Real time, economic-impact display system for consumers of commoditized electric power

• US 5,519,622 A
• Filed: 10/18/1993
• Issued: 05/21/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Norman E. Chasek
• Original Assignee: Norman E. Chasek
• Inventors: Chasek, Norman E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US08/137,420
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 324/116, 340/870.02, 340/500, 364/464.04, 364/483
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 13/02 for displaying measured electric variables in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/1333 adapted for special tariff measuring
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/00 Arrangements for measuring time integral of electric power or current, e.g. electricity meters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

This invention describes a method for presenting, in near real-time, information that guides consumers of variably priced electricity in the cost efficient management of its consumption. The method employs a single row of red and green lights whose illumination pattern simultaneously indicates price differences from a mean price of the electricity, the size of a surcharge during high demand time, the size of a bonus stake per KWH available to those consumers with little or no increase in demand during such times, and individual bonus-surcharge eligibility during high demand times. The use of electricity can be quickly prioritized by typical consumers through the number of red and green of lights lit, steady and blinking lights, and by a variable duty cycle imposed on blinking lights. When taken together the overall economics of consumption can be communicated in a manner that facilitates complicated trade-offs in the cost efficient use of electricity.

Claims

1. A near real-time method for helping typical consumers of price fluctuating electricity quickly prioritize their use of electricity for better cost management of their electric power consumption, is comprised of the steps of;

estimating, by a utility, an upcoming time slot'"'"'s price deviation from a pre-established mean price of the electricity;

assigning said deviation into a quantitative, ie. high, medium or low, and positive or negative, category;

estimating, during high demand periods, the gross size of any surcharge pool and bonus stake/KWH that will be distributed to consumers;

assigning said gross surcharge pool and bonus stake into quantitative categories;

periodically transmitting said category information from a utility center to consumers;

storing said category information in each consumer'"'"'s display processer;

optionally receiving data from a calendar-time watt-hour meter located on consumer'"'"'s premises and processing said data to indicate a consumer'"'"'s eligiblity for surcharge or bonus distributions and the extent of that eligibility; and

displaying all said information to the consumer with red and green lights, green indicating economically advantageous times to use power and red indicating more expensive power, with the number of lights lit and/or their blink duty cycle further quantifying the consumption economics.

2. Display apparatus that helps consumers quickly prioritize their consumption of commoditized electricity as its price fluctuates and when bonus-surcharge distributions are in-effect, is comprised of;

red and green lights mounted on a surface that can be casually viewed, such as on a clock face;

means for receiving data that is periodically transmitted from a utility control center, and optionally from a calendar-time watt-hour meter located on the consumer'"'"'s premises;

a means for storing said received information and effecting a continuous display over a given time interval; and

a processer that converts said stored information into light sequences that instinctively guide the typical consumer to efficient management of electric power consumption.

3. Apparatus for indicating individual consumer bonus-surcharge eligibility and extent of that eligibility, is comprised of;

a first processer, co-located with consumer'"'"'s calendar-time watt-hour meter, which generates differences between the calendar-time watt-hour meter readings taken over a given time interval and that consumer'"'"'s assigned maximum consumption during high system demand times, with the sign of the difference indicating eligibility for a bonus or a surcharge; and

a second processer, co-located at each display site, connected to said first processer by powerline carrier and to utility by radio, with said second processer determining blinking display light color, to indicate bonus or surcharge eligibility, with said color being determined from the sign of said difference, and also determining a blink duty cycle from the magnitude of said difference to indicate extent of eligibility.

4. A method for simultaneously indicating relative price and bonus-surcharge status using a single set of display lights to provide guidance for the management of electric power consumption by typical consumers, is comprised of the steps of;

activating, for a prescribed first time duration, either green lights to indicate below average price conditions or red lights to indicate above average price conditions with the number of red or green lights lit quantifying the extent of the above or below average price;

activating, during alternating time periods, simultaneously lights blinking green and red lights, with the number of red lights indicating the estimated size of any surcharge pool, and the number of blinking green lights indicating the estimated bonus stake/KWH that is available;

activating an optional third time-shared display using blinking green lights to indicate individual consumer'"'"'s bonus eligibility or blinking red to indicate surcharge eligibility, and the individual consumer'"'"'s extent of eligibility being indicated by the duty cycle of the blink, ie. a 25% duty cycle indicating consumer'"'"'s demand is near a crossover between bonus and surcharge eligibility; and

assigning a time duration to the cycling, time-shared display sequences that is long enough for a consumer to easily resolve each parameter yet short enough so that a single glance will, with experience, provide an overview of power consumption economics in order to better prioritize its use.