Energy-saving measurement, adjustment and monetization system and method

• US 8,706,308 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energy Resource Management Corp.
• Original Assignee: Energy Resource Management Corp.
• Inventors: Reichmuth, Howard, Egnor, Terry, Campbell, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Rudy, Andrew Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/718,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20130110297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/291, 700/295, 700/297, 700/287, 702/60, 702/61, 702/62, 702/179, 702/182, 705/412
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/845 Inventory and reporting systems for greenhouse gases [GHG]

Abstract

System and method include precisely modeling of a facility'"'"'s energy usage over time based on historic data, and precisely predicting or measuring its actual, reduced energy usage over time after a redesign, retrofit, or renovation, or other positive change to the facility. The energy cost savings, whether over a time point of view (POV) of predicted, real-time, or historic, are creditable to the intervening remediation or renovation of the facility'"'"'s energy footprint. In accordance with one embodiment, multiple-variable inputs are modeled using arithmetic regression and steepest-descent convergence arithmetic solutions based in large part on building-science (construction) data versus outside average temperature (t) that simplifies the modeling and measurements. Additionality is thus addressed along with a system and method that is more accurate, more repeatable, more reliable, and thus more credible and more readily monetized.

Claims

1. An energy conservation metering system, comprising:

one or more energy load meters operably coupled with a facility'"'"'s energy supply system suitably to either individually or collectively measure a total energy load of the facility, wherein the one or more energy load meters further collectively include data output circuitry suitable to produce data indicative of the measured total facility energy load during a first time period;

a data record stored at a tangible, machine-readable medium, including data indicative of an external environmental temperature during the first period measured at one or more thermal meters disposed and configured suitably to measure an external environmental temperature proximate the facility and to produce the data indicative of an external environmental temperature during the first period; and

data processing circuitry operably coupled with one or more non-transitory data storage media, wherein the data storage media either individually or collectively include stored device-executable coded instructions configured, when executed by the data processing circuitry, to cause the data processing circuitry to;

process both of the data indicative of the measured facility total energy load during the first time period and the data indicative of the measured external environmental temperature during the first time period;

disaggregate plural identified end-use energy load portions from the measured facility total energy load; and

produce a first analog facility model comprising the plural identified end-use energy load portions corresponding to the measured external environmental temperature during the first time period.

2. The energy conservation metering system of claim 1, wherein the stored device-executable coded instructions are further configured, when executed by the data processing circuitry, to cause the data processing circuitry to:

process the first analog facility model according to data indicative of an external environmental temperature measured during a second time period; and

produce an adjusted second analog facility model in which plural adjusted end-use energy load portions correspond to the external environmental temperature measured during the second time period.

3. The energy conservation metering system of claim 2, wherein the second time period and the first period are different in duration.

4. The energy conservation metering system of claim 2, wherein the stored device-executable coded instructions are further configured, when executed by the data processing circuitry, to cause the data processing circuitry to:

compare a sum of the plural adjusted end-use energy load portions of the adjusted second analog facility model to a total energy load of the facility measured during the second time period; and

calculate a quantitative difference therebetween.

5. The energy conservation metering system of claim 1, further comprising the one or more thermal meters.

6. The energy conservation metering system of claim 1, wherein the processing, end-use energy load portion disaggregating, and first analog facility model producing operations comprise executing an iterative steepest-descent convergence algorithm.

7. The energy conservation metering system of claim 2, further comprising:

a controller portion operatively coupled with either or both of a heating subsystem and a cooling subsystem of a facility, the controller portion including instructions configured, when executed by data processing circuitry, to affect control of either or both of the heating and cooling subsystem.

8. The energy conservation metering system of claim 1, wherein the facility comprises any of one or more buildings, one or more factories, one or more campuses, or any combination thereof.

9. The energy conservation metering system of claim 5, wherein at least one of the one or more thermal meters and at least one of the one or more energy load meters are combined within a single device.

10. The energy conservation metering system of claim 2, further comprising:

a data recording mechanism operatively coupled with the data processing circuitry and configured to record the calculated quantitative difference at either or both of a non-transitory, machine-readable data storage medium and a human-readable medium.

11. The energy conservation metering system of claim 8, wherein the device-executable coded instructions are further configured, when executed by the data processing circuitry, to cause the data processing circuitry to aggregate measured total facility energy load of plural buildings of a facility during the first time period prior to the processing with the data indicative of the measured external environmental temperature during the first time period.

12. The energy conservation metering system of claim 1, wherein the device-executable coded instructions are further configured, when executed by the data processing circuitry, to cause the data processing circuitry to derive an hourly load factor from one or more of the end use energy load portions.

13. The energy conservation metering system of claim 12, wherein the device-executable coded instructions are further configured, when executed by the data processing circuitry, to cause the data processing circuitry to derived hourly load factors for each hour of a twenty-four hour period.

14. The energy conservation metering system of claim 2, wherein the second time period is a twenty-four hour period.

15. The energy conservation metering system of claim 1, wherein end use load factors of the first analog facility model comprise a service water heating end use factor, an internal electric gain end-use factor, an external electric gain end-use factor, and a space heat end-use factor.

16. The energy conservation metering system of claim 6, wherein the iterative steepest-descent convergence algorithm includes equivalent analog building parameters of normalized aggregate heat loss, internal gain, external energy, normalized service water heating, heat intercept, cooling intercept, heating efficiency and cooling efficiency.

17. An energy conservation metering method, comprising:

obtaining data indicative of a total energy load of a facility for a first time period;

obtaining data indicative of an external environmental temperature corresponding to the facility for the first time period;

processing, by data processing circuitry executing coded instructions accessed at a non-transitory data storage medium, both of the data indicative of the facility total energy load and the data indicative of the external environmental temperature;

disaggregating, by the data processing circuitry executing the coded instructions, plural identified end-use energy load portions from the data indicative of the total facility energy load; and

producing, by the data processing circuitry executing the coded instructions, a first analog facility model comprising the plural identified end-use energy load portions.

18. The energy conservation metering method of claim 17, wherein the obtaining data indicative of a total energy load of a facility comprises determining an anticipated facility total energy load based on a design of the facility.

19. The energy conservation metering method of claim 17, wherein the obtaining data indicative of a total energy load of a facility comprises determining an anticipated post-alteration facility total energy load based on a contemplated alteration to an energy-load affecting feature of an existing facility.

20. The energy conservation metering method of claim 17, further comprising:

processing, by the data processing circuitry executing the coded instructions, the first analog facility model according to data indicative of an external environmental temperature corresponding to the facility and measured during a second time period; and

producing, by the data processing circuitry executing the coded instructions, an adjusted second analog facility model in which plural adjusted end-use energy load portions correspond to the external environmental temperature measured during the second time period.

21. The energy conservation metering method of claim 20, further comprising:

obtaining data indicative of a total energy load of the facility for the second time period;

comparing, by the data processing circuitry executing the coded instructions, a sum of the plural adjusted end-use energy load portions of the adjusted second analog facility model to the data indicative of a total energy load of the facility for the second time period; and

calculating, by the data processing circuitry executing the coded instructions, a quantitative difference between the sum of the plural adjusted end-use energy load portions of the adjusted second analog facility model and the data indicative of a total energy load of the facility for the second time period.

22. The energy conservation metering method of claim 17, wherein the processing, disaggregating and producing operations collectively comprise executing an iterative steepest-descent convergence algorithm.