APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR OCCUPANCY BASED ENERGY CONSUMPTION MANAGEMENT

• US 20170322525A1
• Filed: 05/03/2016
• Published: 11/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enel X North America, Inc. (ENEL SPA)
• Original Assignee: Enernoc
• Inventors: AL-MOHSSEN, HUSAIN, MAIN, ELIZABETH J., BASSA, ANGELA S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,203,673 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling consumption of a resource by a facility is provided. The apparatus includes a plurality of devices, a network operations center (NOC), and a plurality of control nodes. The plurality of devices is disposed within the facility, each consuming a portion of the resource when turned on, and the each capable of performing a corresponding function within an acceptable operational margin by cycling on and off. The NOC is disposed external to the facility, and is configured to generate a plurality of run time schedules, where the plurality of run time schedules coordinates run times for the each of the plurality of devices to control the consumption of the resource while maintaining corresponding local environments while operating within corresponding acceptable operating margins, and is configured to adjust the plurality of run time schedules based upon occupancy components and occupancy levels generated by the NOC, where the occupancy components and the occupancy levels are exclusively generated based on the consumption of the resource and outside temperature. The plurality of control nodes is disposed within the facility, each coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of devices, where the plurality of control nodes is coupled together via an energy management network that is operatively coupled to the NOC, and where the plurality of control nodes transmits sensor data and device status to the NOC via the energy management network for generation of the plurality of run time schedules, and where the plurality of control nodes executes selected ones of the run time schedules to cycle the plurality of devices on and off.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling consumption of a resource by a facility, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of devices, disposed within the facility, each consuming a portion of the resource when turned on, and said each capable of performing a corresponding function within an acceptable operational margin by cycling on and off;

a network operations center (NOC), disposed external to the facility, configured to generate a plurality of run time schedules, wherein said plurality of run time schedules coordinates run times for said each of said plurality of devices to control the consumption of the resource while maintaining corresponding local environments while operating within corresponding acceptable operating margins, and configured to adjust said plurality of run time schedules based upon occupancy components and occupancy levels generated by said NOC, wherein said occupancy components and said occupancy levels are exclusively generated based on the consumption of the resource and outside temperature; and

a plurality of control nodes, disposed within the facility, each coupled to a corresponding one of said plurality of devices, wherein said plurality of control nodes is coupled together via an energy management network that is operatively coupled to said NOC, and wherein said plurality of control nodes transmits sensor data and device status to said NOC via said energy management network for generation of said plurality of run time schedules, and wherein said plurality of control nodes executes selected ones of said run time schedules to cycle said plurality of devices on and off.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said NOC generates said occupancy components for the facility by processing a first data set comprising energy consumption and outside temperature data for the facility, said energy consumption and outside temperature data taken at a prescribed time increment over a first plurality of days, and generates a normalized first data set by employing said occupancy components to remove effects of occupancy of the facility from said first data set, said occupancy components comprising:

a lower bound of energy consumption as a function of outside temperature;

a normalized occupancy profile component as a function of said prescribed time increment;

a marginal energy consumption component as a function of outside temperature; and

a daily occupancy level component for each of said first plurality of days.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said NOC generates said occupancy levels for the facility by employing said occupancy components to process the consumption of the resource.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said prescribed time increment comprises one hour.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said prescribed time increment comprises five minutes.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, where said first plurality of days comprises 365 days.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said NOC progressively revises said occupancy components by additionally processing the consumption of the resource.

8. An apparatus for controlling consumption of a resource by a facility, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of devices, disposed within the facility, each consuming a portion of the resource when turned on, and said each capable of performing a corresponding function within an acceptable operational margin by cycling on and off;

a network operations center (NOC), disposed external to the facility, configured to generate a plurality of run time schedules, wherein said plurality of run time schedules coordinates run times for said each of said plurality of devices to control the consumption of the resource while maintaining corresponding local environments while operating within corresponding acceptable operating margins, and configured to adjust said plurality of run time schedules based upon occupancy components and occupancy levels generated by said NOC, wherein said occupancy components and said occupancy levels are exclusively generated based on the consumption of the resource and outside temperature;

a plurality of control nodes, disposed within the facility, each coupled to a corresponding one of said plurality of devices, wherein said plurality of control nodes is coupled together via an energy management network that is operatively coupled to said NOC, and wherein said plurality of control nodes transmits sensor data and device status to said NOC via said energy management network for generation of said plurality of run time schedules, and wherein said plurality of control nodes executes selected ones of said run time schedules to cycle said plurality of devices on and off; and

one or more sensor nodes, coupled to said energy management network, configured to provide one or more global sensor data sets to said NOC, wherein said NOC employs said one or more global sensor data sets in determining said run times.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said NOC generates said occupancy components for the facility by processing a first data set comprising energy consumption and outside temperature data for the facility, said energy consumption and outside temperature data taken at a prescribed time increment over a first plurality of days, and generates a normalized first data set by employing said occupancy components to remove effects of occupancy of the facility from said first data set, said occupancy components comprising:

a lower bound of energy consumption as a function of outside temperature;

a normalized occupancy profile component as a function of said prescribed time increment;

a marginal energy consumption component as a function of outside temperature; and

a daily occupancy level component for each of said first plurality of days.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said NOC generates said occupancy levels for the facility by employing said occupancy components to process the consumption of the resource.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said prescribed time increment comprises one hour.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said prescribed time increment comprises five minutes.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, where said first plurality of days comprises 365 days.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said NOC progressively revises said occupancy components by additionally processing the consumption of the resource.

15. A method for controlling consumption of a resource by a facility, comprising:

via a network operations center (NOC) external to the facility, generating a plurality of run time schedules, wherein the plurality of run time schedules coordinates run times for each of a plurality of devices to control the consumption of the resource while maintaining corresponding local environments while operating within corresponding acceptable operating margins, and adjusting the plurality of run time schedules based upon occupancy components and occupancy levels generated by the NOC, wherein the occupancy components and the occupancy levels are exclusively generated based on the consumption of the resource and outside temperature;

controlling the each of the plurality of devices via corresponding control nodes, wherein the each of the plurality of devices consumes a portion of the resource when turned on, and wherein the each of the plurality of devices is capable of performing a corresponding function within an acceptable operational margin by cycling on and off; and

coupling the corresponding control nodes together via an energy management network that is operatively coupled to the NOC, and

employing the energy management network to transmit sensor data and device status to the NOC for generation of the plurality of run time schedules.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the NOC generates the occupancy components for the facility by processing a first data set comprising energy consumption and outside temperature data for the facility, the energy consumption and outside temperature data taken at a prescribed time increment over a first plurality of days, and generates a normalized first data set by employing the occupancy components to remove effects of occupancy of the facility from the first data set, the occupancy components comprising:

a lower bound of energy consumption as a function of outside temperature;

a normalized occupancy profile component as a function of the prescribed time increment;

a marginal energy consumption component as a function of outside temperature; and

a daily occupancy level component for each of the first plurality of days.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the NOC generates the occupancy levels for the facility by employing the occupancy components to process the consumption of the resource.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the prescribed time increment comprises one hour.

19. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the prescribed time increment comprises five minutes.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, where the first plurality of days comprises 365 days.

21. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the occupancy components are progressively revised by additionally the consumption of the resource.