Method and apparatus for monitoring the consumption of utilities in business premises
First Claim
1. A method of monitoring the consumption of utilities in business premises, in which the premises are notionally divided into zones, each of which contains at least one utility load to be supplied, characterized in that said method comprises the steps of:
- associating utility metering means with each zone to record utility consumption within the associated zone and provide corresponding utility consumption data;
notionally combining the zones into groups, each group including all of those zones which contribute to the provision of a specified product or service;
and providing analysis means which are operable in relation to each group to provide analysis, said analysis provided in relation to each group comprising the steps of;
(i) receiving the utility consumption data relating to the zones of that group and combining the received data to provide data concerning the total measured utility consumption within that group;
(ii) storing asset data relating to the zones of that group and concerning the expected utility consumption within each of the zones under each of a set of operating conditions, and combining the asset data relating to the zones of that group to provide data concerning the total expected utility consumption within that group;
(iii) comparing the total expected utility consumption data for that group with the total measured utility consumption data for that group; and
(iv) supplying control data to a zone or zones within that group to enable utility consumption to be controlled in dependance on the result of the comparison.
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Abstract
The invention is an apparatus and method for monitoring the consumption of utilities in business premises. The premises are divided into notional zones, each including a utility load and a meter to record consumption within the zone. The zones are combined into notional groups. A central analysis computer is provided for receiving consumption data from the zones of a group to calculate total utility consumption within the group, and to conduct further analysis on the consumption data. The computer also supplies control data to the zones for controlling utility consumption. A single loss monitoring device records the total losses which occur between a point and the utility loads in the zones. The loss monitoring device transfers this information to the computer. Alternatively, a separate loss monitoring apparatus is supplied for each column of zones for determining the losses which occur in any single column of zones.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of monitoring the consumption of utilities in business premises, in which the premises are notionally divided into zones, each of which contains at least one utility load to be supplied, characterized in that said method comprises the steps of:
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associating utility metering means with each zone to record utility consumption within the associated zone and provide corresponding utility consumption data; notionally combining the zones into groups, each group including all of those zones which contribute to the provision of a specified product or service; and providing analysis means which are operable in relation to each group to provide analysis, said analysis provided in relation to each group comprising the steps of; (i) receiving the utility consumption data relating to the zones of that group and combining the received data to provide data concerning the total measured utility consumption within that group; (ii) storing asset data relating to the zones of that group and concerning the expected utility consumption within each of the zones under each of a set of operating conditions, and combining the asset data relating to the zones of that group to provide data concerning the total expected utility consumption within that group; (iii) comparing the total expected utility consumption data for that group with the total measured utility consumption data for that group; and (iv) supplying control data to a zone or zones within that group to enable utility consumption to be controlled in dependance on the result of the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. Apparatus for monitoring the consumption of utilities in business premises notionally divided into zones each containing at least one utility load to be supplied, characterized in that the apparatus comprises utility metering means associated with each notional zone of the premises and operable to record consumption within the associated zone, and analysis means operable to analyze consumption data relating to the zones or groups of zones, into which the zones are notionally divided, each notional group including all of those zones which contribute to the provisions of a specified product or service, and characterized in that the analysis means are further operable in relation to each group to:
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(i) receive the utility consumption data relating to the zones of that group and to combine the received data to provide data concerning the total measured utility consumption within that group; (ii) store asset data relating to the zones of that group and concerning the expected utility consumption within each of the zones under each of a set of operating conditions, and combine the asset data relating to the zones of that group to provide data concerning the total expected utility consumption within that group; (iii) compare the total expected utility consumption data for that group with the total measured utility consumption data for that group; and (iv) supply the control data to a zone or zones within that group to enable utility consumption to be controlled in dependence on the result of the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification