METHOD FOR SAVING ENERGY EFFICIENT SETPOINTS

• US 20150267935A1
• Filed: 09/23/2014
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Opower, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Opower, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: DEVENISH, Ryan, PORTER, Monifa, KIMM, Chris, CURRY, Robert Aaron, COUSINS, Seth
• Granted Patent: US 9,835,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data

Abstract

Techniques for saving energy efficient setpoints are described herein. A computing device can detect a change in a setpoint schedule based on setpoint data from a client computing device. The computing device can determine that the change in the setpoint schedule decreases energy consumption for a corresponding utility customer associated with the client computing device. The computing device can generate a notification including an indication that the change in the setpoint schedule decreases energy consumption for the corresponding utility customer. The computing device can further send the notification to the client computing device to cause a prompt to be displayed on a user interface of the client computing device, in which the prompt includes the sent notification. The computing device may cause a prompt to be displayed on the client computing device that includes options including an option to adopt the change in the setpoint schedule using the setpoint data.

Claims

1. A computing device for saving energy efficient setpoints, the computing device comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to;

detect a change in a setpoint schedule based on setpoint data from a client computing device, the setpoint schedule including one or more setpoints that correspond to different temperature settings for the client computing device;

determine that the change in the setpoint schedule decreases energy consumption for a corresponding utility customer associated with the client computing device;

send data to the client computing device to cause a prompt to be displayed on a user interface of the client computing device, the prompt including one or more options including an option to adopt the change in the setpoint schedule using the setpoint data; and

receive an input based at least in part on the prompt, the input including a selection of at least one of the one or more options, the setpoint schedule being changed using the setpoint data based on the selected option corresponding to the option to adopt the change in the setpoint schedule.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the change in the setpoint schedule is detected based at least in part on a difference between a current setpoint included in the setpoint data and a scheduled setpoint included in the setpoint schedule, and wherein the difference corresponds to an amount of degrees difference in temperature.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to determine that the amount of degrees is greater than a first threshold, and wherein the change is determined to decrease energy consumption based on the amount of degrees being greater than the first threshold.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

determine that the change in the setpoint schedule corresponds to a projected financial benefit that is greater than a second threshold, the projected financial benefit relating to a financial benefit to the user for one or more billing cycles;

generate a notification including information relating to the projected financial benefit to inform a user of the client computing device that the projected financial benefit is based on the user adopting the current setpoint as a new scheduled setpoint in the setpoint schedule; and

send the notification to the client computing device to cause the prompt to be displayed on the user interface, the prompt including the information relating to the projected financial benefit.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the notification includes one or more of information relating informing the user when he or she is making an energy saving decision, information relating to informing the user when he or she is making a cost saving decision, information relating to informing the user how much a decision of the user will save the user in comparison to a current practice of the user, information relating to increasing energy conservation in residential homes, or information relating to enabling smart thermostat users to change setpoint schedules of the users upon occurrence of a certain event.

6. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

identify one or more client computing devices including the client computing device connected over a network, the computing device configured to obtain a respective setpoint schedule for each of the one or more client computing devices;

obtain the setpoint schedule associated with the client computing device from a repository communicatively coupled to the client computing device; and

receive a request from the client computing device to change a scheduled setpoint included in the setpoint schedule to a current setpoint included in the request, wherein the change in the setpoint schedule is detected in response to the request.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

obtain the setpoint schedule as an original setpoint schedule;

adjust the setpoint schedule by at least one or more of replacing a scheduled setpoint included in the setpoint schedule with a current setpoint included in the setpoint data or adding the current setpoint into the setpoint schedule; and

store the adjusted setpoint schedule as a new setpoint schedule.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the user interface is associated with an application configured to run on the client computing device, and wherein one or more users access the user interface to remotely manipulate one or more climate control devices communicatively coupled to the client computing device over a network.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises an object representing a temperature dial for controlling one or more scheduled setpoints of the setpoint schedule, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to detect one or more touch gestures on the temperature dial, wherein the one or more touch gestures correspond to a manipulation of the temperature dial to provide at least one input to the user interface, and wherein the at least one input corresponds to the change detected in the setpoint schedule.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the user interface comprises an object representing a metric of a plurality of users within a population of climate control devices connected to the client computing device over a network, and wherein the object includes an indication of where the user lies with respect to the users in terms of efficiency based on setpoint schedules of the users.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the at least one input corresponds to a current setpoint of the setpoint data, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to determine that the current setpoint is smaller than a scheduled setpoint of the setpoint schedule, and wherein the change detected in the setpoint schedule relates to an improvement in energy conservation based on the current setpoint being smaller than the scheduled setpoint when a climate control device associated with the client computing device is set to a heating mode.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to determine that the current setpoint is greater than a scheduled setpoint of the setpoint schedule, and wherein the change detected in the setpoint schedule relates to an improvement in energy conservation based on the current setpoint being greater than the scheduled setpoint when the climate control device is set to a cooling mode.

13. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

send data to the client computing device to cause a climate control device associated with the client computing device to be set into a cooling mode;

determine that a current setpoint included in the setpoint data is greater than a scheduled setpoint included in the setpoint schedule; and

send a notification to the client computing device based on the current setpoint being greater than the scheduled setpoint, wherein the notification includes information to inform the user of a projected financial benefit that would result from the current setpoint being stored as part of the setpoint schedule.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

send additional data to the client computing device to cause the climate control device to be set into a heating mode;

determine that the current setpoint is smaller than the scheduled setpoint; and

send the notification to the client computing device based on the current setpoint determined to be smaller than the scheduled setpoint.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

determine that a projected financial benefit is greater than a predetermined threshold;

generate a notification including loss-aversion information to incentivize the user to adopt the current setpoint; and

send data including the notification to cause the prompt to be displayed on the user interface, the prompt including the loss-aversion information.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the projected financial benefit is based at least in part on an energy usage history of the user, the energy usage history relating to one or more of an average usage rate for a specified number of months, a usage rate during a specified budget period for one or more previous years, an average usage rate for a particular weekday or weekend, usage rates for one or more months preceding the specified budget period, and energy usage billing information for a specified number of months in one or more previous years.

17. A computer-implemented method for saving energy efficient setpoints, the method comprising:

detecting a change in a setpoint schedule based on setpoint data from a client computing device;

determining, using at least one processor, that the change in the setpoint schedule decreases energy consumption for a corresponding utility customer associated with the client computing device;

generating a notification including an indication that the change in the setpoint schedule decreases energy consumption for the corresponding utility customer; and

sending the notification to the client computing device to cause a prompt to be displayed on a user interface of the client computing device, the prompt including the sent notification.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising:

sending data to the client computing device to cause a climate control device associated with the client computing device to be set into a specified climate mode; and

determining that a current setpoint included in the setpoint data is deviated from a scheduled setpoint included in the setpoint schedule by an amount of degrees that represents a decrease in energy consumption based on the specified climate mode, wherein the notification is sent to the client computing device based on the amount of degrees determined being greater than a predetermined threshold, wherein the notification includes information to inform the user of a projected financial benefit that would result from the current setpoint being stored as part of the setpoint schedule.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions for saving energy efficient setpoints on a computing device, the instructions when executed by a processor causing the processor to:

detect a change in a setpoint schedule based on setpoint data from a client computing device;

determine that the change in the setpoint schedule provides a benefit for a corresponding utility customer associated with the client computing device;

generate a notification including an indication that the change in the setpoint schedule decreases energy consumption for the corresponding utility customer;

send the notification to the client computing device;

send data to the client computing device to cause a prompt to be displayed on a user interface of the client computing device, the prompt including the notification and one or more options including an option to adopt the change in the setpoint schedule using the setpoint data; and

receive an input based at least in part on the prompt, the input including a selection of at least one of the one or more options, the setpoint schedule being changed using the setpoint data based on the selected option corresponding to the option to adopt the change in the setpoint schedule.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

send data to the client computing device to cause a climate control device associated with the client computing device to be set into a specified climate mode; and

determine that a current setpoint included in the setpoint data is deviated from a scheduled setpoint included in the setpoint schedule by an amount of degrees that represents a decrease in energy consumption based on the specified climate mode, wherein the notification is sent to the client computing device based on the amount of degrees determined being greater than a predetermined threshold, wherein the notification includes information to inform the user of a projected financial benefit that would result from the current setpoint being stored as part of the setpoint schedule.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the provided benefit is one or more of a decrease in energy consumption or a decrease in energy bill costs.