Energy saving planning support system

Abstract

To provide a technique for supporting energy saving planning.SOLUTION: In an energy saving planning support system, case information on energy saving measures in various buildings is accumulated in a DB, and at the time of retrieval, the DB is retrieved by retrieval conditions generated based on information designated on a screen by a user. When the number of hits F is equal to or larger than the number of display requests N, data is sorted in a sorting order designated by the user, and then top N pieces of the data are extracted, statistical work (calculation of an average value and the like) about an index value (an energy-saving rate, the amount of energy saving, etc.) is made for every energy saving measure about the extracted data, and a graph thereof and detailed data are collectively displayed on an extraction result screen. From information displayed on the screen, the user can easily check examples of energy saving measures in a building having requirements similar to those of the building managed by the user, and can easily determine what energy saving measures are effective in the building managed by the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for supporting the creation of an energy conservation plan required for the operation of a building. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the need for energy conservation has increased not only from the perspective of ensuring a stable supply of energy, but also from the perspective of preventing global warming. The Law Concerning the Rational Use of Energy (hereinafter referred to as the "Energy Conservation Law") requires all businesses to comply with criteria for energy conservation efforts and make efforts to achieve targets, and further requires businesses of a certain size or larger to submit regular reports and plans on energy usage, etc.

[0003] In relation to the Energy Conservation Law, Patent Document 1 discloses an example of an energy conservation planning method for a building. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-41601 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] According to the above-mentioned prior art, the problems caused by the energy-saving items related to the building and the energy-saving items related to the equipment being set individually by different designers based on their respective experiences are solved, and it is considered possible to devise an energy-saving plan while judging the composite energy-saving effects related to the building and the equipment. However, a certain amount of knowledge and experience is required to set the energy-saving items related to the building and the equipment, and whether the plan drawn up according to this method is objectively appropriate or not is another matter.

[0006] In the operation of a building, building managers are required to inspect the site and actual items, find areas where energy is being wasted, and develop and implement energy conservation measures for each area to streamline that use. Experienced building managers can easily perform these tasks based on their own knowledge and experience, but inexperienced building managers find it difficult to carry them out on their own. Therefore, some kind of mechanism is needed to help them develop energy conservation plans, regardless of their level of experience.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for supporting the creation of an energy saving plan. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following energy saving plan support system. Note that the following words in parentheses are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0009] That is, the energy saving plan support system of the present invention comprises a database that accumulates case information on energy saving measures in various buildings, a receiving means that receives input of at least basic information on a predetermined building when searching the database, a searching means that extracts case information on other buildings similar to the predetermined building from the database using extraction conditions generated based on the basic information, and a presentation means that can statistically present the multiple case information extracted by the searching means.The basic information is information on the classification and attributes of the predetermined building (the building used as the basis for comparison) (e.g., industry, region, number of users, etc.), or information that can identify the predetermined building registered in the database (e.g., business name and factory name, etc.).

[0010] In the energy conservation planning support system, case information on energy conservation measures in various buildings, collected from internal and external data sources in advance, is stored in a database and managed in a unified manner. When a user inputs basic information on a specific building during a search, case information on other buildings similar to the specific building is extracted from the database according to extraction conditions generated based on the basic information, and the extracted results are presented as statistics.

[0011] Therefore, according to the energy saving plan support system, when a user who is a building manager creates an energy saving plan for a building that he or she manages, he or she does not need to search for case information individually from internal and external data sources, but can extract case information for other buildings similar to the building that he or she manages by simply inputting at least basic information, so that the user can easily access the information he or she is looking for. In addition, because the extracted case information is presented in a statistical form, even an inexperienced building manager can easily determine what kind of energy saving measures are effective in the building that he or she manages.

[0012] Preferably, in the energy saving plan support system according to the above aspect, the presentation means is capable of calculating and presenting statistics relating to a predetermined index value for each energy saving measure for the plurality of extracted case information.

[0013] According to this embodiment of the energy saving plan support system, statistical values ​​relating to specified index values ​​are calculated and presented for each energy saving measure, so that the user can refer to the presented statistical values ​​and consider what target values ​​should be set for each energy saving measure.

[0014] More preferably, in any of the above-mentioned aspects of the energy saving plan support system, the reception means receives a selection of a search mode (e.g., strict search mode or fluid search mode) in addition to input of basic information when searching the database, and when a predetermined search mode (fluid search mode) is selected and the number of case information in the database that meets the extraction conditions does not meet a predetermined number, the search means is able to relax the extraction conditions and extract case information for other buildings from the database.

[0015] According to this aspect of the energy saving plan support system, if a user selects a specified search mode, when the database is searched using extraction conditions based on information specified by the user and the number of matching case information items does not meet a specified number, the extraction conditions can be automatically relaxed by the system, eliminating the need for the user to re-specify the information and enabling efficient searching of case information.

[0016] More preferably, in the energy saving plan support system of any of the above-mentioned aspects, the system further comprises a registration means for registering new case information in the database and an update means for modifying or deleting case information registered in the database, and the reception means is further capable of receiving input regarding the registration, modification or deletion of case information.

[0017] According to this aspect of the energy saving plan support system, in addition to tasks related to searching for case information, tasks related to registering new case information and tasks related to modifying or deleting registered case information can also be performed via a screen generated by the reception means. This makes it possible to keep the database up to date at all times, thereby enabling users to retrieve the latest case information from the database. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to assist in the creation of energy saving plans, and any building manager, regardless of their level of experience, can create energy saving plans for the buildings they manage by referring to the presented information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an energy saving plan support system 1. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data field in a database. [Diagram 3] FIG. 12 is a diagram (1 / 2) showing an example of a case registration screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram (2 / 2) showing an example of a case registration screen. [Diagram 5] FIG. 12 is a diagram (1 / 2) showing an example of a case search screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram (2 / 2) showing an example of a case search screen. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart (1 / 3) showing the flow of processing during a search. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart (2 / 3) showing the flow of processing during a search. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart (3 / 3) showing the flow of processing during a search. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of a purpose master and relaxation of a purpose. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the area master and relaxation of areas. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of region selection on a search screen. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying the extraction results of similar cases. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiment is a preferred example of an energy saving plan support system, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this example.

[0021] [Configuration of the Energy Saving Planning Support System] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an energy saving plan support system 1. As shown in FIG. The energy saving plan support system 1 is a system that supports the development of energy saving plans for buildings by accumulating case information on energy saving measures (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "energy saving measures") in a database and centrally managing it, and by extracting and presenting case information on buildings with similar requirements from the database (DB).

[0022] The energy saving plan support system 1 is broadly composed of a database 10 and an application 20. The application 20 is implemented on a server as a web application, for example, and a user can use the energy saving plan support system 1 via a web browser installed on a general computer. The database 10 and the application 20 only need to be able to communicate with each other, and may be implemented on the same server or on separate servers.

[0023] The database 10 includes, for example, a building information table 11, an energy saving measure information table 12, a usage master 13, a region master 14, and an energy saving measure name master 15, and case information on energy saving measures in various buildings is stored in a distributed manner in these tables.

[0024] The building information table 11 stores information about buildings (e.g., name, use, location area, number of users, etc.). The energy saving measure information table 12 stores information about energy saving measures implemented in each building. The use master 13 is a master table related to the use of buildings, and uses are classified and managed in multiple hierarchies. The area master 14 is a master table related to the location area of ​​buildings, and manages information necessary for dividing Japan into multiple areas. The energy saving measure name master 15 is a master table that manages the names of energy saving measures. The building information table 11 has data consistency with the use master 13 and area master 14, respectively, with regard to use and area. Furthermore, the energy saving measure information table 12 has data consistency with the energy saving measure name master 15 with regard to the names of energy saving measures.

[0025] The above-mentioned table configuration of the database 10 is shown as an example of the minimum configuration required to explain the embodiment, and case information may be managed with a different table configuration. The contents of the use master 13 and the area master 14 will be described in detail later with reference to another drawing.

[0026] The application 20 includes, for example, an input receiving unit 21, an information registration unit 22, an information update unit 23, an information search unit 24, and a presentation unit 25.

[0027] The input reception unit 21 generates a screen for registering new case information in the database 10, modifying or deleting case information already registered in the database 10, searching for case information from the database 10, etc., and provides it to the user, and receives information input by the user. The information registration unit 22 registers new case information in the database 10 in response to the user's input for registering new case information. The information update unit 23 modifies or deletes specific case information in response to the user's input for modifying or deleting registered case information. The information search unit 24 searches the database 10 in response to the user's input for searching for case information, and extracts case information on buildings with similar requirements from the database 10. The presentation unit 25 performs statistical processing (e.g., calculation of the average energy saving rate for each energy saving measure, etc.) on the case information extracted by the information search unit 24, and presents the results to the user together with the extracted data.

[0028] It should be noted that the above-mentioned configuration of the application 20 is merely an example, and further functional units may be provided.

[0029] [Information stored in the database] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data field in the database 10. As shown in FIG. 2 shows various data fields in one table for ease of understanding of the invention, but in database 10, these data fields are distributed across the multiple tables described above. Also, the symbols in the table are added for convenience of explanation and do not exist in the database.

[0030] For properties, first, fields (B1, B2) for the name and sub-name of the business are provided, and for manufacturing businesses, information such as "XX Corporation" is stored in the name and "XX Factory" in the sub-name, and for non-manufacturing businesses, for example, a university, information such as "XX University Corporation" is stored in the name and "XX Campus" in the sub-name. Also, the number of users field (B3) stores the number of employees in the case of manufacturing businesses, and stores the number of users, number of students, etc. in the case of non-manufacturing businesses.

[0031] The property use / industry field (M1) stores the selected industry for manufacturing properties, and stores the selected use for non-manufacturing properties, but the industries and uses stored in this field are all managed at the same level in the use master 13. This will be described in more detail later using another drawing. The property area classification field (M2) stores the area classification corresponding to the location of the business's base. In addition, there are fields (M3 to M6) for the property's annual energy consumption, property structure, target floor height, and target area, which are necessary when considering energy conservation measures for buildings.

[0032] Then, depending on the number of energy saving measures registered for each property (M7), fields (M8 to M17) are provided for the name, introduction cost, annual running cost, annual energy saving effect, annual energy consumption cost reduction amount, energy saving rate, measure classification (either operation measure or investment measure), main related equipment (for example, air conditioning, ventilation, lighting, production equipment, etc.), related keywords, and summary description. Note that a field for storing further information on the energy saving measures may be provided.

[0033] In addition, fields are provided for storing additional supplemental information about the property, such as detailed location information (S1) of the property.

[0034] Thus, database 10 has many fields related to the property and fields related to the energy saving measures implemented in the property. This structure makes it possible to extract case information of buildings with similar requirements with high accuracy, and to convert the extracted information into statistics for detailed analysis. When analyzing case information of similar buildings, particular attention is paid to information in fields beginning with the symbol "M."

[0035] [Case registration] 3 and 4 are diagrams showing examples of case registration screens. 3(A): Shows an example of the menu of the energy saving plan support system 1. The system's menu screen 21w1 has operation items such as "register case," "search for case," and "edit / delete case," and has separate entrances for operations related to manufacturing business operators and operations related to non-manufacturing business operators.

[0036] 3B: When the [Manufacturing] button for [Case registration] is pressed on the system menu screen 21w1, the screen moves to a basic information input screen 21w2 that accepts the registration of cases related to manufacturing businesses. The basic information input screen 21w2 has, for example, text boxes for [Business owner] and [Factory name], list boxes for [Industry type] and [Area], and a text box for [Number of employees].

[0037] In Fig. 3 (C): the [Industry] list box displays a list of selectable industries. In the manufacturing input screen, an [Industry] list box (left) is provided and a list of selectable industries is displayed, but in the non-manufacturing input screen, a [Use] list box (right) is provided instead and a list of selectable uses is displayed. The information on industry and use displayed in these list boxes is obtained from the use master 13.

[0038] 3D: A list of selectable regions is displayed in the [Region] list box. The region information displayed in the list box is obtained from the region master 14.

[0039] When the user has finished inputting / selecting the necessary information on the basic information input screen 21w2 and then presses the [Next] button, the screen moves to the next screen (detailed information input screen).

[0040] 4A: An example of the detailed information input screen 21w3 is shown. In the detailed information input screen 21w3, the information input / selected in the previous basic information input screen 21w2 is displayed first, followed by an input form for other detailed information. For the region selected in the basic information input screen 21w2 (in the illustrated example, "Kanto"), a "Detailed location input" button is provided.

[0041] Since the number of energy-saving measures implemented in each case differs from case to case, only one input form for [Energy-saving measure] is provided in the initial state, and the required number of input forms can be added depending on the number of times the [Add energy-saving measure] button is pressed. For example, when the [Add energy-saving measure] button is pressed once in the illustrated state, an input form for [Energy-saving measure 2] is added below the input form for [Energy-saving measure 1].

[0042] When the [Enter location details] button in FIG. 4B is pressed, a location details input screen 21w4 appears. This screen has list boxes for [Region], [Prefecture], [City / Ward / Town / Village], and [Town Area], and when one of the candidates is selected from the list box on the left, the list box on the right is dynamically updated. In the illustrated example, in the initial state, the [Prefecture] list box displays the prefectures that correspond to the Kanto region in response to the selected region ("Kanto"). When "Kanagawa Prefecture" is selected here, the [City / Ward / Town / Village] list box is updated accordingly, and the cities / towns / villages that correspond to Kanagawa Prefecture are displayed. In this manner, the location can be specified in detail.

[0043] When the [OK] button is pressed after the location is specified, the location detail input screen 21w4 is closed, and the area classification identified from the location (in the illustrated example, "6" corresponds to "Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture") is added to the rear of the [Area] column in the upper part of the detailed information input screen 21w3, and a [Location] column is added to the next line, displaying the specified detailed location information. The location and therefore the area classification can be modified by pressing the [Modify Location] button.

[0044] On the detailed information input screen 21w3, after inputting / selecting the necessary information, when the [Register with this content] button is pressed, a new case is registered in the database 10 according to the content input / selected by the user.

[0045] [Search for cases] 5 and 6 are diagrams showing examples of the case search screen. In Figure 5 (A): On the menu screen of the energy saving planning support system 1 (in Figure 3 (A)), when the "Manufacturing" button for "Search for Cases" is pressed, the user is redirected to a search criteria input screen 21w5 that accepts input of information necessary to search for cases related to manufacturing businesses.

[0046] The search condition input screen 21w5, like the basic information input screen 21w2 ((B) in FIG. 3), is provided with text boxes for [business entity] and [factory name], list boxes for [industry type] and [area], and a text box for [number of employees]. In the search, input of these basic information is required to specify the requirements of a given property (building) that will be used as a comparison standard when considering energy conservation measures.

[0047] Regarding basic information, when input is made into the text boxes for [Business operator] and [Factory name], first, a property that matches the input information is searched for in the database 10, and information set for the property such as use / industry, area classification, number of users (number of employees), etc. is obtained, and data extraction conditions are generated based on the obtained information. On the other hand, when [Industry], [Area], and [Number of employees] are input, data extraction conditions are generated based on the input information.

[0048] In the search condition input screen 21w5 illustrated in FIG. 5, both information capable of identifying a specific property registered in database 10 (e.g., business name and factory name, etc.) and information relating to the classification and attributes of the specific property (e.g., industry type, region, number of users, etc.) are input on the same screen, but separate search condition input screens may be provided for accepting input of information capable of identifying a specific property registered in database 10 and for accepting input of information relating to the classification and attributes of the specific property.

[0049] The search condition input screen 21w5 further includes a radio button for [Search Mode]. The search modes include a "strict search mode" that searches only for case information that strictly matches the specified conditions, and a "flexible search mode" that allows the user to relax the conditions and perform a search again if the number of case information that matches the specified conditions does not reach a predetermined number (the number of cases desired to be displayed, described later). The user can select either search mode.

[0050] In Figure 5 (B): When "Fluid Search Mode" is selected in [Search Mode], list boxes for [First Priority Index] and [Second Priority Index] are displayed. Here, "priority index" refers to a data item for which the conditions are relaxed when the number of case information that matches the conditions does not reach a predetermined number.

[0051] In Fig. 6 (C): As the priority indicators, for example, "industry type" ("use" in the case of non-manufacturing), "area" and "number of employees" can be selected. Note that further data items may be selected as priority indicators. In Figure 6 (D): For example, when "Industry" is selected from the [First Priority Indicator] list box, the [Second Priority Indicator] list box is updated accordingly, and the remaining options excluding the "Industry" selected in [First Priority Indicator] are displayed.

[0052] In FIG. 5B: Search condition input screen 21w5 has a [User Settings] button in a designated position (top right in the illustrated example), and by pressing this button, a user can display a user settings screen where the user can change the number of search results N that they wish to display and the upper limit of the number of times that conditions can be relaxed in the dynamic search mode (hereinafter referred to as the "maximum number of relaxations") M from the preset initial values ​​according to their preferences.

[0053] In addition, the search condition input screen 21w5 is provided with, for example, a text box for [energy saving improvement rate] and a list box for [sort order]. By pressing the [Add search condition] button, it is possible to specify further search conditions. When the [Add search condition] button is pressed, for example, check boxes for selecting multiple [major related equipment] and a text box for inputting [annual energy consumption] are displayed.

[0054] In FIG. 6 (E): As the sorting order, for example, "descending order of energy saving improvement rate", "ascending order of energy saving improvement rate", "region", "descending order of number of employees", "ascending order of number of employees", and "industry type" ("use" in the case of non-manufacturing) can be selected. Further options may be added to the [sorting order] list box. Also, if the sorting order is not important, it is possible to leave [sorting order] unselected. If [sorting order] is unselected, the data is sorted according to a predetermined sorting order as necessary.

[0055] When the [Search] button is pressed after the necessary information has been input / selected on the search condition input screen 21w5, a search of the database 10 is executed.

[0056] [Search flow] 7 to 9 are flow charts showing the flow of processing executed during a search in the energy saving plan support system 1. The flow will be explained below.

[0057] Step S10: The information search unit 24 checks which search mode has been selected by the user from the information accepted by the input acceptance unit 21. If it is confirmed that the fluid search mode has been selected (step S10: Yes), the information search unit 24 proceeds to step S50 (FIG. 8) via the link symbol A and executes a search in the fluid search mode. On the other hand, if it is confirmed that the strict search mode has been selected (step S10: No), the information search unit 24 proceeds to step S20 and executes a search in the strict search mode.

[0058] [Exact search mode] Step S20: The information search unit 24 generates search conditions (extraction conditions) for case information based on the information received by the input reception unit 21, and searches the database 10 for data that meets these search conditions.

[0059] Steps S22 and S24: The information search unit 24 checks whether the number of data hits F in the search in step S20 is equal to or greater than the number of search results N desired to be displayed (step S22). If the number of hits F is equal to or greater than the number of search results N desired to be displayed (step S22: Yes), the information search unit 24 extracts the top N data obtained by rearranging the data in the sorting order selected by the user from the database 10 (step S24). On the other hand, if the number of hits F is less than the number of search results N desired to be displayed (step S22: No), the information search unit 24 executes step S26.

