SYSTEM FOR MEASURING ENERGY CONSERVATION EFFECTIVENESS

• US 20150276826A1
• Filed: 03/27/2014
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2014
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Roosli, Philipp A., Asmussen, Michael, Sobanko, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,288,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/00 Arrangements for measuring electric power or power factor G01R7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• 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 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems
• 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

Abstract

An observed space having energy consuming devices with conservation mechanisms, algorithms, techniques, or applications. The devices having their conservation applications engaged may be a normal mode. When the conservation applications are disengaged, the devices may be in a reference mode. An amount of energy consumption by the devices in the normal mode may be compared with an amount of energy consumption by the devices in the reference mode to determine an energy conservation effectiveness of the devices in the observed space.

Claims

1. A system for determining energy conservation comprising:

two or more elements that consume energy; and

a meter connected to the two or more elements; and

wherein;

the two or more elements have a normal mode of operation and a reference mode of operation;

the normal mode of operation is when an element operates with an energy conservation mechanism;

the reference mode of operation is when an element operates without an energy conservation mechanism;

the meter measures a first amount of energy consumption by the two or more elements in the normal mode of operation;

the meter measures a second amount of energy consumption by the two or more elements in the reference mode of operation;

an amount of effectiveness of energy conservation is determined from the first and second amounts of energy;

the two or more elements are in the normal mode of operation at the same time; and

the two or more elements are in the reference mode of operation at the same time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first amount of energy consumption is determined as energy consumption units per unit of time; and

the second amount of energy consumption is determined as energy consumption units per unit of time.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a configurable random generator for determining when the two or more elements operate in the reference mode of operation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the elements have a transitioning mode between the normal mode and the reference mode of operation.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein confidence intervals are applied to an amount of energy consumption data collected to assure that sufficient data are collected to provide a reliable difference between the elements in the reference mode and the normal mode to demonstrate an amount of effectiveness of energy conservation.

6. A method, for measuring effectiveness of energy conservation, comprising:

collecting energy consumption data on two or more elements that control energy in an observed space;

synchronizing the two or more elements so as to enter and exit a reference mode and a normal mode, respectively, at the same time, and that the elements are in the same mode for the same duration; and

comparing energy consumption data on the two or more elements in the normal mode and the reference mode to determine an index of energy consumption effectiveness; and

wherein;

in the reference mode, the two or more elements are operated without their respective energy conservation algorithms engaged; and

in the normal mode, the two or more elements are operated with their respective energy conservation algorithms engaged.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the two or more elements have a transition period between the reference mode and the normal mode.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein durations of the reference mode, the transition period and the normal mode, and/or a rate of the reference and normal modes are determined by a configurable random generator.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein a randomization process is implemented to determine when the two or more elements are in the reference mode and the normal mode.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein confidence intervals are applied to the energy consumption data collected to assure that sufficient data are collected to provide a reliable difference between the elements in the reference mode and the normal mode to demonstrate the effectiveness of the energy conservation algorithms.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the elements comprise two or more items selected from a group consisting of drapery control, lighting control, radiant floor heating control, towel heating control, television control, ventilation control, heat control, and air conditioning control.

12. An energy conservation measurement mechanism comprising:

a controller; and

two or more energy consuming devices connected to the controller; and

wherein;

each energy consuming device has an energy conservation application that can be engaged or disengaged;

the controller takes a first measurement of energy usage by the two or more energy consuming devices when their conservation applications are engaged;

the controller takes a second measurement of energy usage by the two or more consuming devices when their conservation applications are disengaged; and

the controller determines a difference of energy usage between the first and second measurements.

13. The mechanism of claim 12, wherein an index of energy conservation effectiveness is determined from the difference of energy usages of the first and second measurements.

14. The mechanism of claim 13, wherein:

P percent of energy saving potential is sacrificed for establishing the index of energy conservation effectiveness; and

P percent equals a period of time sacrificed for establishing the index of energy conservation effectiveness divided by a period of time energy saving potential not sacrificed for establishing the index of energy conservation effectiveness.

15. The mechanism of claim 12, wherein:

the two or more energy consuming devices have their conservation applications engaged at the same time; and

the two or more energy consuming devices have their conservation applications disengaged at the same time.

16. The mechanism of claim 15, wherein a transition time is a period of time between the first measurement of energy usage by the two or more energy consuming devices when their conservation applications are engaged and the second measurement of energy usage by the two or more energy consuming devices when their conservation applications are disengaged.

17. The mechanism of claim 13, wherein:

each room of a multi-room facility having N rooms randomly turns off its conservation application for a pre-determined period of time;

N multiplied by the pre-determined period of time is an amount of time of the multi-room facility for energy usage by the energy consuming devices when their conservation applications are disengaged for determining an index of energy conservation effectiveness; and

a turning off the conservation applications of the devices for a room can randomly occur at any time.

18. The mechanism of claim 13, wherein:

the two or more energy consumption devices are situated in each room of a multi-room facility; and

an index of energy conservation effectiveness is determined for each room;

or

an index of energy conservation effectiveness is determined for the multi-room facility.

19. The mechanism of claim 12, wherein the controller obtains a measurement of energy usage by each of the two or more energy consuming devices by tracking a run-time of each device and multiplying the run-time of each device by a wattage or equivalent parameter of each respective device.

20. The mechanism of claim 13, wherein:

an index of energy conservation effectiveness is determined for at least one device of the two or more energy consuming devices from a difference of energy usages between a first measurement of energy usage of the at least one device when its conservation application is engaged and a second measurement of energy usage of the at least one device when its conservation application is disengaged;

the controller takes the first measurement of the at least one device by recording a run-time of the at least one device, multiplied by a wattage or equivalent parameter of the at least one device, when its conservation application is engaged; and

the controller takes the second measurement of the at least one device by recording a run-time of the at least one device, multiplied by a wattage or equivalent parameter of the at least one device, when its conservation application is disengaged.