Energy management system for controlling energy supplied to a set of customer buildings

• US 7,206,670 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2004
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Saunders, James H., Stets, Joseph A., Pimputkar, Sudheer M.
• Primary Examiner(s): VON BUHR, MARIA N
• Application Number:
  US10/957,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20050102068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/291, 700295-297, 323/234, 323/299, 323/304, 323/318
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00006 characterised by information or instructions transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated power network element or electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/54 according to a pre-established time schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/144 Demand-response operation of the power transmission or distribution network
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/12 characterised by data transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated electrical equipment

Abstract

A method of supplying energy to a set of customer buildings having energy consuming appliances includes establishing a set of customer tolerances for conserving energy use in a set of customer buildings. A remote control system to control appliances in the customer buildings is established. At least some of the appliances in the set of buildings are controlled with the remote control system according to the customer tolerances to reduce the demand for energy.

Claims

1. A method of supplying energy to a set of customer buildings having energy consuming appliances, wherein the appliances, when operated, create a demand for energy, the method comprising:

establishing a set of customer preferences for conserving energy use in a set of customer buildings;

establishing a remote control system to control appliances in the customer buildings; and

controlling at least some of the appliances in the set of buildings with the remote control system according to the customer preferences to reduce the demand for energy, wherein the controlling of the appliances includes predicting future load demands, including a peak demand, and controlling the appliances prior in time to the time of the predicted peak demand to reduce the demand for energy during the time of the predicted peak demand.

2. The method of claim 1 including determining whether or not peak demand conditions exist, and controlling to the appliances to reduce the demand for energy in response to peak demand conditions.

3. The method of claim 1 in which some of the appliances in the building have thermostats with settings, and in which the controlling step includes changing the settings on thermostats on some of the appliances in the buildings.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the controlling step includes turning off some appliances.

5. The method of claim 1 including predicting future load demands for a time period of less than about 24 hours, and controlling appliances prior in time to a predicted peak demand to reduce the demand for energy during the time for peak demand.

6. The method of claim 1 including:

gathering data on physical building characteristics of the customer buildings; and

using the physical building characteristics in controlling the appliances to reduce the demand for energy.

7. A method of supplying energy to a set of customer buildings having energy consuming appliances, wherein the appliances, when operated, create a demand for energy, the method comprising:

establishing a set of customer tolerances for conserving energy use in customer buildings, wherein the customer tolerances indicate a hierarchy of energy use for the set of customer buildings;

establishing a remote control system to control appliances in the customer buildings;

gathering data on physical building characteristics of the customer buildings the physical building characteristics being the response of the building to various weather parameters; and

controlling at least some of the appliances in the set of buildings with the remote control system according to the hierarchy, and using the physical building characteristics to reduce the demand for energy.

8. The method of claim 7 including determining whether or not peak demand conditions exist, and controlling to the appliances to reduce the demand for energy in response to peak demand conditions.

9. The method of claim 7 in which some of the appliances in the building have thermostats with settings, and in which the controlling step includes changing the settings on thermostats on some of the appliances in the buildings.

10. The method of claim 7 in which the controlling step includes turning off some appliances.

11. The method of claim 7 including predicting future load demands for a time period of less than about 24 hours, and controlling appliances prior in time to a predicted peak demand to reduce the demand for energy during the time for peak demand.

12. The method of claim 7 in which the customer tolerances are derived by gathering data using a customer survey.

13. The method of claim 7 in which the customer tolerances are derived by gathering data using the remote control system.

14. A method of supplying energy to a set of customer buildings having energy consuming appliances, wherein the appliances, when operated, create a demand for energy the method comprising:

gathering data on physical building characteristics of the customer buildings the physical building characteristics being the response of the building to various weather parameters;

establishing a set of customer tolerances for conserving energy use in customer buildings, wherein the customer tolerances indicate a hierarchy of energy use for the set of customer buildings;

gathering data on the customer tolerances for conserving energy use in the customer buildings;

establishing a remote control system to control appliances in the customer buildings;

gathering short term weather data;

determining short term future energy needs for the set of buildings based on the physical building characteristics, customer tolerances, and the short term weather data; and

controlling at least some of the appliances in the set of buildings in response to the short term future energy needs to reduce the demand for energy, a basement or crawl space, furnace size and efficiency, extent of insulation and weather proofing, sun exposure, wind exposure, solar energy supplements, occupancy pattern, air conditioner size and efficiency, and existence of auxiliary appliances.

15. The method of claim 14 in which the physical building characteristics include one or more of the following:

age and size of the building, existence of a basement or crawl space, furnace size and efficiency, extent of insulation and weather proofing, sun exposure, wind exposure, solar energy supplements, occupancy pattern, air conditioner size and efficiency, and existence of auxiliary appliances.

16. The method of claim 14 including the steps of modifying internal physical building characteristics of the building and determining short term future energy needs for the set of buildings by taking into account the modified physical building characteristics.

17. The method of claim 14 including the steps of modifying external physical building characteristics of the building and determining short term future energy needs for the set of buildings by taking into account the modified physical building characteristics.

18. The method of claim 14 in which the step of determining short term future energy needs for the set of buildings based on the physical building characteristics is carried out with an algorithm, and in which different weather parameters evoke different responses of the customer buildings as to short term energy needs, and further including gathering data on the response of the customer buildings to a multiplicity of different weather parameters, and modifying the algorithm in view of the response of the customer buildings to different weather parameters.

19. The method of claim 18 in which the building response to the multiplicity of different weather parameters includes responses of the buildings to changes in one or more of the following:

temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and cloud cover.

20. The method of claim 14 including:

establishing a hierarchy of energy use for the set of customer buildings on an appliance by appliance basis; and

using the hierarchy of energy use in controlling the appliances in the buildings.