MANAGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEM EFFICIENCY

• US 20130176130A1
• Filed: 01/11/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Generac Power Systems Incorporated (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hoesl, Mark J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,024,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/588
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/32 Responding to malfunctions or emergencies
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication

Abstract

A method, system or computer usable program product for providing alerts of inefficiency of an environmental conditioning system including, responsive to a cycle initiation by the environmental conditioning system, measuring a difference between an intake temperature and an outlet temperature after a predetermined period of time, and responsive to the difference being below a minimum level, generating an alert.

Claims

1. A method for providing alerts of inefficiency of an environmental conditioning system comprising:

responsive to a cycle initiation by the environmental conditioning system, measuring a difference between an intake temperature and an outlet temperature after a predetermined period of time; and

responsive to the difference being below a minimum level, generating an alert.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising responsive to the difference being above a minimum level and below a secondary minimum level, obtaining historical information of the environmental conditioning unit.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising responsive to the difference in combination with the historical information indicating a statistically significant negative trend, generating a second alert.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein measuring a difference includes measuring an outlet temperature difference between multiple outlet locations of the environmental control unit.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising responsive to the outlet temperature difference being above a threshold, generating a third alert.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising responsive to the outlet temperature difference being below a threshold and above a secondary threshold, obtaining historical information of the environmental conditioning unit.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising responsive to the outlet temperature difference in combination with the historical information indicating a statistically significant negative trend, generating a fourth alert.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the alert is displayed on a home monitoring system.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the alert is sent to a service technician via the Internet.

10. A computer usable program product comprising a computer usable storage medium including computer usable code for providing alerts of inefficiency of an environmental conditioning system, the computer usable program product comprising code for performing the steps of:

responsive to a cycle initiation by the environmental conditioning system, measuring a difference between an intake temperature and an outlet temperature after a predetermined period of time; and

responsive to the difference being below a minimum level, generating an alert.

11. The computer usable program product of claim 10 further comprising code for performing the step of responsive to the difference being above a minimum level and below a secondary minimum level, obtaining historical information of the environmental conditioning unit.

12. The computer usable program product of claim 11 further comprising code for performing the step of responsive to the difference in combination with the historical information indicating a statistically significant negative trend, generating a second alert.

13. The computer usable program product of claim 10 wherein measuring a difference includes measuring an outlet temperature difference between multiple outlet locations of the environmental control unit.

14. The computer usable program product of claim 13 further comprising code for performing the step of responsive to the outlet temperature difference being above a threshold, generating a third alert.

15. The computer usable program product of claim 14 further comprising code for performing the step of responsive to the outlet temperature difference being below a threshold and above a secondary threshold, obtaining historical information of the environmental conditioning unit.

16. The computer usable program product of claim 15 further comprising code for performing the step of responsive to the outlet temperature difference in combination with the historical information indicating a statistically significant negative trend, generating a fourth alert.

17. A data processing system for anticipating parking space availability, the data processing system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing program instructions which when executed by the processor execute the steps of;

responsive to a cycle initiation by the environmental conditioning system, measuring a difference between an intake temperature and an outlet temperature after a predetermined period of time; and

responsive to the difference being below a minimum level, generating an alert.

18. The data processing system of claim 17 wherein the system further executes the step of responsive to the difference being above a minimum level and below a secondary minimum level, obtaining historical information of the environmental conditioning unit.

19. The data processing system of claim 18 wherein the system further executes the step of responsive to the difference in combination with the historical information indicating a statistically significant negative trend, generating a second alert.

20. The data processing system of claim 17 wherein the alert is displayed on a home monitoring system.