Generator demand response behavior

• US 8,423,194 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2011
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2011
• 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., Worthington, Timothy Dale, Finch, Michael F., Drake, Jeff Donald, Valluri, Nagaraju
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUNN, DARRIN D
• Application Number:
  US13/042,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20120029711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 700/16, 700/18, 700/22, 700/275, 700/286, 700/297, 307/29, 307 38- 39, 340500-501, 340/540
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/12 Determination or prediction of behaviour, e.g. likely power consumption or unusual usage patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/16 Displaying of utility pricing or cost
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/28 Processes or tasks scheduled according to the power required, the power available or the power price
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/10 The dispersed energy generation being of fossil origin, e.g. diesel generators
• 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 3/007 Arrangements for selectively connecting the load or loads to one or several among a plurality of power lines or power sources for providing uninterruptable power supply H02J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• 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 20/221 General power management systems
• 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 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A household energy management system is provided comprising a controller for managing power consumption of multiple devices within a household wherein the controller monitors energy usage data from a utility. The system further provides a utility meter for measuring an amount of energy usage by the household and a user interface through which a user can enter a parameter of the energy usage. The system yet further provides a local generator for generating energy for one or more of the energy consuming devices wherein the controller initiates the generator and changes at least some of the energy usage from the utility to the local generator when the energy usage level is within a predetermined percentage range of the parameter.

Claims

1. A household energy management system for a household having multiple energy consuming devices that receive energy from a utility, the system comprising:

a controller for managing power consumption of at least some of the multiple energy consuming devices, wherein the controller monitors energy usage of the at least some of the multiple energy consuming devices;

a meter for measuring an amount of said energy usage by the household;

a user interface through which a user can enter a predetermined total energy usage threshold;

a local generator for generating energy for one or more of the multiple energy consuming devices;

a demand server for switching at least some of said energy usage from the utility to said local generator;

a communication network connecting the controller to said meter, said local generator, and said demand server;

wherein the controller is operative to automatically initiate operation of said local generator when a total energy usage of the household exceeds the predetermined total energy usage threshold;

wherein the controller switches circuits through said demand server and changes at least some of the energy usage from said utility to the local generator during a period when the total energy usage of the household exceeds the predetermined total energy usage threshold;

wherein said controller further monitors a fuel consumption rate of said local generator using at least one of flow sensors, level sensors, mass sensors and predicts a remaining operation period based on the fuel consumption rate and a current fuel supply amount, and wherein said controller includes a hierarchy of an order and manner to disable, suspend, or reduce one or more of the devices to enable the fuel consumption rate to extend for a user specified duration;

wherein the hierarchy includes a priority curtailment scheme and order for curtailing power to the energy consuming devices; and

wherein the priority curtailment scheme includes exclusion of particular energy consuming devices from a suspension of power.

2. The household energy management system of claim 1, wherein said controller switches circuits through said demand server and changes all of said energy usage from said utility to said local generator during a period when the total energy usage of the household exceeds the predetermined total energy usage threshold.

3. The household energy management system of claim 2, wherein said controller allocates energy to one or more multiple energy consuming devices based on one or more of the following:

a demand limit, a prioritization of each of the one or more multiple energy consuming devices, an energy usage level of each of the one or more multiple energy consuming devices, and a supply limit.

4. The household energy management system of claim 3, wherein said controller instructs one or more of the multiple energy consuming devices to shed energy usage, and wherein at least one device of the multiple energy consuming devices sheds load or increases load based on an energy usage level of another device of the multiple energy consuming devices.

5. The household energy management system of claim 1, wherein the controller searches for outliers of energy usage and flags one or more devices of the multiple energy consuming devices that caused the outliers to the user.

6. The household energy management system of claim 5, wherein the controller further provides suggestions to the user to modify or curtail loads of the one or more devices of the multiple energy consuming devices.

7. The household energy management system of claim 1, wherein the local generator has multiple voltages wherein lower voltages are connected to specific branch circuits that have pure resistance loads.

8. A household energy management system, comprising:

a controller for managing power consumption of multiple devices within a household, the controller monitoring energy rates from a utility;

a meter for measuring an amount of energy usage to the household;

a user interface through which a user can enter a cost of generating local energy at the household;

a local generator for generating local energy at the household, wherein the controller automatically initiates the local generator when a cost to use energy from the utility based on the energy rates is above the cost of generating local energy at the household; and

a communication network connecting the controller to one or more of the meter, the local generator, and a demand server,

wherein the controller switches circuits through the demand server and changes at least some of the energy demand from the utility to the local generator when the cost to use energy from the utility based on the energy rates is above the cost of generating local energy at the household,

wherein said controller further monitors a fuel consumption rate of said local generator using at least one of flow sensors, level sensors, mass sensors and predicts a remaining operation period based on the fuel consumption rate and a current fuel supply amount, and wherein said controller includes a hierarchy of an order and manner to disable, suspend, or reduce one or more of the multiple devices to enable the fuel consumption rate to extend for a user specified duration,

wherein the hierarchy includes a priority curtailment scheme and order for curtailing power to the multiple devices, and

wherein the priority curtailment scheme includes exclusion of particular devices from a suspension of power.

9. The household energy management system of claim 8, wherein the controller switches circuits through the demand server and changes all of the energy demand from the utility to the local generator.

10. The household energy management system of claim 8, wherein the switching circuits corresponds to peak utility demand periods.

11. The household energy management system of claim 9, wherein the switching circuits corresponds to peak utility demand periods.

12. A household energy management system, comprising:

a controller for managing power consumption of multiple devices within a household, the controller monitoring an energy demand from a utility;

a meter for measuring an amount of energy usage to the household;

a user interface through which a user can communicate with the controller;

a local generator for generating local energy at the household, wherein the controller automatically initiates the local generator when an energy demand of the multiple devices is above the energy demand from the utility; and

a communication network connecting the controller to one or more of the meter, the local generator, and a demand server,

wherein the controller switches circuits through the demand server and changes at least some of the energy demand from the utility to the local generator during a period when the energy demand of the multiple devices is above the energy demand from the utility,

wherein said controller further monitors a fuel consumption rate of said local generator using at least one of flow sensors, level sensors, mass sensors and predicts a remaining operation period based on the fuel consumption rate and a current fuel supply amount, and wherein said controller includes a hierarchy of an order and manner to disable, suspend, or reduce one or more of the multiple devices to enable the fuel consumption rate to extend for a user specified duration,

wherein the hierarchy includes a priority curtailment scheme and order for curtailing power to the multiple devices,

wherein the priority curtailment scheme includes exclusion of particular devices from a suspension of power.

13. The household energy management system of claim 12, wherein the controller switches circuits through the demand server and changes all of the energy demand from the utility to the local generator during the period when the energy demand of the multiple devices is above the energy demand from the utility.

14. The household energy management system of claim 13, wherein the controller allocates energy to one or more of the multiple devices based on one or more of the following:

a demand limit, a prioritization of each of the one or more of the multiple devices, an energy demand level of each of the one or more of the multiple devices, and a supply limit of the local generator.

15. The household energy management system of claim 14, wherein the controller instructs one or more of the multiple devices to shed load demand.

16. The household energy management system of claim 12, wherein the controller searches for outliers of energy usage and flags one or more of the multiple devices that caused the outliers to the user.

17. The household energy management system of claim 16, wherein the controller further provides suggestions to the user to modify or curtail loads of the one or more of the multiple devices.

18. The household energy management system of claim 12, wherein the local generator has multiple voltages wherein lower voltages are connected to specific branch circuits that have pure resistance loads.