
  US13/446,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197562A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/61
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/026 arrangements for monitoring a plurality of temperatures, e.g. by multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 17/20 across a radiating surface, combined with ascertainment of the heat transmission coefficient materials therefor G01K17/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/04 the object to be measured not forming one of the thermoelectric materials
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/18 by investigating thermal conductivity by calorimetry G01N25/20; by measuring change of resistance of an electrically-heated body G01N27/18
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/00 Arrangements for measuring electric power or power factor G01R7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1393 characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/20 using renewable energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49007 Indicating transducer

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and systems are provided for measuring the supply of a consumable product/energy source, such as electrical power, to a facility over time and analyzing the measurements to determine the consumption or supply of the product by one or more loads and/or sources in the facility, and to determine induced and residual heat flow through the facility'"'"'s envelope. Various aspects compare the measured supply of the consumable product to a database of consumption signatures, which characterize access to the consumable product by particular users. Operating conditions and facility characteristics, such as temperatures, load factors, insulation factors, etc., may be further considered in determining a particular user'"'"'s access of the consumable product. To aid in the controlling of energy use, thermal resistance factors of the building are determined, which are based on the induced and residual heat flow through the facility.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

measuring access to a consumable product by a plurality of users over a fixed period of time;

determining with a processor one or more signatures based on the measured use by the plurality of users, each signature characterizing access to the consumable product by one or more users of the plurality of users;

storing the signatures to a database.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more signatures are combinable to uniquely reflect use of the consumable product by a combination of the plurality of users when the use by the combination is measured from a single service.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the consumable product is electrical power and each of the one or more users of the plurality of users is an electrical load or source.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the signatures reflects an operating condition of the one or more users the plurality of users characterized by the one signature.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

storing in the database a measured value of an operating condition for the one or more users of the plurality of users characterized by the one signature.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the operating condition includes a measured count of persons within a portion of a facility served by the one or more users of the plurality of users characterized by the one signature.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the operating condition includes a temperature outside of a facility served by the one or more users of the plurality of users characterized by the one signature.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the operating condition includes, for a portion of a facility, one of a load factor, a area square footage, and an insulation factor.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the processor determines the one or more signatures based on the measured use by the plurality of users using an artificial intelligence process.

10. A method of claim 4 wherein the operating condition includes measured inside and outside environments of an envelope of a facility served by the one or more users of the plurality of users characterized by the one signature, and wherein one of the plurality of users includes an energy source supplied through the envelope.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the operating condition includes an induced heat flow through the envelope produced by the energy source supplied through the envelope.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the operating condition includes a residual heat flow through the envelope based on changes in the inside and the outside environments.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining the operating condition by monitoring an inside environment of a facility served by the one or more users with one or more temperature transducers embedded between layers of material forming an envelope of the facility.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing computer executable instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

measure access to a consumable product by a plurality of users over a fixed period of time;

determine one or more signatures based on the measured use by the plurality of users, each signature characterizing access to the consumable product by one or more users of the plurality of users;

store the signatures to a database.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the one or more signatures are combinable to uniquely reflect use of the consumable product by a combination of the plurality of users when the use by the combination is measured from a single service.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the consumable product is electrical power and each of the one or more users of the plurality of users is an electrical load or source.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein one of the signatures reflects an operating condition of the one or more users the plurality of users characterized by the one signature.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to:

store in the database a measured value of an operating condition for the one or more users of the plurality of users characterized by the one signature.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the operating condition includes a measured count of persons within a portion of a facility served by the one or more users of the plurality of users characterized by the one signature.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the operating condition includes a temperature outside of a facility served by the one or more users of the plurality of users characterized by the one signature.