HOME ENERGY MANAGEMENT DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS

• US 20130261803A1
• Filed: 03/27/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kolavennu, Soumitri N.
• Granted Patent: US 9,927,819 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means

Abstract

Home energy management devices, systems, and methods are described herein. One device includes a thermostat, wherein the thermostat is configured to control operation of an air conditioner and a furnace of a home, and the thermostat includes a multi-node communication hub configured to control operation of a number of additional energy loads associated with the home.

Claims

1. A home energy management device, comprising:

a thermostat, wherein;

the thermostat is configured to control operation of an air conditioner and a furnace of a home; and

the thermostat includes a multi-node communication hub configured to control operation of a number of additional energy loads associated with the home.

2. The home energy management device of claim 1, wherein the multi-node communication hub is configured to control the operation of the number of additional energy loads associated with the home by communicating with the number of additional energy loads over a number of communication protocols.

3. The home energy management device of claim 2, wherein the number of communication protocols include:

a number link layers; and

a number of application layers.

4. The home energy management device of claim 3, wherein the multi-node communication hub is configured to translate between the number of application layers.

5. The home energy management device of claim 1, wherein the number of additional energy loads include a number of appliances of the home.

6. The home energy management device of claim 1, wherein the multi-node communication hub is configured to control operation of a number of energy storage devices associated with the home and/or a number of distributed energy resources associated with the home.

7. The home energy management device of claim 1, wherein the multi-node communication hub is embedded in a back plate of the thermostat or in a controller of the thermostat.

8. The home energy management device of claim 1, wherein the multi-node communication hub is configured to communicate with a utility meter associated with the home.

9. A home energy management system, comprising:

a thermostat configured to control operation of an air conditioner and a furnace of a home; and

a multi-node communication hub separate from the thermostat and configured to control operation of a number of additional energy loads associated with the home.

10. The home energy management system of claim 9, wherein:

the multi-node communication hub includes a number of interfaces; and

each interface is associated with a different communication protocol and is configured to communicate over the communication protocol associated with that interface.

11. The home energy management system of claim 10, wherein the multi-node communication hub includes a translator configured to translate between the different communication protocols associated with the number of interfaces.

12. The home energy management system of claim 9, wherein an interface module associated with the furnace includes the multi-node communication hub.

13. The home energy management system of claim 9, wherein the multi-node communication hub is embedded in a security panel of the home.

14. The home energy management system of claim 9, wherein the multi-node communication hub includes a web server configured to permit a web enabled device to access the multi-node communication hub from within the home.

15. A method of operating a home energy management device, comprising:

adjusting, using the home energy management device, operation of an air conditioner or furnace of a home based on a change in price of energy supplied to the home; and

adjusting, using the home energy management device, operation of a number of additional energy loads associated with the home based on the change in price of energy supplied to the home.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein adjusting the operation of the number of additional energy loads associated with the home includes:

communicating, using the home energy management device, with a first of the additional energy loads over a first communication protocol; and

communicating, using the home energy management device, with a second of the additional energy loads over a second communication protocol.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the method includes receiving, by the home energy management device, a notification of the change in price of energy or a load curtailment supplied to the home from an energy service provider.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the method includes:

monitoring, by the home energy management device, energy consumption of the number of additional energy loads associated with the home; and

adjusting, by the home energy management device, operation of the number of additional energy loads associated with the home based on the energy consumption of the number of additional energy loads.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the method includes:

receiving, by the home energy management device, a weather forecast; and

adjusting, by the home energy management device, operation of the number of additional energy loads associated with the home based on the weather forecast.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the method includes communicating, by the home energy management device, through a web portal hosted outside the home, wherein communicating through the web portal includes:

sending, by the home energy management device, data from the home energy management device through the web portal; and

periodically retrieving, by the home energy management device, data and control instructions through the web portal.