Enterprise energy management system

• US 7,369,968 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verisae (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Verisae (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: McConnell, Robert S., Johnson, Daniel T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Raymond; Edward
• Application Number:
  US11/423,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20070010914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: 702/188, 702/66, 702182-185, 702 61- 65, 702/33.38, 702/69, 702/73, 705/412
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/82 Energy audits or management systems therefor

Abstract

A system for managing energy consumption by equipment located at a site or a plurality of sites. The system includes a database including information relating to pieces of energy consuming equipment located at a site. A server is programmed to process utility bills and/or analyze data to predict trends in energy consumption.

Claims

1. A system for managing energy consumption by equipment at a site, the system comprising:

a first database including a plurality of characteristics relating to a piece of energy consuming equipment located at the site;

a second database including information relating to a plurality of service technicians, the information comprising a list of the service technicians from at least one service provider;

a third database comprising billing information relating to the piece of energy consuming equipment, wherein the billing information is based on periodic invoices received from a utility provider; and

a server including software for reconciling and paying a utility bill, based on the plurality of characteristics relating to the equipment and the billing information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises software for identifying any money-saving offer or package associated with the utility bill.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the server further comprises software for applying the money-saving offer or package to the utility bill, whereby an amount of the utility bill is reduced.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the service technicians are third party service technicians.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises software for identifying an appropriate one of the service technicians from the list and transmitting a service request to the appropriate one of the service technicians.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the identifying the appropriate one of the service technicians comprises determining which service technician is linked to a piece of equipment requiring service.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the service request comprises information regarding the piece of equipment requiring service.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the information regarding the piece of equipment requiring service is chosen from the group consisting of date and time, site location of the piece of equipment, person requesting service, description of problem, equipment category, equipment type, model, manufacturer, and a picture of the piece of equipment.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein reconciling the utility bill comprises reviewing the bill and approving or disapproving the bill.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the reviewing the bill comprises comparing the billing information to the plurality of characteristics relating to the equipment, wherein the plurality of characteristics comprises actual collected energy consumption information.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

identifying an appropriate service technician from a list of service technicians; and

transmitting the service request to the appropriate service technician.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein paying the utility bill comprises consolidating more than one bill from more than one site and paying the consolidated bill.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein paying the utility bill comprises generating an electronic payment request and transmitting the electronic payment request to an electronic payment center.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises software for paying a service bill received from a service provider.

15. A system for managing energy consumption by equipment at a plurality of sites, the system comprising:

a first database including a plurality of characteristics relating to a plurality of energy consuming equipment located at the plurality of sites;

a data source comprising weather and temperature information for a region associated with at least one of the plurality of sites; and

a server including software for correlating certain of the plurality of characteristics relating to the plurality of energy consuming equipment with the weather and temperature information,

wherein the software predicts a trend based on the correlating certain of the plurality of characteristics relating to the plurality of energy consuming equipment.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the server is triggered by the trend to communicate operating instructions to at least one of the plurality of energy consuming equipment.

17. A method of managing energy consumption by equipment located at a plurality of sites, the method comprising:

collecting a set of information relating to a plurality of pieces of energy consuming equipment located at a plurality of sites;

correlating certain of the information relating to the plurality of pieces of energy consuming equipment with weather and temperature information and market demand and utility rate information; and

transmitting electronic operating instructions to a least one of the plurality of pieces of energy consuming equipment based on the correlating certain of the information relating to the plurality of pieces of energy consuming equipment, the weather and temperature information, and the market demand utility rate information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

detecting unexpected energy consumption by one of the plurality of pieces of energy consuming equipment; and

generating a service request in response to the detecting the unexpected energy consumption.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the collecting the set of information comprises collecting billing information relating to the plurality of pieces of energy consuming equipment, wherein the billing information is based on at least one periodic invoice received from at least one utility provider.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising reconciling and paying a utility bill, based on the set of information relating to the plurality of pieces of energy consuming equipment located at at least one of the plurality of sites.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein reconciling the utility bill comprises reviewing the bill and approving or disapproving the bill.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the reviewing the bill comprises comparing the billing information to the plurality of characteristics relating to the equipment, wherein the plurality of characteristics comprises actual collected energy consumption information.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein paying the utility bill comprises consolidating more than one bill from more than one site and paying the consolidated bill.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein paying the utility bill comprises generating an electronic payment request and transmitting the electronic payment request to an electronic payment center.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising paying a service bill received from a service provider.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising identifying any money-saving offer or package associated with the utility bill.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising applying the money-saving offer or package to the utility bill, whereby an amount of the utility bill is reduced.