Energy management of household appliances

• US 8,367,984 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Besore, John K., Drake, Jeff Donald, Finch, Michael F., Franks, Darin, Roetker, John Joseph, Root, Steven Keith, Venkatakrishnan, Natarajan, Watson, Eric K.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, TRONG Q
• Application Number:
  US12/559,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20100187219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 219/490, 219/491, 219/492, 219/493, 219/494, 219/495, 219/496, 219/510
• US Class Current: 219/490
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 21/04 Preventing the formation of frost or condensate
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/66 one of the loads acting as master and the other or others acting as slaves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• 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 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/244 the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A water heater comprises a body defining a chamber for holding water to be heated, an inlet opening and an outlet opening in communication with the chamber for flowing water therethrough and one or more power consuming features/functions including a heater for heating the water within the chamber. A controller is operatively connected to the one or more power consuming features/functions. The controller is configured to receive and process a signal indicative of a utility state. The controller operates the water heater in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode, in response to the received signal. The controller is configured to at least one of selectively adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the water heater in the energy savings mode.

Claims

1. A water heater comprising:

a body defining a chamber for holding water to be heated;

an inlet opening and an outlet opening in communication with the chamber for flowing water therethrough;

one or more power consuming features/functions comprising a heater for heating the water within the chamber; and

a controller operatively connected to the one or more power consuming features/functions, the controller configured to receive and process a signal indicative of a current state of an associated utility, the controller operating the water heater in one of a plurality of operating modes, the plurality of operating modes comprising at least as normal operating mode and an energy savings mode, and in response to the received signal, the controller further configured to at least one of selectively adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the water heater in the energy savings mode.

2. The water heater of claim 1, wherein the water heater comprises a setpoint temperature for the water within the chamber, the controller configured to adjust the setpoint temperature to precipitate less heater on time in the energy savings mode.

3. The water heater of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to increase before a peak demand period the setpoint temperature to preheat the water in the chamber to a temperature higher than the setpoint temperature and decrease the setpoint temperature during the peak demand period.

4. The water heater of claim 1, wherein the heater comprises at least one electrically driven heating element coupled to the body for heating the water within the chamber, the controller configured to reduce power of the at least one heating element in the energy savings mode.

5. The water heater of claim 4. wherein the at least one heating element has a maximum setpoint temperature in the normal operating mode, the controller configured to reduce a setpoint temperature of the at least one heating element in the energy savings mode.

6. The water heater of claim 4, wherein the at least one heating element comprises an upper heating element and a lower heating element, the controller configured to one of deactivate, reduce voltage to and duty cycle one of the upper and lower heating elements in the energy savings mode.

7. The water heater of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to deactivate the tower heating, element in the energy savings mode unless performance degradation of the water heater is detected.

8. The water heater of claim 4, wherein the heater further comprises a heat pump comprising a compressor for heating the water within the chamber, the controller configured to deactivate the at least one heating element in the energy savings mode.

9. The water heater of claim 8, wherein the water heater comprises a setpoint temperature for the water within the chamber, the controller configured to reduce the setpoint temperature to precipitate less compressor on time in the energy savings mode.

10. The water heater of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to one of adjust a duty cycle of and adjust a heat capacity of the compressor in the energy savings mode.

11. The water heater of claim 1, wherein the heater comprises an electrically driven heating element coupled to the body and a burner for heating the water within the chamber, the controller configured to determine the lowest cost option for heating the water and deactivate one of the heating element and the burner in the energy savings mode based on one of a user selected targeted energy cost rate and the received signal.

12. The water heater of claim 1, wherein the current state of the associated utility has an associated energy cost and wherein the controller is configured to override a current operating mode of the water heater based on a user selected targeted energy cost,

wherein if current energy cost exceeds the user selected cost, the controller operates the water heater in the energy savings mode, and

wherein if the current energy cost is less than the user selected cost, the controller operates the water heater in the normal operating mode.

13. The water heater of claim 1, further comprising a user interface operatively connected to the controller, the user interface comprising a selectable override option providing a user an ability to select which of the one or more power consuming features/functions are adjusted and/or disabled by the controller in the energy savings mode, the user interface further comprising a display communicating activation of the energy savings mode.

14. The water heater of claim 1, wherein the current state of the associated utility has an associated energy cost and further comprising a display communicating current cost of energy and current cost of operating the water heater.

15. A water heater control method, comprising:

determining a current state for an associated energy supplying utility, the current state of the associated energy supplying utility being indicative of at least a peak demand period or an off-peak demand period;

operating the water heater in a normal mode during the off-peak demand period;

operating the water heater in an energy savings mode during the peak demand period;

selectively adjusting and/or deactivating any number of one or more power consuming features/functions of the water heater to reduce power consumption of the water heater in the energy savings mode in response to the current state of the associated energy supplying utility, and reducing a setpoint temperature of the water heater to precipitate less heater on time in the energy savings mode; and

returning to the normal mode after the peak demand period is over.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising selectively adjusting and/or activating any number of the one or more power consuming features/functions of the water heater to increase power consumption of the water heater in the normal mode prior to entering the energy savings mode.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising increasing the setpoint temperature in the normal mode to precipitate more heater on time to preheat the water in the chamber to a temperature higher than the setpoint temperature.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more power consuming features/functions comprises at least one electrically driven heating element for heating water within the water heater, and further comprising, reducing power of the at least one heating element in the energy savings mode.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising reducing a setpoint temperature of the at least one electrically driven heating element in the energy savings mode.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more power consuming features/functions further comprises a heat pump having a compressor for heating water within the water heater, and further comprising one of deactivating, reducing voltage to and duty cycling the at least heating element in the energy savings mode.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising one of adjusting a duty cycle of, reducing a speed of and reducing a capacity of the compressor in the energy savings mode.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining energy cost associated with the current state of the associated energy supplying utility;

displaying current cost of operating the water heater,

displaying current cost of supplied energy, and

alerting a user of a peak demand period.

23. A water heater comprising:

a body defining a chamber for holding water to be heated;

an inlet opening and an outlet opening in communication with the chamber for flowing water therethrough;

a first heater and a second heater for heating the water in the chamber, the first heater comprising one of an electrically driven heating element and a burner, the second heater comprising a heat pump; and

a controller configured to receive and process an energy signal indicative of a current state of an associated utility, the energy signal having a first state indicative of a utility peak demand period and a second state indicative of a utility off-peak demand period, the controller operating the water heater in one of an energy savings mode and a normal operating mode based on the energy signal received and being in the first and second states respectively,

wherein the controller is configured to increase a setpoint temperature of the water heater and deactivate the first heater in the energy savings mode unless performance degradation of the water heater is detected.

24. The water heater of claim 23, wherein the energy signal has an associated energy cost and wherein the controller is configured to override the operating mode of the water heater based on a user selected targeted energy cost.

25. The water heater of claim 23, wherein the controller is configured to increase the setpoint temperature before the utility peak demand period to preheat the water in the chamber to a temperature higher than the setpoint temperature and decrease the setpoint temperature during the utility peak demand period.