Systems and methods for home energy auditing

• US 9,026,405 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: SolarCity Corporation (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Buckley, Neil F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chad, Aniss
• Application Number:
  US13/433,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20130262040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

Systems and methods for facilitating a home energy audit. In one embodiment, a plurality of user inputs can be received that pertain to an energy audit of a home, where the plurality of user inputs user inputs can include one or more two-dimensional layouts of the home. The user inputs can be converted into input data appropriate for consumption by an energy simulation engine, where the converting can comprise generating a three-dimensional model of the home can be generated based on the one or more two-dimensional layouts. A yearly energy simulation of the home can then be executed via the energy simulation engine based on the input data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system from a user, a plurality of user inputs related to an energy audit of a home, the plurality of user inputs including one or more two-dimensional layouts of the home;

converting, by the computer system, the plurality of inputs into input data appropriate for consumption by an energy simulation engine, the converting comprising generating a three-dimensional model of the home based on the one or more two-dimensional layouts; and

executing, by the computer system via the energy simulation engine, multiple energy simulations of the home in parallel based on the input data, the multiple energy simulations including a base scenario and a plurality of remediation scenarios, each remediation scenario corresponding to a different modification of the base scenario for improving energy efficiency of the home in a specific area.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of user inputs further include construction surface descriptions for a plurality of construction elements, the plurality of construction elements including windows, doors, walls, ceilings, floors, and skylights.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the one or more two-dimensional layouts are specified using the construction surface descriptions.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein generating the three-dimensional model comprises assigning a construction surface description to each surface of the three-dimensional model based on the one or more two-dimensional layouts.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the converting further comprises, for each construction surface description assigned to a surface of the three-dimensional model, transforming user inputs pertaining to the construction surface description into physical properties based on the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of user inputs further include, for each room in the home, lighting information, plug load information, and appliance information.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the appliance information includes a make and model of a household appliance, and wherein the computer system is configured to access an appliance database to determine technical specifications for the household appliance.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the converting further comprises generating electrical models for the home based on the lighting information, the plug load information, and the appliance information.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of user inputs further include air infiltration results collected via a blower door test and duct leakage data collected via a duct blaster test.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the converting further comprises converting the air infiltration results into leakage areas for calculation with stack coefficients and wind coefficients.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of user inputs further include information regarding mechanical equipment installed in the home, the mechanical equipment including heating equipment, cooling equipment, water heaters, and pool pumps.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the converting further comprises generating a data object for each piece of mechanical equipment based on specifications retrieved from an equipment specifications database.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of user inputs further include historical energy bill data for an owner of the home.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the converting further comprises generating operational schedules for appliances and mechanical equipment in the home.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the operational schedules are based, at least in part, on the historical energy bill data.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving output data from the energy simulation engine in response to the executing; and

converting the output data into customer facing data.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein converting the output data into customer facing data comprises determining, for every hour of a simulated year, total energy expenditure values, in terms of electricity and fuel, for each of the following components:

heating equipment, cooling equipment, heating blower, cooling blower, water heater, lights, appliances, plug loads, pool pumps, and water pipes.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein converting the output data into customer facing data further comprises scaling the total energy expenditure values against historical energy bill data for an owner of the home.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein converting the output data into customer facing data comprises determining, for every hour of a simulated year, Time Dependent Value (TDV) source values for electricity and fuel.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein converting the output data into customer facing data comprises determining demand values representing maximum power expenditure for the home per month.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein converting the output data into customer facing data comprises calculating duct system losses.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein converting the output data into customer facing data comprises, for each remediation scenario, calculating prices and return on investment (ROI) of products associated with the remediation scenario.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program code executable by a computer system, the program code comprising:

code that causes the computer system to receive from a user a plurality of user inputs related to an energy audit of a home, the plurality of user inputs including one or more two-dimensional layouts of the home;

code that causes the computer system to convert the plurality of inputs into input data appropriate for consumption by an energy simulation engine, the converting comprising generating a three-dimensional model of the home based on the one or more two-dimensional layouts; and

code that causes the computer system to execute, via the energy simulation engine, multiple energy simulations of the home in parallel based on the input data, the multiple energy simulations including a base scenario and a plurality of remediation scenarios, each remediation scenario corresponding to a different modification of the base scenario for improving energy efficiency of the home in a specific area.

24. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive from a user a plurality of user inputs related to an energy audit of a home, the plurality of user inputs including one or more two-dimensional layouts of the home;

convert the plurality of inputs into input data appropriate for consumption by an energy simulation engine, the converting comprising generating a three-dimensional model of the home based on the one or more two-dimensional layouts; and

execute, via the energy simulation engine, multiple energy simulations of the home in parallel based on the input data, the multiple energy simulations including a base scenario and a plurality of remediation scenarios, each remediation scenario corresponding to a different modification of the base scenario for improving energy efficiency of the home in a specific area.