METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY MEASUREMENT AND ANALYSIS OF A BUILDING
First Claim
1. A method for comprehensive energy measurement and analysis of a building comprising:
- analyzing a thermal characteristic of the building;
analyzing an efficiency of an HVAC system of the building; and
tracking an energy usage of at least one consuming device associated with the building.
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Abstract
An energy monitoring and analysis system for a building includes a logging unit, a processing unit, temperature sensors that read the temperatures inside and outside the building, electric current sensors that read electric currents in all independent electric connections at the main connection panel of the building, and other types of sensors such as those related to natural gas flow. The logging unit periodically collects the data from all the sensors and transmits the data to the processing unit. The processing unit analyzes the data using highly sophisticated algorithms, extracts various parameters, profiles the electric energy usage, identifies potential problems with energy transfer and use, and lists recommendations for corrective actions. The processing unit analyzes data of the building, an HVAC system associated with the building, and consuming devices associated with the building.
151 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for comprehensive energy measurement and analysis of a building comprising:
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analyzing a thermal characteristic of the building; analyzing an efficiency of an HVAC system of the building; and tracking an energy usage of at least one consuming device associated with the building. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of sensors; a logging unit in communication with said plurality of sensors; and a processing unit in communication with said logging unit, said processing unit suitable for calculating at least one thermal characteristic of a building, said processing unit suitable for calculating at least one efficiency of an HVAC system associated with said building, said processing unit suitable for analyzing the thermal characteristic and the efficiency, said processing unit suitable for reporting the analyzed thermal characteristic and the efficiency. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A current sensor comprising:
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a hinged bracket having a first portion pivotally connected to a second portion, each of said first portion and said second portion comprising; a first arcuate piece; a second arcuate piece spaced from said first arcuate piece; and a third arcuate piece positioned between said first arcuate piece and said second arcuate piece, said third arcuate piece having an end extending beyond an end of said first arcuate piece and an end of said second arcuate piece, said first arcuate piece having an opposite end extending beyond an opposite end of said third arcuate piece, said second arcuate piece having an opposite end extending beyond said opposite end of said third arcuate piece; and a coiled wire wrapped around said hinged bracket.
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19. A processing application for an energy monitoring and analysis system of a building, the processing application comprising:
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a thermal characteristics process suitable for calculating at least one specific heat capacity of a building and at least one heat transfer coefficient of the building; an analyzing process suitable for calculating a heat transfer and an energy consumption of at least a portion of an HVAC system associated with the building; and an energy-use process suitable for generating a profile of energy usage of at least one consuming device associated with the building. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification