System and method for controlling usage of a commodity

• US 7,516,106 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2003
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Original Assignee: Robertshaw Controls Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Ehlers, Gregory A., Beaudet, Joseph, Loughmiller, George, Strich, Ronald, Turner, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Borissov, Igor N
• Application Number:
  US10/628,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20040117330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,080 Days
• Field of Search: 705/412, 705/413, 705/30, 705/14, 379/102.03, 379/102.05, 379/102.07, 700/295, 700/296, 700/286, 702/61, 702/188, 307/40, 307/41, 307/38, 307/35, 340/310.16
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/86 by controlling compressors within refrigeration or heat pump circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/00 Control inputs relating to users or occupants
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0235 based on a comparison with predetermined threshold or range, e.g. "classical methods", carried out during normal operation; threshold adaptation or choice; when or how to compare with the threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• 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: Y04S 20/222 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 : Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 : Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A system and method manage delivery of energy from a distribution network to one or more sites. Each site has at least one device coupled to the distribution network. The at least one device controllably consumes energy. The system includes a node and a control system. The node is coupled to the at least one device for sensing and controlling energy delivered to the device. A control system is coupled to the node and distribution network for delivering to the node at least one characteristic of the distribution network. The node for controls the supply of energy to the device as a function of the at least one characteristic.

Claims

1. A method for providing a consumption management system to a plurality of customers of a utility of a commodity that allows the utility to manage demand for the commodity, wherein the utility delivers the commodity to a plurality of customer sites each having a plurality of devices that use the commodity, wherein each device is equipped to determine the instantaneous rate at which the commodity is being delivered to the device, the method comprising the steps of:

allowing each customer to individually subscribe to one or more of a plurality of energy management programs defined by the utility, wherein the subscribed energy management program defines whether the subscribing customers can override the subscribed energy management program after activation;

measuring the instantaneous rate at which the commodity is being delivered to each device at the plurality of customer sites;

sending the instantaneous rate at which the commodity is being delivered to each device to the utility;

providing a device type indicator to the utility for each device, the device type indicator identifying the type of the device;

defining a subset of the devices in a computer at the utility, wherein the subset of devices includes devices of the same type in use by the subscribing customers;

determining in the computer at the utility, in real time, an aggregated demand for the commodity that can be managed for the subset of devices by aggregating the instantaneous rate of commodity consumption for the subset of devices, wherein the determining step is conducted before activating the subscribed energy management program for the subset of devices;

comparing in the computer at the utility, in real time, the total demand for the commodity with a threshold capacity determined by the utility, wherein the total demand includes the aggregated instantaneous rate;

activating at least one of the subscribed energy management programs when the total demand for the commodity from the utility approaches a threshold capacity determined by the utility, wherein activation of the subscribed energy management program adjusts operational settings for each device of the subset of devices to reduce consumption of the commodity by the subset of devices;

verifying in the computer at the utility, in real time, an achieved reduction in the instantaneous rate at which the commodity is being delivered to the subset of devices following activation of the subscribed energy management program, wherein the verifying step comprises determining whether the activation of the energy management program reduced the total demand for the commodity from the utility;

wherein the activating step further comprises;

if permitted by the subscribed energy management program, overriding the adjusted operational settings for each device during activation of the subscribed energy management program upon request by the subscribing customer;

if not permitted by the subscribed energy management program, preventing the override of the adjusted operational settings for each device during activation of the subscribed energy management program upon request by the subscribing customer; and

providing an incentive, such incentive including at least one of a fixed billing adjustment, a proportionally scaled billing adjustment, an incentive rate, and a rebate, to each subscribing customer based on the verification of the achieved reduction in the rate the commodity is delivered to each device of the subset of devices following activation of the subscribed energy management program.

2. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including the step of determining an actual change in a rate of consumption of the commodity, in real time, for each device after activation of the subscribed energy management program and recording the rate of change in a memory.

3. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one of the incentive rate and the billing adjustment is also a function of historical usage information.

4. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one of the incentive rate and the billing adjustment is a function of an actual cost related to the commodity while the subscribed energy management program is activated.

5. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including the step of providing a user interface for interaction with the customer.

6. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein the user interface is accessible through a web browser.

7. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein each device has an associated node, and the method includes the step of allowing the customer to control one or more of the devices through the associated node.

8. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including the steps of:

setting a budget goal; and

,

monitoring an aspect of usage of the commodity related to the budget goal.

9. A method, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the budget goal is defined in terms of usage of the commodity.

10. A method, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the budget goal is defined in terms of cost of actual amount of the commodity used.

11. A method, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the budget goal is defined relative to a predetermined time period and the method includes the step of generating an alert if actual usage will exceed the budget goal in the predetermined time period.

12. A method, as set forth in claim 11, wherein the alert is sent to the customer.

13. A method, as set forth in claim 11, wherein the alert is sent to the utility.

14. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the commodity is electrical power.

15. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the commodity is water.

16. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the commodity is gas.

17. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including the step of automatically activating the subscribed energy management program under a predetermined set of conditions.

18. A method, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the predetermined set of conditions includes at least one of a time of day and a day.

