Computer based energy management

• US 8,798,801 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2012
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Budderfly, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Budderfly Ventures LLC
• Inventors: Subbloie, Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US13/370,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20120136497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 700/275, 700/291, 700/295, 700/276, 700/286, 700/296, 340/539.26, 340/539.1, 340/870.02, 702/61, 705/26.1, 705/26.3, 705/34, 705/412
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

Computer based energy management including an adaptor having a server network interface and a control device interface. The server network interface receives commands from the energy management host software, the commands specify a control device and include control instructions and requests for energy usage data. The control device interface transmits the commands to the control device and receives energy usage data from the control device. The server network interface transmits the energy usage data to the energy management software in response to receiving the energy usage data from the control device. In this manner, the adaptor provides a bridge between the server network and the copper wire network to provide control and measurement of energy usage at a control device level in response to commands from a remote computer system.

Claims

1. A method for providing computer based energy management, the method comprising:

receiving a request for billing data for a group of devices, the request including a date range;

requesting energy usage data in the date range of the devices, the energy usage data sourced from one or more adaptors in communication with the devices, and the requesting to the one or more adaptors via a server network;

receiving the energy usage data from the one or more adaptors via the server network;

determining if the energy usage data includes actual usage of each device in the group of devices;

estimating actual usage data of a device in the group of devices in response to determining that the energy usage data does not include actual usage of the device;

assigning a cost to each of the devices in the group of devices, the cost responsive to actual energy usage data of each of the devices including the actual usage data estimated per device in the group for devices that do not include the actual usage; and

transmitting the billing data to a requestor, the billing data including a device identifier, actual usage data, an assigned cost of each of the devices in the group of devices, an actual usage total of the group of devices, an assigned cost total of the group of devices, and the date range, thereby providing billing visibility at a device and group level.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more of the devices are energy devices in communication with an adaptor via a copper wire network to provide the energy usage data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the billing data is formatted into a billing report that is transmitted to the requestor, the billing report including summaries of specified subsets of the group of devices.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the energy usage data is utilized in place of usage data from a meter.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the group of devices includes devices having a specified device type.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the group of devices includes devices located with a specified office.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the group of devices includes devices associated with a particular employee.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the group of devices the request further includes one or more of a time of day range and a day of week, and the energy usage data is requested for the date range and one or more of the time of day range and the day of week.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the cost assigned to each of the devices varies in response to one or more of a type of the device, a day of week of energy usage, and a geographic location of the device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the billing data is utilized by the requestor to perform cost accounting.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the requestor is an accounting system that includes an automated interface to the billing data.

12. A computer program product for providing computer based energy management, the computer program product comprising:

a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

receiving a request for billing data for a group of devices, the request including a date range;

requesting energy usage data in the date range of the devices, the energy usage data sourced from one or more adaptors in communication with the devices, and the requesting to the one or more adaptors via a server network;

receiving the energy usage data from the one or more adaptors via the server network;

determining if the energy usage data includes actual usage of each device in the group of devices;

estimating actual usage data of a device in the group of devices in response to determining that the energy usage data does not include actual usage of the device;

assigning a cost to each of the devices in the group of devices, the cost responsive to actual energy usage data of each device including the actual usage data estimated per device in the group for devices that do not include the actual usage; and

transmitting the billing data to a requestor, the billing data including a device identifier, actual usage data, an assigned cost of each of the devices in the group of devices, an actual usage total of the group of devices, an assigned cost total of the group of devices, and the date range, thereby providing billing visibility at a device and group level.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein one or more of the devices are energy devices in communication with an adaptor via a copper wire network to provide the energy usage data.

14. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the billing data is formatted into a billing report that is transmitted to the requestor, the billing report including summaries of specified subsets of the group of devices.

15. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the energy usage data is utilized in place of usage data from a meter.

16. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the group of devices includes devices having a specified device type.

17. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the group of devices includes devices located with a specified office.

18. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the group of devices includes devices associated with a particular employee.

19. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the group of devices the request further includes one or more of a time of day range and a day of week, and the energy usage data is requested for the date range and one or more of the time of day range and the day of week.

20. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the cost assigned to each of the devices varies in response to one or more of a type of the device, a day of week of energy usage, and a geographic location of the device.