[0060] Steps S26 and S28: The information search unit 24 checks whether the number F of data hits in the search in step S20 is 1 or more (step S26). If the number F of hits is 1 or more (step S26: Yes), the information search unit 24 extracts the F hit data from the database 10 (step S28). On the other hand, if the number F of hits is less than 1, that is, if the number F of hits is 0 (step S26: No), the information search unit 24 executes step S34.

[0061] Steps S30 and S32: The presentation unit 25 executes extracted data statistical processing (step S30) and then executes table and graph output processing (step S32). In the extracted data statistical processing, the presentation unit 25 calculates various statistical values ​​(e.g., average value, maximum value, median value, standard deviation, etc.) related to various index values ​​(e.g., energy saving rate, energy saving amount, etc.) for each energy saving measure for the data extracted from the database 10. In addition, in the table and graph output processing, the presentation unit 25 displays on the screen a graph of a representative one (e.g., average value) of the statistical values ​​calculated in the immediately preceding step, and also displays on the screen the details of the extracted data in a table. In addition, an interface for downloading result data that summarizes these tables and graphs is also provided. Note that details of the statistical results, including the statistical values ​​that were not displayed on the screen, may be included in the result data.

[0062] Step S34: If the number of data hits F in the search in step S20 is 0 (step S26: No), the presentation unit 25 executes a message display process. In the message display process, the presentation unit 25 displays a message on the screen to the effect that there are no cases that match the specified search conditions and to prompt the user to change the search conditions.

[0063] [Figure 8: Fluid search mode] Steps S50 and S52: The information search unit 24 acquires a priority index selected by the user from the information accepted by the input accepting unit 21 (step S50), and searches the database 10 for data matching the search criteria based on the acquired priority index (step S52).

[0064] Steps S54 and S56: The information search unit 24 checks whether the number of data hits F in the search in step S52 is equal to or greater than the number of search results desired to be displayed N (step S54). If the number of hits F is equal to or greater than the number of search results desired to be displayed N (step S54: Yes), the information search unit 24 extracts from the database 10 the top N data obtained by rearranging the data in the sorting order selected by the user (step S56). On the other hand, if the number of hits F is less than the number of search results desired to be displayed N (step S54: No), the information search unit 24 executes step S58.

[0065] Step S58: The information search unit 24 checks whether or not the user has selected a transition to the automatic recommendation mode on the screen presented as an intermediate step of the search. If it is confirmed that the transition to the automatic recommendation mode has been selected (step S58: Yes), the information search unit 24 proceeds to step S70 (FIG. 9) via link symbol B and transitions to the automatic recommendation mode. On the other hand, if it cannot be confirmed that the transition to the automatic recommendation mode has been selected, that is, if the transition to the automatic recommendation mode has not been selected (step S58: No), the information search unit 24 executes step S60. The screen presented to the user regarding the transition to the automatic recommendation mode will be described later with reference to another drawing.

[0066] Steps S60, S62: The information search unit 24 checks whether the number F of data hits in the search in step S52 is 1 or more (step S60). If the number F of hits is 1 or more (step S60: Yes), the information search unit 24 extracts the F hit data from the database 10 (step S62). On the other hand, if the number F of hits is less than 1, that is, if the number F of hits is 0 (step S60: No), the information search unit 24 executes step S68.

[0067] Steps S64 and S66: The presentation unit 25 executes the extracted data statistical processing (step S64), and then executes the table and graph output processing (step S66). Note that the contents of the extracted data statistical processing and the table and graph output processing are similar to those of steps S30 and S32 described above.

[0068] Step S68: If the number of hits F of the data in the search in step S52 is 0 (step S60: No), the presenting unit 25 executes a message display process. The contents of the message display process are the same as those of step S34 described above.

[0069] [Figure 9: Automatic recommendation mode] The automatic recommendation mode is a part of the dynamic search mode. In the automatic recommendation mode, the information search unit 24 executes a re-search using search conditions that are gradually relaxed up to the upper relaxation limit number M with respect to the priority index conditions. The re-search is executed repeatedly until the number of hits F of data becomes equal to or exceeds the number of items desired to be displayed N, or the number of relaxations exceeds the upper relaxation limit number M.

[0070] Steps S70 and S72: The information search unit 24 sets the relaxation count counter c to "0" (step S70), and obtains the relaxation upper limit count M set by the user (step S72).

[0071] Step S74: If any of the priority indices can be relaxed (a state where relaxation targets are still remaining) and the relaxation count counter c has not reached the relaxation upper limit number M (step S74: Yes), the information search unit 24 executes step S76. On the other hand, if all of the priority indices cannot be relaxed (a state where relaxation targets are not remaining) or the relaxation count counter c has reached the relaxation upper limit number M (step S74: No), the information search unit 24 proceeds to step S60 (FIG. 8) via the linking symbol D and executes the subsequent procedures.

