ENERGY MANAGEMENT OF HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES

• US 20100179708A1
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• 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: Rafalovich, Alexander Pinkus, Cooper, Anthony A., Bissig, Chris George, Severance, Martin Christopher, Lobos, Alex Fernando, Watson, Eric K., Hamel, Timothy Allen, Barksdale, Rita, Harry, Telema
• Granted Patent: US 8,548,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/296
• 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 system and method of managing energy use in a home, and more particularly to energy management of household consumer appliances, are provided. Existing appliances can be modified with add-on features or modules, and likewise new energy saving features and functions can be incorporated into new appliances. Communication among a home energy manager, an appliance, and a utility meter measures energy usage and/or a local generator controls operation of various appliances such as a refrigerator, washer, dryer, oven/range, microwave oven, dishwasher, HVAC system hot water heater, and the like.

Claims

1. A refrigerator system for reducing power consumption during peak hours, comprising:

a refrigerator with one or more power consuming refrigerator features/functions; and

a refrigerator control system that schedules, delays or adjusts any number of the one or more power consuming refrigerator features to reduce power during peak hours.

2. The refrigeration system of claim 1 wherein the one or more power consuming refrigerator features of the control system includes a controller for controlling one or more of lighting, fans, compressors and a door alarm of the refrigerator;

an icemaker of the refrigerator;

etc.

3. The refrigeration system of claim 1 further including:

a user interface that gives a user the ability to select which of the one or more power consuming refrigerator features/functions are scheduled, delayed or adjusted by the refrigerator control system, that receives a zip code entry which corresponds to a time of use schedule of a utility company from which the refrigerator control system can determine the on-peak and off-peak hours;

that uses a time versus day of the week schedule input method;

that receives a rate signal directly from the utility advising of the current rate; and

/or that displays or indicates energy saving tips, energy usage, activation of on-peak or off-peak mode, a door opening counter, and/or an energy calculator.

4. The refrigeration system and method of claim 1 wherein the refrigerator control system includes an ambient light sensor that indicates the approximate occurrence of peak hours when light is sensed.

5. The refrigeration system and method of claim 4 wherein said refrigerator control system enters a power shaving mode for a set number of hours after the refrigerator control system determines the occurrence of morning via the light sensor sensing light after a period of prolonged darkness.

6. A method for reducing power consumption of a refrigeration system during peak hours, comprising:

providing a refrigerator with one or more power consuming refrigerator functions; and

using a refrigerator control system that schedules, delays or adjusts any number of the one or more power consuming refrigerator features to reduce power during peak hours.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the using step includes at least one of reducing a freezer compartment temperature below a set point immediately prior to a defrost function, or initiating a door alarm during peak hours.

8. A household energy management system and method for one or more appliances, comprising:

a controller for managing power consumption within a household;

a utility meter for measuring an amount of energy usage to a household from a source utility, the utility meter optionally communicating to the controller one or more parameters of the utility (e.g., occurrence of peak demand, demand limit, etc.);

optionally, a user interface through which a user can enter a parameter of energy usage (e.g., peak demand, demand limit, etc.);

optionally, a local generator for generating local energy;

optionally, a local energy storage device for storing energy (which could also be a form of thermal storage means within the refrigerated space);

optionally, a demand server for communicating to the controller one or more parameters of a utility (e.g., occurrence of peak demand, demand limit, etc.); and

a communication network connecting the controller to one or more of the utility meter, the local energy storage device, and/or the demand server,

wherein the controller communicates, controls or operates the one or more appliances based on communications from one or more of the utility meter, the user interface, the local generator, the local storage device and/or the demand server.

9. The household energy management system and method of claim 8 wherein the controller allocates energy to the one or more appliances based on one or more of the following:

the demand limit, a prioritization of each of the one or more appliances, and an energy need level of each of the one or more appliances.

10. The household energy management system and method of claim 8 wherein the controller instructs the one or more appliances to enter a peak demand mode.

11. The household energy management system and method of claim 10 further including an appliance user interface associated with each of the one or more appliances that allows a user to deactivate the peak demand mode.

12. The household energy management system and method of claim 8 wherein the one or more appliances includes one or more of household lighting, a refrigerator, a washer, a dryer, an oven/range, a microwave oven, a dishwasher, an HVAC system, a hot water heater, etc.

14. The method of claim 12 further including charging a local storage device when no occurrence of peak demand is determined in step b).

13. A household energy management method for one or more household appliances, comprising:

a) requesting a demand schedule and a peak demand limit from a server;

b) determining whether the demand schedule indicates occurrence of peak demand;

c) if peak demand, then reading energy usage from a utility meter and determining whether the peak demand limit is exceeded,

d) if peak demand is exceeded, then notifying peak demand period to the one or more appliances; and

e) determining whether peak demand is over, returning to step a) when determined that peak demand is over, returning to step c) when determined that peak demand is not over.

15. An appliance control method, comprising:

a) operating an appliance in a normal mode;

b) determining whether peak demand mode is enabled and whether a peak demand alert has been issued, returning to step a) unless determined that both the peak demand mode is enabled and the peak demand alert has been issued;

c) determining a priority of the appliance, and returning to step a) when determined that the priority is high, when determined that the priority is low; and

d) setting an energy need level for the appliance,

e) reading internal sensors of the appliance,

f) adjusting an energy need level for the appliance if the appliance is not maintaining goal, and

g) returning to step a) when the peak demand alert is removed, otherwise returning to step e).

16. A household appliance system and method, comprising:

an appliance having one or more mechanical and/or electrical elements/functions controlled by a main controller;

the main controller having a port for receiving information on the operational state of the appliance and an interface or switch associated with the port and operational to override the information received by the controller through the port;

one or more communication devices (e.g., one-way or two-way) connected to the port;

a remote controller sending signals to the communication devices, the one or more communication devices receiving the signals, processing the signals, and communicating an operational state to the main controller, the signals optionally in a format determined by the appliance,

wherein the main controller causes the appliance to run in a predetermined operational mode based on the signals received.

17. A household appliance control system and method for an appliance, comprising:

a user interface for receiving energy management input from a user; and

a controller operatively connected to the user interface, the controller operating the appliance based on the input received by the user via the user interface in conjunction with signals received on an energy “

state”

mode or pricing of energy delivered to the appliance.

18. The household appliance control system and method of claim 17 wherein the input is one or more of the following:

a delay indication (e.g., delaying operation of the appliance or a function/feature thereof until a low price energy signal is received or delaying until no longer practical to delay);

a cease indication (e.g., disabling specific functions or the entire appliance upon the receipt of a load shedding signal to trigger this response;

an override indication (e.g. overriding a high priced energy signal, always or based on a certain price level);

an audio or visual alert indication (e.g., indicating receipt of a high priced energy signal); and

/or

a display indication (e.g., displaying the cost of running the appliance in a selected mode of operation or displaying the cost of energy at the present time).

19. The control method and system of claim 17 wherein the appliance is one of a washer, a dryer, a range, a refrigerator, a microwave, a room air conditioner, a water heater, and a dishwasher.

20. A household appliance energy management system and method, comprising:

an appliance having a controller (e.g., a mainboard CPU) for operating functions/features of the appliance, the controller receiving a load shedding command signal; and

the controller operating the functions/features of the appliance in a power saving mode when the load shedding command signal is received to reduce energy usage by the appliance (i.e., turndown power consumption), including, for example, turning on, turning off, throttling, adjusting, delaying and/or modifying functions and/or features.

21. The household appliance energy management system and method of claim 20 wherein the controller is preprogrammed to respond to the load shedding command signal.