System and method for diagnostically evaluating energy consumption systems and components of a facility

• US 7,552,033 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2001
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• 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., Liu, Mingsheng
• Primary Examiner(s): PALADINI, ALBERT WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US10/027,943
• Time in Patent Office: 2,742 Days
• Field of Search: 703/2, 700/291, 700/295, 705/412
• US Class Current: 703/2
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/14 Displaying of utility usage with respect to time, e.g. for monitoring evolution of usage or with respect to weather conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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

A method for diagnostically evaluating energy consumption of a facility includes receiving energy consumption data associated with the facility, generating facility data associated with the facility, and receiving external variable data associated with the facility corresponding to the energy consumption data. The method also includes generating a first energy consumption model for the facility using the facility data, the energy consumption data, and the external variable data. The first energy consumption model corresponds to actual energy consumption of the facility. The method further includes generating a second energy consumption model for the facility using the facility data and the external variable data. The second energy consumption model corresponds to expected energy consumption of the facility. The method also includes diagnostically evaluating the energy consumption of the facility using the first and second energy consumption models.

Claims

1. A method for diagnostically evaluating energy consumption of a facility, comprising:

receiving energy consumption data associated with the facility;

generating facility data associated with the facility;

receiving external variable data associated with the facility corresponding to the energy consumption data;

generating a first energy consumption model for the facility using the facility data, the energy consumption data, and the external variable data, the first energy consumption model corresponding to actual energy consumption of the facility;

generating a second energy consumption model for the facility using the facility data and the external variable data, the second energy consumption model corresponding to expected energy consumption of the facility; and

diagnostically evaluating the energy consumption of the facility using the first and second energy consumption models.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising validating the energy consumption data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein validating the energy consumption data comprises:

analyzing the energy consumption data for missing data; and

reconstructing the missing data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein reconstructing the missing data comprises:

identifying a comparable facility;

retrieving energy consumption data associated with the comparable facility; and

reconstructing the missing data for a specified time period using the energy consumption data associated with the comparable facility.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the energy consumption data comprises receiving the energy consumption data from an energy consumption database of an energy supplier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the energy consumption data comprises receiving the energy consumption data from a data collector disposed at the facility.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the facility data comprises generating the facility data using the energy consumption data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the facility data comprises generating the facility data using physical characteristic data associated with the facility.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the energy consumption data comprises receiving the energy consumption data remote from the facility.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying an energy consumption system of the facility using the first energy consumption model, and wherein generating the facility data comprises generating the facility data based on the energy consumption component.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the external variable data comprises receiving environmental data corresponding to the energy consumption data.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising validating the environmental data.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein diagnostically evaluating comprises:

determining energy usage for the facility based on the second energy consumption model; and

comparing the energy usage based on the second energy consumption model with the energy consumption data.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a comparable facility; and

retrieving energy consumption data associated with the comparable facility; and

wherein generating the first energy consumption model further comprises generating the first energy consumption model using the energy consumption data associated with the comparable facility.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a modification of an operating parameter of an energy consumption system of the facility using the second energy consumption model.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a change of an energy consumption system of the facility is required based on the diagnostic evaluation, the change selected from the group consisting of a repair, a modification, and a replacement.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the facility data comprises:

generating physical characteristic data corresponding to the facility;

generating energy usage characteristic data associated with the facility; and

generating system data associated with the facility.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the energy consumption data comprises:

receiving aggregated energy consumption data associated with the facility; and

generating disaggregated energy consumption data associated with the facility using the aggregated energy consumption data.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the facility data comprises:

generating physical characteristic data associated with the facility; and

generating energy usage characteristic data associated with the facility.

20. A system for energy consumption diagnostic evaluation of a facility, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

an energy consumption database accessible by the processor, the energy consumption database having energy consumption data associated with the facility;

a facility database accessible by the processor, the facility database having facility data associated with the facility;

an external variable database accessible by the processor, the external variable database having external variable data corresponding to the energy consumption data;

a configuration engine residing in the memory and executable by the processor, the configuration engine operable to generate a first energy consumption model using the facility data, the energy consumption data, and the external variable data, the first energy consumption model corresponding to actual energy consumption of the facility, the configuration engine further operable to generate a second energy consumption model using the facility data and the external variable data, the second energy consumption model corresponding to expected energy consumption of the facility; and

an analysis engine residing in the memory and executable by the processor, the analysis engine operable to diagnostically evaluate energy consumption of the facility using the first and second energy consumption models.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising a validation engine residing in the memory and executable by the processor, the validation engine operable to validate the energy consumption data.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the validation engine is operable to analyze the energy consumption data for missing data and, in response to determining that missing data exists, reconstruct the missing data.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the energy consumption data comprises energy consumption data residing in an energy consumption database of an energy supplier.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the energy consumption data comprises:

aggregated energy consumption data associated with the facility; and

disaggregated energy consumption data associated with discrete energy consumption systems of the facility.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the analysis engine is further operable to generate the disaggregated energy consumption data from the aggregated energy consumption data.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the facility data is generated based on the energy consumption data.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the facility data comprises physical characteristic data associated with the facility.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the facility data further comprises energy usage characteristic data associated with the facility.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the facility data further comprises system data associated with the facility, the system data indicating a present energy consumption system of the facility.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein the external variable data comprises environmental data corresponding to the energy consumption data.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising a validation engine residing in the memory and executable by the processor, the validation engine operable to validate the environmental data.

32. The system of claim 20, wherein the analysis engine is further operable to determine a modification to an operating parameter of an energy consumption system of the facility based on the diagnostic evaluation.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the analysis engine is further operable to identify an energy consumption component of the energy consumption system.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the analysis engine is further operable to determine whether a repair of the energy consumption component is required based on the diagnostic evaluation.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the analysis engine is further operable to determine whether a replacement of the energy consumption component is required based on the diagnostic evaluation.

36. The system of claim 20, wherein the energy consumption data comprises energy consumption data retrieved from a data collector disposed at the facility.

37. The system of claim 20, wherein the analysis engine is further operable to determine operating parameter data for an energy consumption system of the facility corresponding to each of the first and second models.

38. The system of claim 20, wherein the energy consumption data comprises energy consumption data associated with a comparable facility.

39. The system of claim 20, wherein the analysis engine is further operable to generate operating parameter data associated with an energy consumption system of the facility corresponding to each of the first and second energy consumption models.