[0072] Steps S76 to S80: The information search unit 24 relaxes the search conditions of the priority index by one level (step S76), increments the relaxation count counter by "1" (step S78), and searches the database 10 for data using the search conditions according to the priority index relaxed in step S76 (step S80). The relaxation of the business type and region will be described in detail later with reference to another drawing.

[0073] Step S82: The information search unit 24 checks whether the number of data hits F in the search in step S80 is equal to or greater than the desired number of search results N to be displayed. If the number of hits F is equal to or greater than the desired number of search results N to be displayed (step S82: Yes), the information search unit 24 proceeds to step S56 (FIG. 8) via the connecting symbol C and executes the subsequent steps. On the other hand, if the number of hits F is less than the desired number of search results N to be displayed (step S82: No), the information search unit 24 returns to step S74 and repeats the subsequent steps.

[0074] In the energy saving plan support system 1, the search process is performed according to the above-mentioned procedure. In both the strict search mode and the dynamic search mode, when extracting the top N data from the database 10 (step S24 in FIG. 7, step S56 in FIG. 8), if the user has specified a sorting order, the information search unit 24 prioritizes the specified sorting order and then sorts the data in a predetermined sorting order before extracting the top N data. On the other hand, if the user has not specified a sorting order, the information search unit 24 sorts the data in a predetermined sorting order before extracting the top N data.

[0075] [Relaxation of use] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the purpose master 13 and relaxation of the purpose. As shown in FIG. 10(A), in the use master 13, the uses of buildings are managed by categorizing them into three hierarchical levels: major, medium, and minor. For each property, a use in one of the minor categories is registered. The medium category "factories, etc." is used for buildings owned by manufacturing businesses, and the industry to which the factory belongs is managed as its minor category. As shown in FIG. 3(C), on the screen related to manufacturing cases, "industry" is displayed instead of "use," and information on the minor category that corresponds to the medium category "factories, etc." is displayed as an option.

[0076] When relaxing the use, the scope of use is expanded one level at a time to a higher hierarchy. For example, as shown in FIG. 10 (B), if the use of the property at the start of the search is "restaurant," the first relaxation expands the range of use to the medium category "restaurants, etc.", which is one level higher than "restaurants," and the second relaxation expands the range to the large category "all uses," which is one level higher than "restaurants, etc." Also, as shown in FIG. 10 (C), if the industry of the property at the start of the search is "machinery," the first relaxation expands the range of use (industry) to the medium category "factories, etc.", which is one level higher than "machinery," and the second relaxation expands the range to the large category "all uses," which is one level higher than "factories, etc." Since the highest level is "all uses," it is not possible to relax the use any further. In other words, the use can be relaxed a maximum of two times.

[0077] For example, let us assume that in the search condition input screen 21w5 (Figure 5), "industry type" is selected as the [first priority indicator], "region" is selected as the [second priority indicator], and the relaxation limit number M set by the user is "3," and then the automatic recommendation mode is entered.

[0078] In this case, a first relaxation (first execution of step S76 in FIG. 9) is performed, and the first priority indicator "industry" is relaxed by one level before re-searching the database 10. If the number of data hits F in the re-search is less than the number of items desired to be displayed N, a second relaxation (second execution of step S76) is performed, and the number of data hits F in the re-search is further relaxed by one level before re-searching the database 10. If the number of data hits F in the re-search is still less than the number of items desired to be displayed N, a third relaxation (third execution of step S76) is performed, but since further relaxation is not possible for "industry," the third relaxation is performed for "area," the second priority indicator.

[0079] [Regional relaxation] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the area master 14 and relaxation of areas. The regional master 14 manages information required to identify the eight regions in Japan, as stipulated in the ministerial ordinance prescribing building energy consumption performance standards, etc., of the Act on Improvement of Energy Consumption Performance of Buildings (hereinafter referred to as the "Building Energy Conservation Act"), from the prefecture name, city / town / village name, and town / district name.

[0080] Each of the eight regional divisions corresponds to the approximate prefectures and regions shown in the table in Figure 11 (A). We say "approximately" because the regional divisions are determined based on differences in topography and climate, so there are cases where areas within the same prefecture or the same city, town, or village fall into different regional divisions.

[0081] Regional categories "1" and "2" each correspond to different areas of Hokkaido (though there are exceptional cases as mentioned above, for example, parts of Aomori and Iwate prefectures also correspond to "2", and some areas of Hokkaido correspond to "3". The existence of exceptional cases also exists in the other regional categories), and they are adjacent to each other. Similarly, regional categories "3" and "4" are adjacent to each other, and regional categories "5" and "6", and "6" and "7" are also adjacent to each other.

