METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THE MORE EFFICIENT UTILIZATION AND CONSERVATION OF ENERGY AND WATER RESOURCES

• US 20120271686A1
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kaspar LLC
• Original Assignee: Kaspar LLC
• Inventors: Silverman, Lawrence
• Application Number:
  US13/432,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271686A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward

Abstract

A method of and system for providing an incentive program for conserving a consumable resource such as electricity, natural gas, oil, air or water. The present invention monitors utilization of the resource at a location, and then determines a type and quantity of variable resource points to be provided to an account associated with the location or with a participant by analyzing the monitored resource utilization with respect to a plurality of varying conditions (time-variant, location-variant, cost-variant etc.). These conditions may be independent or interdependent; these relationships will be incorporated into the calculations resulting in the award of the type and quantity of resource points determined by the Program. The resource points are then stored in an account associated with the location or with a participant for future use.

Claims

1. A method of providing a program to enable and incentivize desired behaviors in the utilization of a consumable resource comprising:

monitoring the utilization of a consumable resource at a location,

analyzing the monitored resource utilization with respect to a plurality of varying conditions,

establishing a program that may use variable resource points as an incentive to supplement others available incentives to encourage and reinforce the desired behavior;

determining and communicating the types and quantities of variable resource points to be provided to an account associated with the participant/location for implementing a specific behavior;

exercising control of the resource utilization device to implement the specific behavior at the indicated time;

confirming that this behavior has been implemented at a given time and awarding the appropriate incentives and number of resource incentive points (or if the behavior has not been implemented, applying any appropriate notices or penalties),

storing the resource points in an account associated with the participant/location for future use,

creating one or more Virtual Markets for the redemption and trading of such resource points;

aggregating the value of the behavior of the participants and participating in the “

real”

markets for the subject resources, in order to monetize the value of the aggregated behavior, and share a portion of this monetized value forward with Program Participants, either through the operation of the points programs and markets and/or through related incentives.