Method and System for Unusual Usage Reporting

• US 20140006314A1
• Filed: 02/12/2013
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Opower, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Opower, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Yu, Janet, Curtis, Richard Tyler, Yates, Daniel J., Mercer, Tom, Chang, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 10,796,346 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and computer systems for reporting unusual or anomalous usage or spending of a commodity by consumers. A computer system retrieves a set of usage-information datasets corresponding to a set of consumers, each dataset including past usage of the commodity during at least one of a completed billing period and a current usage of the commodity during the current billing period. The computer system establishes a set of report-trigger conditions for the current billing period, each of the report-trigger conditions corresponding to a consumer. The computer system monitor usage or spending of the set of consumers to determine, for each consumer, whether an estimated usage established for each consumer fulfills the consumer'"'"'s report-trigger condition. Once the report-trigger condition is fulfilled, the computer system outputs a report to the consumer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of reducing a usage or cost of a commodity by reporting to consumers of unusual usage of the commodity, wherein the unusual usage is by a consumer during a current billing period, and wherein the current billing period is incomplete, the computer-implemented method comprising:

retrieving a plurality of usage-information datasets, each dataset corresponding to usage of the commodity by a consumer, each usage-information dataset including past usage of the commodity during at least one of a completed billing period and an completed portion of the current billing period;

establishing a plurality of report-trigger conditions for the current billing period, each report-trigger condition corresponding to each consumer and based at least in part on the past usage in the usage-information dataset; and

determining, for each consumer, whether an estimated usage established for each consumer for a remaining portion of the current billing period fulfills the report-trigger condition for the respective consumer and, if the estimated usage fulfills the report-trigger condition, outputting a report to the consumer,

wherein the estimated usage is determined based at least in part on usage for the completed portion of the current billing period and a forecast of the usage for the remaining portion of the current billing period.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the forecast of the usage for the remaining portion of the current billing period is based upon a trailing history of the usage by the consumer in the completed portion of the current billing period.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein establishing the plurality of report-trigger conditions is performed prior to the current billing period.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the past usage, in the usage-information dataset upon which the plurality of report-trigger conditions are at least in part established, is during a period in a season that corresponds to a season of the current billing period.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of report-trigger conditions comprise, for each consumer, the estimated usage for the remaining portion of the current billing period exceeding 130 percent of the past usage during a corresponding period.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of report-trigger conditions comprise, for each consumer, the estimated usage for the remaining portion of the current billing period exceeding a consumer-specified threshold for the billing period.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein outputting the report includes at least one of:

generating an electronic message, including at least one of an electronic mail message, a short message service (SMS) message, an automated voice message, and a signal sent to an electronic device located at a location associated with the consumer.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the electronic device includes a thermostat.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the commodity includes at least one of electricity, water, and gas.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the report-trigger condition is based, in part, on at least one of:

the usage of the commodity by the consumer and a present cost of the commodity.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the estimated usage fulfills the report-trigger condition is performed at a plurality of spaced-apart instances in time during the current billing period.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the estimated usage fulfills the report-trigger condition is performed after half of the current billing period has transpired, wherein the current billing period is at least four week in duration.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the estimated usage fulfills the report-trigger condition is performed after a pre-defined time within the current billing period.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the current billing period has a duration based at least in part upon at least one of:

an average of durations between three billing periods and twelve completed billing periods, and

a default period.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the trailing history comprises usage information for five to ten days of the completed portion of the current billing period.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of report-trigger conditions includes, for each consumer, a data-value representing the consumer consenting to receiving the report.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the report to the consumer displays the unusual usage of the commodity as indicia of at least one of high cost, high usage, high environmental impact, and high carbon footprint.

18. A computer-implemented method of reducing a usage or cost of a commodity by reporting to consumers of unusual usage of the commodity, wherein the unusual usage is by a consumer during a current billing period, and wherein the current billing period is incomplete, the computer-implemented method comprising:

retrieving a usage-information dataset corresponding to the usage of the commodity by the consumer, the usage-information dataset including past usage of the commodity during at least one of a completed billing period and a usage of the commodity during a completed portion of the billing period;

retrieving a cost-rate dataset for the current billing period;

establishing a plurality of a report-trigger conditions for the current billing period, each report-trigger condition based at least in part from the past usage in the usage-information dataset and the cost-rate dataset,

determining, for each consumer, whether an estimated cost for the current billing period fulfills the report-trigger condition for a respective consumer, and if the estimated cost for the current billing period fulfills the report-trigger condition being fulfilled, outputting an report to the consumer,

wherein the estimated cost for the current billing period is determined from the cost-rate dataset and an estimated usage for the current billing period, the estimated usage for the current billing period being determined based at least in part on the usage for the completed portion of the current billing period and a forecast of the usage for a remaining portion of the current billing period.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the forecast of the usage for the remaining portion of the current billing period is based upon a trailing history of the current usage in the completed portion of the current billing period.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the cost rate dataset includes a plurality of cost values associated a plurality of time instances within the current billing period.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein each of the report-trigger conditions is based, in part, on the forecast usage of the commodity by the consumer exceeding a pre-defined cost threshold.

22. A computer program product, which is stored on a machine-readable medium, or computer data signal, embodied by an electromagnetic wave, comprising program code for carrying out a method of reducing a usage or cost of a commodity by reporting to consumers of unusual usage of the commodity, wherein the unusual usage is by a consumer during a current billing period, and wherein the current billing period is incomplete, the computer program product comprising:

computer code to retrieve a plurality of usage-information datasets, each dataset corresponding to usage of the commodity by a consumer, each usage-information dataset including past usage of the commodity during at least one of a completed billing period and an completed portion of the current billing period;

computer code to establish a plurality of report-trigger conditions for the current billing period, each report-trigger condition corresponding to each consumer and based at least in part on the past usage in the usage-information dataset; and

computer code to determine, for each consumer, whether an estimated usage established for each consumer for a remaining portion of the current billing period fulfills the report-trigger condition for the respective consumer and, if the estimated usage fulfills the report-trigger condition, outputting a report to the consumer,

wherein the estimated usage is determined based at least in part on usage for the completed portion of the current billing period and a forecast of the usage for the remaining portion of the current billing period.

23. A system comprising:

a memory configured to store usage data associated to a commodity, the usage data includes, in part, a usage-information dataset corresponding to usage of the commodity by a plurality of consumers, the usage-information includes, in part, past usage-information of the commodity during at least one of completed billing period and a current usage of the commodity during a current incomplete billing period;

a communication port configured to transmit report data to a plurality of consumers;

a control program configured to

control the memory and communication port;

retrieve the usage-information dataset for a consumer,

establish a report-trigger condition for the current billing period for the consumer, the report-trigger condition based at least in part from the past usage in the usage-information dataset,

determine, for each consumer, an estimated usage for the current billing period based at least on usage for a completed portion of the current billing period and a forecast of usage for a remaining portion of the current billing period; and

continuously determine whether the estimated usage fulfills the report-trigger condition for each respective consumer; and

if the estimated usage fulfills the report-trigger condition, outputting a report to the consumer through the communication port.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the communication port is configured to interface, in part, to at least one of a meter, a thermostat, a network, a data exchange interface of a cellular network and a data exchange interface to an email server.