[0082] When relaxing the area, the area classification is expanded step by step to the area classification corresponding to the adjacent area (if adjacent to multiple areas, the area with higher relevance or the wider area). For example, as shown in (B) in FIG. 11, in the first relaxation, if the area classification at the start of the search is "1", "2" is added, if it is "2", "1" is added, if it is "3", "4" is added, if it is "4", "3" is added, if it is "5", "6" is added, if it is "6", "5" is added, and if it is "7", "6" is added. In contrast, if the area classification at the start of the search is "8", that is, Okinawa Prefecture, which is far from other areas and has low relevance to any of the areas, the area classification is expanded to "all areas" in the first relaxation.

[0083] In addition, if the region category at the start of the search is any of "1" to "4," the second relaxation will expand the region range to "all regions." On the other hand, if the region category at the start of the search is any of "5" to "7," the second relaxation will add further relevant region categories, and the third relaxation will expand the region range to "all regions."

[0084] The above-mentioned region relaxation mode is merely an example, and is not limited to this. For example, when the region classification at the start of the search is any of "1" to "4", instead of expanding the region range to "all regions" in the second relaxation, a region classification corresponding to an adjacent region may be further added, or when the region classification at the start of the search is "8", instead of expanding the region range to "all regions" in the first relaxation, a region classification "7" corresponding to the closest region may be added.

[0085] [Subsidies for identifying regional divisions] 12 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of selecting a region on the search condition input screen 21w5 (FIG. 5). As described above, since it is difficult for a user to directly specify a correct region division, the search condition input screen 21w5 provides assistance required for identifying a region division according to the user's selection of a region, etc.

[0086] For example, when "Hokuriku" is selected from the [Region] list box, a list box is added to the right, displaying the prefectures that correspond to Hokuriku, as shown in Figure 12 (A). When "Ishikawa Prefecture" is selected here, a further list box is added to the right, displaying the cities, towns, and villages that correspond to Ishikawa Prefecture, as well as the option "Don't know," as shown in Figure 12 (B).

[0087] Here, as shown in (C-1) in Fig. 12, when "Kaga City" is selected, the entire area of ​​Kaga City falls into area category "5," so no more list boxes are added. On the other hand, as shown in (C-2) in Fig. 12, when "Hakusan City" is selected, further list boxes are added to the right because Hakusan City is divided into multiple area categories, for example, the area of ​​the former Yoshinotani Village falls into area category "4," the area of ​​the former Tsurugi Town falls into area category "5," and the area of ​​the former Matto City falls into area category "6."

[0088] Also, as shown in (C-3) in Fig. 12, when "Don't know" is selected in the list box of cities, towns, and villages, the area division selection screen 21w6 appears, and the percentage of cities, towns, and villages in Ishikawa prefecture that fall into each area division and the corresponding [Select] button are displayed. If it is difficult to select from the city, town, and village name, it is possible to select an area division by referring to the percentage displayed on the area division selection screen 21w6.

[0089] Then, in the case of (C-1) in Figure 12, or when, for example, "Former Tsurugi Town" is selected from the rightmost list box in (C-2) in Figure 12, or when the [Select] button for "Area Category 5" is pressed in (C-3) in Figure 12, "Area Category: 5" is displayed below the [Area] column, as shown in (D) in Figure 12, and "5" is internally set as the area category at the start of the search.

[0090] [Screen showing results of similar case extraction] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen showing the extraction results of similar cases. For ease of explanation, an example will be described here in which the desired number N of search results to be displayed set by the user is "20."

[0091] Fig. 13 (A) shows an example of the number of items notification screen 25w1. When the number of data hits F is less than the number of items desired to be displayed N as a result of searching the database 10 in the dynamic search mode, the screen moves to the number of items notification screen 25w1, and displays a message informing the user that the number of hits F is small, explaining that the search results in which the priority index conditions are relaxed can be presented by proceeding to the automatic recommendation mode, and asking the user to select whether or not to proceed to the automatic recommendation mode. When the [Yes] button is pressed on this screen, the screen transitions to the automatic recommendation mode, and the search is executed again after relaxing the priority index conditions.

[0092] FIG. 13(B): An example of an extraction result screen 25w2 is shown. When the search of the database 10 and the statistical processing of the extracted data are completed, the screen moves to the extraction result screen 25w2, where a graph is displayed showing the calculated average value of the index value (e.g., energy saving rate per property, energy saving amount per property) for each energy saving measure (e.g., "reducing lighting," "optimizing the set temperature," "reducing discharge pressure," "optimizing steam pressure," "air leakage countermeasures," etc.). Note that graphs of statistical values ​​other than the average value may also be displayed.

[0093] Additionally, details of the top 20 extracted data (= data that was subject to statistical processing) are displayed in a table. Furthermore, by pressing the [Export Results] button, these graphs and tables can be exported as data files.

