Selecting participants in a resource conservation program

• US 9,947,045 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Opower, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Opower, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Shilts, Erik, Fonts, Agustin
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamilton, Lalita M
• Application Number:
  US14/497,932
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

A method and system for configuring a resource conservation program that receives information about a level of responsiveness for each of a plurality of users, receives information about resource usage for each of the plurality of users, determines an expected value, using a processor, for each of the plurality of users, using the received information about the level of responsiveness and the received information about resource usage, and configures the resource conservation program based on the determined expected value for each of the plurality of users.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computing system using one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, information about past interactions, by a plurality of users, with one or more websites associated with resource conservation;

predicting, by the one or more processors, a level of responsiveness to an offer for each of the plurality of users based upon the information;

receiving, by the one or more processors, information about resource usage for each of the plurality of users;

determining, by the one or more processors, an expected value of a reduction in the resource usage for each user of the plurality of users based upon;

(i) the level of responsiveness for the corresponding user, and

(ii) the received information about resource usage for the corresponding user,

wherein the expected value of the reduction in resource usage corresponds to an amount by which the resource usage associated with the corresponding user is predicted to be reduced in association with a resource conservation program;

generating, by the one or more processors, a target set of users from the plurality of users, to invite to participate in the resource conservation program by;

(i) comparing, by the one or more processors, the expected value of the reduction in resource usage for each user with a defined threshold of reduction in resource usage; and

(ii) selecting and adding in the target set of users, by the one or more processors, at least one user with an expected value of reduction in resource usage that exceeds the defined threshold of reduction in resource usage;

generating, by the one or more processors using the target set of users, an invitation to participate in the resource conservation program for each user in the target set of users, wherein the invitation includes a selectable option to join the resource conservation program; and

controlling transmission of the invitation based on the target set of users, wherein the invitation is transmitted, by the one or more processors via a network communication, to only remote devices associated with each user in the target set of users, wherein the computing system is caused to add a user to the resource conservation program in response to the selectable option in the invitation being selected by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource conservation program is directed to reducing an amount of electrical energy used by the plurality of users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting and adding of the at least one user comprises selecting a predetermined number of the plurality of users as participants in or targets for participation in the resource conservation program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is performed using information about previous participation in energy efficiency programs by each user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving information about resource usage for each of the plurality of users comprises receiving, for each user, at least one of information about a variation in resource usage by the user over time, comparative information about resource usage by the user with respect to resource usage by other users, information about heating or cooling loads, or thermostat set point information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving information about resource usage for each of the plurality of users comprises receiving, for each user, data indicating a quantity of at least one of electricity, gas, or water supplied by a utility to a location corresponding to the user over a plurality of days.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving information about an occupancy schedule for a building associated with each of the plurality of users, and

wherein the determining the expected value for each of the plurality of users further comprises using the received information about the occupancy schedule.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a method, the method comprising:

predicting a level of responsiveness corresponding to a user based on at least received information about responsiveness for the user;

calculating a resource savings value corresponding to the user, wherein the calculating the resource savings value is based on at least received information about resource usage for the user, the resource savings value representing an expected reduction in resource usage for the user from participation in a resource conservation program;

determining an expected value of a reduction in the resource usage, by a processor, for the user, based on at least;

(i) the predicted level of responsiveness corresponding to the user, and

(ii) the calculated resource savings value corresponding to the user;

generating, by the processor, a target set of users to invite to participate in the resource conservation program by;

(i) comparing, by the processor, the expected value of the reduction in resource usage for the user with a defined threshold of reduction in resource usage; and

(ii) selecting and adding in the target set of users, by the processor, at least the user responsive to determining that the expected value of reduction in resource usage exceeds the defined threshold of reduction in resource usage;

generating, by the processor using the target set of users, an invitation to participate in the resource conservation program for each user in the target set of users, wherein the invitation includes a selectable option to join the resource conservation program; and

controlling transmission of the invitation based on the target set of users, wherein the invitation is transmitted, by the processor via a network communication, to only remote devices associated with each user in the target set of users, wherein the computer is caused to add at least one user to the resource conservation program in response to the selectable option in the invitation being selected by the at least one user.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the determined expected value for the user is an amount by which resource usage is predicted to be reduced in response to selecting the user as a target for participation in the resource conservation program, and

wherein the determined expected value for the user is determined using the calculated resource savings value corresponding to the user and a probability of the user participating in the resource conservation program that is determined using the level of responsiveness corresponding to the user.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising, in response to the determined expected value of the user exceeding a threshold value, selecting the user as a participant in the resource conservation program.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising enrolling the user in the resource conservation program in response to receiving an indication that the user consents to participation in the resource conservation program.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the received information about responsiveness for the user comprises at least one of information about previous participation in energy efficiency programs by the user or information about interactions by the user with a website or email communications.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the received information about resource usage for the user comprises at least one of information about a variation in resource usage by the user over time, comparative information about resource usage by the user with respect to resource usage by other users, information about heating or cooling loads, or thermostat set point information.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising receiving information about an occupancy schedule for a building associated with the user, and

wherein the determining the expected value for the user further comprises using the receiving information about the occupancy schedule.

15. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

memory comprising instructions that when executed by the processor implement;

a responsiveness information receiver configured to receive information about past interactions of a user with one or more websites associated with resource conservation;

a predictor configured to predict a level of responsiveness to an offer for the user based upon the information;

a resource usage information receiver configured to receive information about resource usage for the user;

an expected value determiner configured to determine an expected value of a reduction in the resource usage, by the processor, for the user, based upon the level of responsiveness and the information about resource usage received by the resource usage information receiver; and

a resource conservation program participant selector configured to;

generate, by the processor, a target set of users to invite to participate in a resource conservation program by;

(i) comparing, by the processor, the expected value of the reduction in resource usage for the user with a defined threshold of reduction in resource usage; and

(ii) selecting and adding in the target set of users, by the processor, at least the user based upon the comparison;

generate, by the processor using the target set of users, an invitation to participate in the resource conservation program for each user in the target set of users, wherein the invitation includes a selectable option to join the resource conservation program; and

control transmission of the invitation based on the target set of users, wherein the invitation is transmitted, by the processor via a network communication, to only remote devices associated with each user in the target set of users, wherein the system is caused to add at least one user to the resource conservation program in response to the selectable option in the invitation being selected by the at least one user.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the expected value for the user determined by the expected value determiner is an expected amount of resources saved in response to selecting the user as a target for participation in the resource conservation program.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the resource conservation program participant selector is configured to determine that the expected value of the user exceeds the defined threshold of reduction in resource usage.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the determining is performed using information about previous participation in resource conservation programs by the user.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the information about resource usage for the user received by the resource usage information receiver comprises receiving at least one of information about a variation in resource usage by the user over time, comparative information about resource usage by the user with respect to resource usage by other users, information about heating or cooling loads, thermostat set point information, or data indicating a quantity of at least one of electricity, gas, or water supplied by a utility to a location corresponding to the user over a plurality of days.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising an occupancy schedule information receiver configured to receive information about an occupancy schedule for a building associated with the user, and

wherein the expected value determiner uses the information about the occupancy schedule received by the occupancy schedule information receiver.