Electronic energy management system

• US 6,327,541 B1
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ameren Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ameren Corporation
• Inventors: Voss, Thomas R., Pitchford, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US09/108,024
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: 705/412, 705/34, 705/400, 705/30.13, 705/413, 340/870.02, 340/870.03, 702/60, 702/61, 702/62, 324/127, 324/141, 324/142, 324/143, 700/295, 738/610.2, 738/610.3
• US Class Current: 702/62
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/00 Coin-freed apparatus with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

An electronic energy management system is suitable for use with an energy distribution network that provides energy from an energy resource to user sites. A plurality of energy usage meters, at least one at each user site, monitors energy usage at each user site. The system comprises a data acquisition subsystem that acquires energy usage data from the energy usage meters. The energy usage data comprises multiple increments of total energy usage over defined periods of time. An electronic data storage located at a central location remote from the energy usage meters stores the acquired energy usage data. An electronic communication subsystem provides user access to the stored acquired energy usage data from the electronic data storage.

Claims

1. An electronic energy management system for use with an energy distribution network for providing energy from an energy resource to user sites, and a plurality of energy usage meters, at least one at each user site, for monitoring energy usage at each user site, said system comprising:

a data acquisition subsystem for acquiring energy usage data from the energy usage meters wherein the energy usage data comprises multiple increments of total energy usage over each of a plurality of defined periods of time;

an electronic data storage at a central location remote from the energy usage meters for storing the acquired energy usage data; and

an electronic communication subsystem for providing user access to the stored acquired energy usage data from the electronic data storage.

2. The electronic energy management system of claim 1 wherein the energy resource comprises at least one of electricity, natural gas, compressed air, or industrial fluids.

3. The electronic energy management system of claim 1 wherein the data acquisition subsystem acquires the energy usage data at preset times and summarizes the acquired data for intervals between the preset times.

4. The electronic energy management system of claim 1 wherein the electronic communication subsystem further comprises an application server at the central location remote from the energy usage meters, said application server being adapted to retrieve the stored acquired energy usage data from the electronic data storage, and a remote computer for accessing the acquired energy usage data from the application server, said application server and said remote computer having a connection to a multipurpose, multiuser communication network.

5. The electronic energy management system of claim 4 wherein a user'"'"'s access to certain data from the application server is restricted.

6. The electronic energy management system of claim 4 wherein the multipurpose, multiuser communication network comprises the internet.

7. The electronic energy management system of claim 1 wherein the electronic communication subsystem further comprises an application server at the central location remote from the energy usage meters, said application server being adapted to retrieve the stored acquired energy usage data from the electronic data storage, and a remote computer for accessing the acquired energy usage data from the application server, said remote computer having a connection to the application server via a limited purpose communication network.

8. The electronic energy management system of claim 7 wherein a user'"'"'s access to certain data from the application server is restricted.

9. The electronic energy management system of claim 1 further comprising a report generator for generating reports representative of the energy usage data associated with at least one of the plurality of energy usage meters, said report generator being accessible by a user.

10. The electronic energy management system of claim 9 wherein the generated reports display the energy usage data in terms of cost.

11. The electronic energy management system of claim 9 wherein the generated reports display the energy usage data in terms of units of energy.

12. The electronic energy management system of claim 9 wherein the generated report further comprises a first display format and a second display format, the second display format displaying the energy usage data to a finer degree of resolution than the first display format.

13. The electronic energy management system of claim 9, the report generator further grouping the energy usage data from two or more of the plurality of energy usage meters whereby the generated reports reflect the energy usage data associated with the two or more of the plurality of energy usage meters.

14. The electronic energy management system of claim 1 further comprising a communication interface associated with the energy usage meters, said communication interface for transmitting an energy usage signal to a central station, said energy usage signal being representative of the energy usage data, whereby the data acquisition subsystem acquires the energy usage data from the energy usage meters.

15. The electronic energy management system of claim 14 wherein the communication interface further comprises a wireless communication circuit for transmitting the energy usage signal to the central station.

16. The electronic energy management system of claim 14 wherein the communication interface further comprises a telecommunications signal network for transmitting the energy usage signal to the central station.

17. The electronic energy management system of claim 14 wherein the communication interface further comprises a modulation circuit for imposing a carrier signal onto the energy distribution network, said carrier signal for transmitting the energy usage signal to the central station.

18. The electronic energy management system of claim 1 wherein the data acquisition subsystem acquires the energy usage data from a selected number of the plurality of energy usage meters, the selected number being associated with a single user and wherein the selected number of the plurality of energy usage meters each measures usage of a same type of energy resource;

whereby integrated energy usage data may be retrieved from the electronic data storage.

19. The electronic energy management system of claim 18 wherein at least one of the plurality of energy usage meters further comprises a watt-hour meter, said watt-hour meter having an integration circuit for providing a watt-hour signal representative of the time integral of the active or reactive power flowing through the integration circuit.

20. The electronic energy management system of claim 19 further comprising a communication interface associated with the watt-hour meter, said communication interface for transmitting the watt-hour signal to a central station, whereby the data acquisition subsystem acquires the watt-hour signal from the watt-hour meter.

21. The electronic energy management system of claim 18 wherein at least one of the plurality of energy usage meters further comprises a fluid meter, said fluid meter having an integration circuit for providing a liquid flow signal representative of the time integral of the active liquid flow flowing through the integration circuit.

22. The electronic energy management system of claim 21 further comprising a communication interface associated with the fluid meter, said communication interface for transmitting the liquid flow signal to a central station, whereby the data acquisition subsystem acquires the liquid flow signal from the fluid meter.

23. A water management system for use with a water distribution network for providing water from a water resource to user sites, and a plurality of water usage meters, at least one at each site, for monitoring water usage at each user site, said system comprising:

a data acquisition subsystem for acquiring water usage data from the water usage meters wherein the water usage data comprises multiple increments of total water usage over each of a plurality of defined periods of time;

an electronic data storage at a central location remote from the water usage meters for storing the acquired water usage data; and

an electronic communication subsystem for providing user access to the stored acquired water usage data from the electronic data storage,

wherein the data acquisition subsystem acquires water usage data from a selected number of the plurality of water usage meters, the selected number being associated with a single user whereby integrated water usage data may be retrieved from the electronic data storage.

24. The water management system of claim 23 wherein at least one of the plurality of water meters has an integration circuit for providing a liquid flow signal representative of the time integral of the active liquid flow flowing through the integration circuit.

25. An electronic energy management system for use with an energy distribution network for providing energy from an energy resource to user sites comprising:

a plurality of energy usage meters, at least one at each site, for monitoring energy usage at each user site;

a data acquisition subsystem for acquiring energy usage data from the energy usage meters wherein the energy usage data comprises multiple increments of total energy usage over each of a plurality of defined periods of time;

an electronic data storage at a central location remote from the energy usage meters for storing the acquired energy usage data; and

an electronic communication subsystem for providing user access to the stored acquired energy usage data from the electronic data storage.

26. An electronic energy management system for use with an energy distribution network for providing energy from an energy resource to user sites, and a plurality of energy usage meters, at least one at each user site, for monitoring energy usage at each user site, said system comprising:

a data acquisition subsystem for acquiring energy usage data from the energy usage meters;

an electronic data storage at a central location remote from the energy usage meters for storing the acquired energy usage data;

an electronic communication subsystem for providing user access to the stored acquired energy usage data from the electronic data storage; and

a report generator for generating reports representative of the energy usage data associated with at least one of the plurality of energy usage meters, said report generator being accessible by a user.

27. The electronic energy management system of claim 26 wherein the generated reports display the energy usage data in terms of cost.

28. The electronic energy management system of claim 26 wherein the generated reports display the energy usage data in terms of units of energy.

29. The electronic energy management system of claim 26 wherein the generated report further comprises a first display format and a second display format, the second display format displaying the energy usage data to a finer degree of resolution than the first display format.

30. The electronic energy management system of claim 26 wherein the report generator further groups the energy usage data from two or more of the plurality of energy usage meters whereby the generated reports reflect the energy usage data associated with the two or more of the plurality of energy usage meters.