[0094] Note that Figure 13 illustrates an example of a result extraction screen that is displayed when the number of data hits F in a search in fluid search mode does not meet the number of data items desired to be displayed N, and the mode is switched to automatic recommendation mode, and a new search is performed with the priority index conditions relaxed. However, an extraction result screen configured similarly to (B) in Figure 13 is also displayed when the top N data items or F data items are extracted in strict search mode or in fluid search mode without switching to automatic recommendation mode.

[0095] In this way, in the energy saving plan support system 1, case information on energy saving measures in similar properties (buildings) can be confirmed together on the extraction result screen, so that the user who is the building manager can easily determine what kind of energy saving measures are effective in the building he or she manages, and can consider what target values ​​should be set for each energy saving measure while referring to the presented statistical values. Therefore, the user can create an energy saving plan for the building while referring to the information displayed on this screen.

[0096] According to the energy saving plan support system 1 of the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Case information on energy-saving measures in buildings for various uses is accumulated and centrally managed in database 10. Therefore, when a user who is a building manager formulates energy-saving measures in a building that he or she manages and creates an energy-saving plan for that building, the user does not need to search for case information individually from various data sources by himself or herself, but can extract the necessary information from database 10.

[0097] (2) When basic information for identifying a specific building to be used as the basis for comparison is entered on the search condition input screen, the database 10 is searched using search conditions generated based on the information, and case information on energy-saving measures in similar buildings is extracted. Furthermore, by entering further information (e.g., energy-saving improvement rate, main related equipment, annual energy consumption, etc.), the case information can be further narrowed down using this information, so that the user can easily extract and refer to the information he or she is looking for.

[0098] (3) The extraction result screen not only displays the extracted data, but also performs statistical processing (e.g., calculation of average values, etc.) on the extracted data regarding index values ​​(e.g., energy saving rate, energy saving amount, etc.) for each energy saving measure, and provides various ways of displaying the data, such as displaying the statistical values ​​in graphs. Therefore, from the information on the extraction result screen, the user can easily check examples of energy saving measures in buildings with requirements similar to those of the building he or she manages, and can easily determine what kind of energy saving measures are effective in the building he or she manages.

[0099] (4) Multiple search modes are available, and when the number of data hits F during a search in the fluid search mode does not meet the number of data items desired to be displayed N, the search mode is switched to the automatic recommendation mode, in which the database 10 is searched again with the priority index conditions relaxed. This eliminates the need for the user to re-enter the conditions on the search condition input screen, enabling efficient searching of case information.

[0100] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be practiced in various modified forms.

[0101] In the above-described embodiment, the application 20 is implemented on a server as a web application, but instead, the energy saving plan support system 1 may be configured to implement an application on a client computer used by a user and to communicate with the database 10.

[0102] In the above-described embodiment, the eight regional divisions defined in the ministerial ordinance concerning the Energy Conservation Law for Buildings are used as regional divisions. However, instead of these, regional divisions obtained by dividing Japan into multiple regions using other methods may be used.

[0103] The screens for registering cases shown in Figures 3 and 4, the screens for searching for cases shown in Figures 5 and 6, and the screen for case extraction results shown in Figure 13 are merely examples, and different screen configurations may be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 1. Energy conservation planning support system 10 Database 20 Applications 21 Input reception unit (reception means) 22 Information registration section (registration means) 23 Information update section (update means) 24 Information search section (search means) 25 Presentation section (presentation means)

Claims

1. A database that accumulates case information on energy conservation measures in various buildings, and a receiving means for receiving input of at least basic information about a predetermined building when searching the database; a search means for extracting case information on other buildings similar to the predetermined building from the database according to extraction conditions generated based on the basic information; a presentation means capable of statistically presenting a plurality of pieces of case information extracted by the search means; An energy conservation planning support system equipped with

2. 2. The energy saving plan support system according to claim 1, The basic information is: An energy saving plan support system, characterized in that the information is related to the classification or attributes of the specified building, or the information is capable of identifying the specified building that has already been registered in the database.

3. 2. The energy saving plan support system according to claim 1, The presentation means includes: An energy saving plan support system capable of calculating and presenting statistics relating to a predetermined index value for each of the energy saving measures for the plurality of case information.

4. 4. The energy saving plan support system according to claim 1, The receiving means is When searching the database, a selection of a search mode is accepted in addition to the input of the basic information; The search means includes: An energy saving planning support system characterized in that, when a predetermined search mode is selected and the number of case information in the database that meets the extraction conditions does not reach a predetermined number, the extraction conditions are relaxed and case information for the other buildings can be extracted from the database.

5. 2. The energy saving plan support system according to claim 1, A registration means for registering new case information in the database; an update means for modifying or deleting case information registered in the database; Further equipped with The receiving means is The energy saving plan support system is further characterized in that it is capable of accepting input regarding registration, modification or deletion of case information.

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