19. A method, as set forth in claim 1, including the step of manually activating the subscribed energy management program as a function of an actual demand of the commodity.

20. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the subscribed energy management program at least one of shifts demand away from a first time period and eliminates demand for the first period.

21. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of adjusting the operational settings for each device includes the step of at least one of preventing and limiting usage of the commodity during a predetermined period of time.

22. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the devices has an operating setpoint, and wherein the step of adjusting the operational settings for each device includes the step of modifying the setpoint.

23. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein each device has an associated node, and the method includes the step of downloading to each node, a program schedule containing scheduling information for the energy management program.

24. A system for allowing a utility to selectively reduce the consumption of a commodity, the commodity being delivered to a plurality of customer sites by the utility, wherein each customer site has a plurality of devices that use the commodity, the system comprising:

a plurality of devices positioned at each of the plurality of customer sites, each of the devices being equipped to determine the instantaneous rate of commodity consumption at the device and provide a device type indicator identifying a type of the device;

a distribution network coupled to the plurality of devices at the plurality of customer sites for delivering the commodity to the plurality of devices;

a control system coupled to the distribution network for controlling the delivery of the commodity over the distribution network to the plurality of devices, the control system including at least one computer;

a computer network configured to provide communication between the control system and the plurality of devices;

wherein the control system is configured to;

allow each of the customers to individually subscribe to one or more energy management programs defined by the utility;

receive the instantaneous rate at which the commodity is being delivered to each device at the plurality of customer sites, the instantaneous rate being sent by each of the devices;

receive the device type indicator from each of the devices;

define a subset of the devices at the utility, wherein the subset of devices includes devices of the same type in use by the subscribing customers;

determine at the utility, in real time, an aggregated demand for the commodity that can be managed for the subset of devices by activating the subscribed energy management program for the subset of devices, wherein the aggregated demand is determined before activation of the subscribed energy management program by aggregating the instantaneous rate of commodity consumption for the subset of devices;

define in the subscribed energy management program whether subscribing customers can override the energy management program after activation;

compare, in real time, the total demand for the commodity with a threshold capacity determined by the utility, wherein the total demand includes the aggregated instantaneous rate of commodity consumption for the subset of devices;

activate the subscribed energy management program for the subset of devices at the utility when the total demand for the commodity approaches a maximum threshold for the utility, wherein activation of the energy management program adjusts operational settings for each device of the subset of devices to reduce consumption of the commodity by the subset of devices;

verify at the utility, in real time, an achieved reduction in the instantaneous rate at which the commodity is being delivered to the subset of devices following activation of the subscribed energy management program to determine whether the activation of the energy management program reduced the total demand for the commodity from the utility;

if permitted by the subscribed energy management program, override the adjusted operational settings for each device during activation of the subscribed energy management program upon request by the subscribing customer;

if not permitted by the subscribed energy management program, prevent the override of the adjusted operational settings for each device during activation of the subscribed energy management program upon request by the subscribing customer; and

provide an incentive, such incentive including at least one of a fixed billing adjustment, a proportionally scaled billing adjustment, an incentive rate, and a rebate, to each of the subscribing customers based on the verification of the actual capacity of the commodity managed at the customer site by activation of the subscribed energy management program.

25. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein the control system determines an actual rate of change in the rate of consumption induced by activating the energy management program.

26. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein the at least one of the incentive rate and billing adjustment is also a function of historical usage information.

27. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein the at least one of the incentive rate and billing adjustment is a function of an actual cost related to the commodity while the subscribed energy management program is activated.

28. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein the user interface is accessible through a web browser.

29. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein each device has an associated node for allowing the customer to control one or more of the devices through the associated node.

30. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein the system further comprises a user interface that allows the customer to override the subscribed energy management program after it has been activated.

31. A system, as set forth in claim 30, wherein the user interface allows the customer to set a budget goal.

32. A system, as set forth in claim 31, wherein the budget goal is defined in terms of usage of the commodity.

33. A system, as set forth in claim 31, wherein the budget goal is defined in terms of cost of actual amount of the commodity used.

34. A system, as set forth in claim 31, wherein the budget goal is defined relative to a predetermined time period and an alert is generated if actual usage will exceed the budget goal in the predetermined time period.

35. A system, as set forth in claim 34, wherein the alert is sent to the customer.

36. A system, as set forth in claim 34, wherein the alert is sent to the utility.

37. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein the commodity is electrical power.

38. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein the commodity is water.

39. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein the commodity is gas.

40. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein the control system automatically activates the subscribed energy management program under a predetermined set of conditions.

41. A system, as set forth in claim 40, wherein the predetermined set of conditions includes at least one of a time of day and a day.

42. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein the control system allows the subscribed energy management program to be manually activated as a function of an actual demand of the commodity.

43. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein the subscribed energy management program at least one of shifts demand away from a first time period and eliminates demand from the first time period.

44. A system, as set forth in claim 24, wherein at least one of the devices has an operating setpoint, and wherein control system adjust the operational settings of the device by modifying the setpoint.