System and method for remote monitoring and controlling of facility energy consumption

• US 7,356,548 B1
• Filed: 12/03/2001
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Texas A&M University System
• Original Assignee: Texas A&M University System
• Inventors: Turner, William D., Haberl, Jeffrey S., Culp, Charles H., Claridge, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu; Kuen S
• Application Number:
  US10/004,988
• Time in Patent Office: 2,318 Days
• Field of Search: 236/47, 236/78, 707 1-200, 705/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0833 for reduction of network energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A method for remote monitoring and controlling of energy consumption of a facility includes receiving energy consumption data associated with the facility at a processor disposed remotely from the facility. The method also includes receiving environmental data associated with the facility. The method includes determining whether an operating parameter of an energy consumption system of the facility requires modification to increase efficiency using the energy consumption data and the environmental data. The method further includes automatically modifying the operating parameter of the energy consumption system corresponding to the required modification.

Claims

1. A system for remote monitoring and controlling of energy consumption of a facility, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a database coupled to the processor, the database operable to;

receive and store one or more reduced storage intensive values from a facility when a predetermined event has not occurred, the one or more reduced storage intensive values acquired at a predetermined rate and processed to a reduced form that represents energy consumption information for a period of time, and

receive and store event analysis information from the facility when a predetermined event has occurred, the event analysis information acquired at the predetermined rate and preserved to include energy consumption information before the predetermined event and energy consumption information collected after the predetermined event;

an analysis engine residing in the memory and executable by the processor, the analysis engine operable to;

evaluate the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information, and

determine whether energy consumption operating parameters require modification to increase efficiency; and

a control engine residing in the memory and executable by the processor, the control engine operable to initiate operating parameter modification of an energy consumption system of the facility in response to a desired operating parameter modification.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more reduced storage intensive values is an average value for one or more parameters of the energy consumption information for the period of time.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the event analysis information includes, for a defined period of time, all of the energy consumption information collected by a data collector at the predetermined rate at the facility before the predetermined event and all of the energy consumption information collected by the data collector at the predetermined rate at the facility after the predetermined event.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the database receives the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information via an Internet communications network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the database receives the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information from a data collector disposed at the facility.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the database further receives and stores environmental data, and wherein the analysis engine is further operable to determine whether operating parameter modification is required using the environmental data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the environmental data comprises environmental forecast information, and wherein the analysis engine is operable to determine whether operating parameter modification is required for the energy consumption system using the environmental forecast information.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a validation engine residing in the memory and executable by the processor, the validation engine operable to validate the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the validation engine is operable to validate the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information using environmental data.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the validation engine is operable to validate the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information using historical energy consumption data associated with the facility.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information are collected by a plurality of data collectors disposed at the facility.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein

the plurality of data collectors are coupled together, and

the energy consumption information collected by a first data collector is transmitted to a second data collector.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second data collector transmits both the energy consumption information collected by the first data collector and the energy consumption information collected by the second data collector.

14. A method for remote monitoring and controlling of energy consumption of a facility, comprising:

receiving one or more reduced storage intensive values from a facility when a predetermined event has not occurred, the one or more reduced storage intensive values acquired at a predetermined rate and processed to a reduced form that represents energy consumption information for a period of time;

receiving event analysis information from the facility when a predetermined event has occurred, the event analysis information acquired at the predetermined rate and preserved to include energy consumption information before the predetermined event and energy consumption information collected after the predetermined event;

evaluating the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information to determine whether energy consumption operating parameters require modification to increase efficiency; and

initiating operating parameter modification of an energy consumption system of the facility in response to a desired operating parameter modification.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the one or more reduced storage intensive values is an average value for one or more parameters of the energy consumption information for the period of time.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the event analysis information includes, for a defined period of time, all of the energy consumption information collected by a data collector at the predetermined rate at the facility before the predetermined event and all of the energy consumption information collected by the data collector at the predetermined rate at the facility after the predetermined event.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information is received via an Internet communications network.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information is received from a data collector disposed at the facility.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving environmental data, wherein the determination of whether energy consumption operating parameters require modification to increase efficiency includes evaluating the environmental data.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the environmental data comprises environmental forecast information.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

validating the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein validating the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information is carried out using environmental data.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein validating the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information is carried out using historical energy consumption data associated with the facility.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information are collected by a plurality of data collectors disposed at the facility.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein

the plurality of data collectors are coupled together, and

the energy consumption information collected by a first data collector is transmitted to a second data collector.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the second data collector transmits both the energy consumption information collected by the first data collector and the energy consumption information collected by the second data collector.

