Method and System for Selecting Similar Consumers

• US 20120310708A1
• Filed: 05/04/2012
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Opower, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Opower, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Curtis, Richard Tyler, Yost, Kyle
• Granted Patent: US 11,238,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.33
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and computer systems for reporting a consumer'"'"'s usage of a resource. A computer system retrieves consumer characteristic data and resource usage data for the first consumer and a set of second consumers including characteristic data related to each consumer. The computer system selects at least one consumer that is similar to the first consumer from the set of second consumers based upon a plurality of common criteria between the first consumer'"'"'s characteristic data and a second consumer'"'"'s characteristic data. The computer processes may be performing iteratively until the total number of similar consumers is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of consumers. Once a desired number of similar consumers is found, the computer system generates a report that displays the first consumer'"'"'s resource usage data and the at least one similar consumers'"'"' resource usage data.

Claims

1. A computerized method for reporting a first consumer'"'"'s usage of a resource, the method comprising:

retrieving consumer characteristic data and resource usage data for a first consumer and a set of second consumers, the consumer characteristic data including a plurality of characteristics related to each consumer;

selecting at least one consumer that is similar to the first consumer from the set of second consumers based upon a plurality of common criteria between the first consumer'"'"'s characteristic data and a second consumer'"'"'s characteristic data, wherein a common criterion is one of;

a match between a characteristic of the first consumer'"'"'s characteristic data and a characteristic of a second consumer'"'"'s characteristic data; and

a match between a range and a second consumer'"'"'s characteristic data;

if a total number of similar consumers selected is less than a predetermined number of consumers, performing at least one action from a set of potential actions to abate the common criteria, wherein the set of potential actions includes;

removing at least one common criterion; and

increasing at least one range for at least one of the common criterion;

generating an report including the first consumer'"'"'s resource usage data and the at least one similar consumers'"'"' resource usage data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the common criteria are abated to a degree and the degree to which they are abated depends on at least one of:

the number of similar consumers selected in a latest iteration; and

the total number of similar consumers selected in all of the iterations thus far.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the degree of abatement depends on a function wherein, as the number of similar consumers selected in a latest iteration decreases, the range for at least one common criterion increases.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the degree of abatement depends on a function wherein, as the total number of similar consumers selected in all of the iterations decreases, the range for at least one common criterion increases.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the degree of abatement depends on a function wherein, as the number of similar consumers selected in a latest iteration decreases, the number of removed common criterion decreases.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the degree of abatement depends on a function wherein, as the total number of similar consumers selected in all of the iterations decreases, the number of removed common criterion decreases.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first consumer, the set of second consumers, and the similar consumers are home occupants.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least four common criteria are selected from the group consisting of:

a common dwelling type,

a common meter read cycle,

a common heating fuel,

a common home size,

a common number of home occupants,

a common presence of a photovoltaic system,

a common presence of a pool;

a common presence of air conditioning;

a common home age;

a common age for one or more home occupants;

common seasonal home residents, and

a common home location.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein selecting the at least one similar consumer is based upon at least five common criteria between the first consumer'"'"'s characteristic data and a second consumer'"'"'s characteristic data, and the at least five common criteria are:

a common dwelling type,

a common meter read cycle,

a common heating fuel,

a common home size, and

a common home location.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein a match between a characteristic of the first consumer'"'"'s characteristic data and a characteristic of the second consumer'"'"'s characteristic data comprises at least one of:

a match between the first consumer'"'"'s heating fuel and a second consumer'"'"'s heating fuel;

a match between a number of occupants in the first consumer'"'"'s home and a number of occupants in a second consumer'"'"'s home;

a match between the presence of a photovoltaic system in the first consumer'"'"'s home and the presence of a photovoltaic system in a second consumer'"'"'s home; and

a match between a location of the first consumer'"'"'s home and a location of a second consumer'"'"'s home.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein a match between a second consumer'"'"'s building data and a range comprises at least one of:

a match between a size of a second consumer'"'"'s home and a range that is determined based upon a size for the first consumer'"'"'s home,

a match between the first consumer'"'"'s meter read cycle and a range that is determined based upon a meter read cycle for the first consumer'"'"'s home,

a match between a number of occupants in a second consumer'"'"'s home and a range that is determined based upon a number of occupants in the first consumer'"'"'s home; and

a match between a distance between a second consumer'"'"'s home and the first consumer'"'"'s home and a distance range.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resource usage data comprises at least one of electrical usage data, gas usage data, waste usage data, water usage data, sewer usage data, garbage usage data, recycling usage data, phone usage data, and broadband access usage data.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein retrieving resource usage data comprises receiving resource usage data from resource usage meters, wherein the resource usage meters are part of an advanced metering infrastructure.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the report to the first consumer as part of a resource usage bill.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the report is an electronic report.

16. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

until the total number of similar consumers is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of consumers, performing iteratively

the process of selecting at least one consumer that is similar to the first consumer from the set of second consumers and

the process, if a total number of similar consumers selected is less than a predetermined number of consumers, of performing at least one action from a set of potential actions to abate the common criteria.

17. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions which when loaded on at least one computer, establish processes for reporting a first consumer'"'"'s usage of a resource, the processes including:

retrieving consumer characteristic data and resource usage data for a first consumer and a set of second consumers, the consumer characteristic data including a plurality of characteristics related to each consumer;

selecting at least one consumer that is similar to the first consumer from the set of second consumers based upon a plurality of common criteria between the first consumer'"'"'s characteristic data and a second consumer'"'"'s characteristic data, wherein a common criterion is one of;

a match between a characteristic of the first consumer'"'"'s characteristic data and a characteristic of a second consumer'"'"'s characteristic data; and

a match between a range and a second consumer'"'"'s characteristic data;

if a total number of similar consumers selected is less than a predetermined number of consumers, performing at least one action from a set of potential actions to abate the common criteria, wherein the set of potential actions includes;

removing at least one common criterion; and

increasing at least one range for at least one of the common criterion; and

generating an report including the first consumer'"'"'s resource usage data and the at least one similar consumers'"'"' resource usage data.

18. A system for reporting a first consumer'"'"'s usage of a resource, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to perform processes that include;

retrieving consumer characteristic data and resource usage data for a first consumer and a set of second consumers, the consumer characteristic data including a plurality of characteristics related to each consumer;

selecting at least one consumer that is similar to the first consumer from the set of second consumers based upon a plurality of common criteria between the first consumer'"'"'s characteristic data and a second consumer'"'"'s characteristic data, wherein a common criterion is one of;

a match between a characteristic of the first consumer'"'"'s characteristic data and a characteristic of a second consumer'"'"'s characteristic data; and

a match between a range and a second consumer'"'"'s characteristic data;

if a total number of similar consumers selected is less than a predetermined number of consumers, performing at least one action from a set of potential actions to abate the common criteria, wherein the set of potential actions includes;

removing at least one common criterion; and

increasing at least one range for at least one of the common criterion; and

generating a report including the first consumer'"'"'s resource usage data and the at least one similar consumers'"'"' resource usage data.