Analytics for consumer power consumption

• US 8,918,221 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2011
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Partington, Alastair, Le Roux, Galle
• Primary Examiner(s): Gami, Tejal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Karim, Ziaul
• Application Number:
  US13/012,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20110184574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• Field of Search: 700/291, 700/295, 700/286, 700/297, 700/22, 707/102, 707/805, 709/224, 717/177, 324/140
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• 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: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00009 using pulsed signals
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/144 Demand-response operation of the power transmission or distribution network
• 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: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 : using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

A system and method for centralized statistical analysis and control of power consumption is provided. The centralized statistical analysis, performed by a centralized power utility management system, may then be compared with one or more goals of the customer. Based on the comparison of the statistical analysis with the one or more goals of the customer, one or more actions may be taken including controlling one or more appliances resident at the customer premises.

Claims

1. A central power utility management system comprising:

a processor;

a memory storage device configured to store at least one database arranged to store customer data for customers resident at a plurality of customer premises, the customer data comprising a customer goal for power consumption at respective customer premises, the customer goal being set by the customer resident at respective customer premises;

a receiver arranged to receive data at the central power utility management system from the plurality of customer premises, the data generated by one or more sensors at the plurality of customer premises and indicative of power consumption or power generation at respective customer premises; and

an analytics engine comprising analytical rules operable to, when executed by the processor, with respect to a first customer of the plurality of customers;

statistically analyze the data from the one or more sensors;

compare the statistically analyzed data with a respective goal of the first customer and with data aggregated from a premises of a second customer similarly-situated to the first customer, wherein the comparison with data aggregated from the premises of the similarly-situated second customer is to determine whether enemy usage of the first customer is consistent with what is expected for the premises of the first customer; and

generate a recommended action to be taken by the first customer responsive to the comparison, the recommended action adapted to bring the first customer closer to reaching the respective goal of the first customer, the recommended action related to a change in operation or a replacement of a device that consumes power and is resident at a premises of the first customer.

2. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the power management system also manages a power grid that distributes power to the customer premises.

3. The power management system of claim 2, wherein the one or more sensors are integrated with a meter device used arranged to measure an amount of power consumed at the customer premises.

4. The power management system of claim 3, wherein the one or more sensors send the data indicative of power consumption to the meter device in order for the meter device, using communication functionality of the meter device, to send the data to the power management system.

5. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the device resident at the first customer premises comprises an appliance;

wherein at least one of the sensors generates real-time data for the appliance; and

wherein the analytics engine is further operable to generate a command to modify operation of the appliance.

6. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the analytics engine is further operable to send a report to the first customer with a comparison of power consumption between appliances at the premises of the first and second customers.

7. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the statistical analysis comprises analysis of the data stored over a predetermined time period in order to determine power consumption over the predetermined time period.

8. The power management system of claim 7, wherein the statistical analysis comprises analysis of the data in order to generate a prediction of power consumption based on trends of power consumption.

9. The power management system of claim 8, wherein the device resident at the first customer premises comprises a generator;

and wherein one of the sensors generates real-time data for the generator.

10. The power management system of claim 9, wherein the analytics engine is further operable to generate a command for routing power generated by the at least one generator to at least a portion of the power grid.

11. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the analytics engine is further operable to generate a command to control the device, and the device comprises an appliance, further comprising:

a smart meter resident at the first customer premises, the smart meter generating the data indicative of power consumption; and

a computer resident at the first customer premises, the computer in communication with the smart meter and the appliance, the computer operable to receive the command and control the appliance based on the command.

12. The power management system of claim 11, wherein the computer is configured to route commands generated by the analytics engine to a plurality of appliances resident at the customer premises.

13. The power management system of claim 12, wherein the smart meter receives the command generated by the analytics engine and sends the command to the computer.

14. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the analytics engine is further operable to:

access an attribute of the first customer, the accessed attribute selected from the group consisting of;

similar house size;

similar appliances;

similar climate; and

similar time of year; and

select the similarly situated second customer using the accessed attribute.

15. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the analytics engine is further operable to:

generate a plurality of recommendations for the first customer; and

rank the plurality of recommendations using a cost/benefit analysis.

16. A central power utility management system comprising:

a processor;

a memory storage device comprising at least one database arranged to store customer data for customers resident at a plurality of customer premises, the customer data comprising a customer goal for power consumption at respective customer premises, the customer goal being set by the customer resident at respective customer premises;

a receiver arranged to receive data at the central power utility management system from each of the plurality of customer premises, the data generated by one or more sensors at the plurality of customer premises and indicative of power consumption or power generation at respective customer premises; and

an analytics engine comprising analytical rules operable to, when executed by the processor, and with respect to a first customer of the plurality of customers;

statistically analyze the data from the one or more sensors;

compare the statistically analyzed data with a respective goal of the first customer and with data aggregated from a premises of a second customer similarly-situated to the first customer, wherein the comparison with data aggregated from the premises of the similarly-situated second customer is to determine whether enemy usage of the first customer is consistent with what is expected for the premises of the first customer; and

generate a recommended action to be taken by the first customer responsive to the comparison, the recommended action adapted to bring the first customer closer to reaching the respective goal of the first customer, the recommended action related to a change in operation or a replacement of a device that consumes power and is resident at a premises of the first customer.

17. The power management system of claim 16, wherein the statistical analysis comprises analysis of the data stored over a predetermined time period in order to determine power consumption over the predetermined time period.

18. A method comprising:

accessing, by a processor, customer data from at least one database from a memory storage device, the customer data for customers resident at a plurality of customer premises and comprising a customer goal for power consumption at respective customer premises, the customer goal being set by the customer resident at respective customer premises;

receiving, by a communication interface, data at a central power utility management system from the plurality of customer premises, the data generated by one or more sensors at the plurality of customer premises and indicative of power consumption or power generation at respective customer premises;

statistically analyzing, by the processor, the data from the one or more sensors using an analytics engine comprising analytical rules;

comparing, by the processor, the statistically analyzed data with a respective goal of a first customer and with data aggregated from a premises of a second customer similarly-situated to the first customer, wherein the comparison determines whether energy usage of the first customer is consistent with what is expected for the premises of the first customer; and

generating, by the processor, a recommended action to be taken by the first customer responsive to the comparison, the recommended action adapted to bring the first customer closer to reaching the respective goal of the first customer, the recommended action related to a change in operation or a replacement of a device that consumes power and is resident at a premises of the first customer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the data comprises real-time data for at least one appliance resident at the customer premises, further comprising:

sending, by the processor, a report to the first customer with a comparison of power consumption between appliances at the premises of the first and second customers.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

generating, by the processor, a command to control the device in accordance with the respective goal, wherein the command turns the at least one appliance on or off.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein statistically analyzing comprises analyzing the data stored over a predetermined time period in order to determine power consumption over the predetermined time period.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein statistically analyzing comprises analyzing the data in order to generate a prediction of power consumption based on trends of power consumption.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

accessing an attribute of the first customer, the accessed attribute selected from the group consisting of;

similar house size;

similar appliances;

similar climate; and

similar time of year; and

selecting the similarly situated second customer using the accessed attribute.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

generating, by the processor, a plurality of recommendations for the first customer; and

ranking the plurality of recommendations using a cost/benefit analysis.