27. A method for remote monitoring and controlling of energy consumption of a facility, comprising:

collecting, at a facility, energy consumption information at a predetermined rate;

determining, based on the collected energy consumption information, whether a predetermined event has occurred;

if a predetermined event has not occurred, processing the energy consumption information collected at the predetermined rate to one or more reduced storage intensive values representing energy consumption information for a period of time and transmitting the one or more reduced storage intensive values; and

if a predetermined event has occurred, preserving the energy consumption information collected at the predetermined rate as event analysis information that includes at least a portion of the energy consumption information collected before the predetermined event and energy consumption information collected after the predetermined event, and transmitting the event analysis information.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein processing the energy consumption information to one or more reduced storage intensive values involves yielding one or more values that represents the energy consumption information and discarding the energy consumption information for the period of time.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein at least one of the one or more values is an average value.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the event analysis information includes, for a defined period of time, all of the energy consumption information collected by a data collector at the predetermined rate at the facility before the predetermined event and all of the energy consumption information collected by the data collector at the predetermined rate at the facility after the predetermined event.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information is transmitted via an Internet communications network.

32. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving an operating parameter modification of an energy consumption system at the facility.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the collecting is carried out by a plurality of data collectors disposed at the facility.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising:

transmitting the energy consumption information collected by a first data collector at the facility to a second data collector at the facility; and

transmitting, from the second data collector to a remote location, the energy consumption information collected by the first data collector and the second data collector.

35. The system of claim 27, wherein the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information is transmitted to a location remote from the facility.

36. A system for remote monitoring and controlling of energy consumption of a facility, comprising:

at least one data collector disposed at a facility, the at least one data collector operable to;

collect energy consumption information at a predetermined rate;

determine, based on the collected energy consumption information, whether a predetermined event has occurred;

if a predetermined event has not occurred, process the energy consumption information collected at the predetermined rate to one or more reduced storage intensive values representing energy consumption information for a period of time and transmitting the one or more reduced storage intensive values; and

if a predetermined event has occurred, preserve the energy consumption information collected at the predetermined rate as event analysis information that includes at least a portion of the energy consumption information collected before the predetermined event and energy consumption information collected after the predetermined event, and transmitting the event analysis information.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the data collector in processing the energy consumption information to one or more reduced storage intensive values yields one or more values that represents the energy consumption information and discards the energy consumption information for the period of time.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein at least one of the one more values is an average value.

39. The system of claim 36, wherein the event analysis information includes, for a defined period of time, all of the energy consumption information collected by a data collector at the predetermined rate at the facility before the predetermined event and all of the energy consumption information collected by the data collector at the predetermined rate at the facility after the predetermined event.

40. The system of claim 36, wherein the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information is transmitted via an Internet communications network.

41. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

an energy consumption system at the facility operable to receive an operating parameter modification based on the energy consumption information.

42. The method of claim 36, wherein the at least one data collector is a plurality of data collectors.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein:

a first data collector of the plurality of data collectors is operable to transmit energy consumption information collected by the first data collector to a second data collector at the facility, and

the second data collector is operable to transmit to a remote location, the energy consumption information collected by the first data collector and energy consumption information collected by the second data collector.

44. The system of claim 36, wherein the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information is transmitted to a location remote from the facility.

45. A system for remote monitoring and controlling of energy consumption of a facility, comprising:

remote monitoring equipment operable to;

collect energy consumption information at a predetermined rate;

determine, based on the collected energy consumption information, whether a predetermined event has occurred;

if a predetermined event has not occurred, process the energy consumption information collected at the predetermined rate to one or more reduced storage intensive values representing energy consumption information for a period of time and transmitting the one or more reduced storage intensive values; and

if a predetermined event has occurred, preserve the energy consumption information collected at the predetermined rate as event analysis information that includes at least a portion of the energy consumption information collected before the predetermined event and energy consumption information collected after the predetermined event, and transmitting the event analysis information;

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a database coupled to the processor, the database operable to;

receive and store the one or more reduced storage intensive values from the facility, and

receive and store event analysis information;

an analysis engine residing in the memory and executable by the processor, the analysis engine operable to;

evaluate the one or more reduced storage intensive values and the event analysis information, and

determine whether energy consumption operating parameters require modification to increase efficiency; and

a control engine residing in the memory and executable by the processor, the control engine operable to initiate operating parameter modification of an energy consumption system of the facility in response to a desired operating parameter modification.