Energy management of household appliances
First Claim
1. A water heater comprising:
- a body defining a chamber for holding water to be heated;
an inlet opening and an outlet opening in communication with the chamber for flowing water therethrough;
one or more power consuming features/functions comprising a heater for heating the water within the chamber; and
a controller operatively connected to the one or more power consuming features/functions, the controller configured to receive and process a signal indicative of a current state of an associated utility, the controller operating the water heater in one of a plurality of operating modes, the plurality of operating modes comprising at least as normal operating mode and an energy savings mode, and in response to the received signal, the controller further configured to at least one of selectively adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the water heater in the energy savings mode.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A water heater comprises a body defining a chamber for holding water to be heated, an inlet opening and an outlet opening in communication with the chamber for flowing water therethrough and one or more power consuming features/functions including a heater for heating the water within the chamber. A controller is operatively connected to the one or more power consuming features/functions. The controller is configured to receive and process a signal indicative of a utility state. The controller operates the water heater in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode, in response to the received signal. The controller is configured to at least one of selectively adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the water heater in the energy savings mode.
264 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A water heater comprising:
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a body defining a chamber for holding water to be heated; an inlet opening and an outlet opening in communication with the chamber for flowing water therethrough; one or more power consuming features/functions comprising a heater for heating the water within the chamber; and a controller operatively connected to the one or more power consuming features/functions, the controller configured to receive and process a signal indicative of a current state of an associated utility, the controller operating the water heater in one of a plurality of operating modes, the plurality of operating modes comprising at least as normal operating mode and an energy savings mode, and in response to the received signal, the controller further configured to at least one of selectively adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the water heater in the energy savings mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A water heater control method, comprising:
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determining a current state for an associated energy supplying utility, the current state of the associated energy supplying utility being indicative of at least a peak demand period or an off-peak demand period; operating the water heater in a normal mode during the off-peak demand period; operating the water heater in an energy savings mode during the peak demand period; selectively adjusting and/or deactivating any number of one or more power consuming features/functions of the water heater to reduce power consumption of the water heater in the energy savings mode in response to the current state of the associated energy supplying utility, and reducing a setpoint temperature of the water heater to precipitate less heater on time in the energy savings mode; and returning to the normal mode after the peak demand period is over. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A water heater comprising:
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a body defining a chamber for holding water to be heated; an inlet opening and an outlet opening in communication with the chamber for flowing water therethrough; a first heater and a second heater for heating the water in the chamber, the first heater comprising one of an electrically driven heating element and a burner, the second heater comprising a heat pump; and a controller configured to receive and process an energy signal indicative of a current state of an associated utility, the energy signal having a first state indicative of a utility peak demand period and a second state indicative of a utility off-peak demand period, the controller operating the water heater in one of an energy savings mode and a normal operating mode based on the energy signal received and being in the first and second states respectively, wherein the controller is configured to increase a setpoint temperature of the water heater and deactivate the first heater in the energy savings mode unless performance degradation of the water heater is detected. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification