Power control system, power control method, and management program

Abstract

This disclosure provides a power control system that allows users to choose whether or not to respond to demand response (DR) requests regarding the adjustment of power demand for electrical equipment. [Solution] The power control system according to this disclosure includes electrical equipment used by a power consumer, a management device that receives a DR implementation request from a power supplier regarding the adjustment of power demand and manages the adjustment of power demand at the power consumer using the electrical equipment, and a user terminal device used by the user who is a power consumer. When the management device receives a DR implementation request from a power supplier, it sends an instruction request to the user terminal device asking for instructions on whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request, and receives an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request via the user terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a power control system, a power control method, and a management program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a storage water heater capable of responding to a demand response implementation request (hereinafter referred to as a DR implementation request) for adjusting the power demand amount transmitted from an electric power company to a consumer. This storage water heater includes a control device that controls a boiling operation for heating water and storing hot water in a tank. When the control device receives a DR implementation request from the electric power company, it controls the boiling operation on the day of reception according to the DR implementation request.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a power control system, a power control method, and a management program that allow a user to select whether to respond to a DR implementation request regarding adjustment of the power demand amount of electrical equipment.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the power control system according to this disclosure includes electrical equipment used by a power consumer, a management device that receives a DR implementation request from a power supplier regarding the adjustment of power demand and manages the adjustment of power demand at the power consumer using the electrical equipment, and a user terminal device used by the user who is the power consumer, wherein when the management device receives the DR implementation request from the power supplier, it transmits an instruction request to the user terminal device asking for an instruction on whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request, and receives an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request via the user terminal device.

[0006] One aspect of the power control method according to this disclosure is a power control method executed by a power control system including electrical equipment used by a power consumer, a management device that receives a DR implementation request from a power supplier regarding the adjustment of the amount of power demand and manages the adjustment of the amount of power demand at the power consumer using the electrical equipment, and a user terminal device used by the user who is the power consumer, wherein the management device, upon receiving the DR implementation request from the power supplier, transmits an instruction request to the user terminal device requesting an instruction on whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request, and receives an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request via the user terminal device.

[0007] One aspect of the management program described herein is a management program executed by a management device that receives a DR implementation request from a power supplier regarding the adjustment of electricity demand and manages the adjustment of electricity demand at electricity consumers using electrical equipment, wherein the management device functions as a request receiving unit that receives the DR implementation request from the power supplier, and an inquiry unit that, upon receiving the DR implementation request, sends an instruction request to the user terminal device of the user, which is the electricity consumer, requesting an instruction on whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request, and receives an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request via the user terminal device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, a power control system, a power control method, and a management program may be provided that allow a user to choose whether or not to respond to demand response (DR) requests regarding the adjustment of the power demand of electrical equipment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Diagram showing the configuration of the power control system in the embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a user terminal device. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of the configuration of electrical equipment. [Figure 5] Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of a control device included in the electrical equipment shown. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating the processing steps for the part of the power control method executed by the control device. [Figure 7] A flowchart illustrating the processing steps for the part of the power control method executed by the user terminal device. [Figure 8] A flowchart illustrating the processing steps for the part of the power control method that is performed by electrical equipment. [Figure 9] This diagram shows an example of a command acquisition screen displayed on a user terminal device. [Figure 10] This diagram shows an example of an automatic decision setting screen displayed on a user terminal device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] (Knowledge and other information that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time the inventors conceived of this disclosure, there was a technology for a water heater that performed a heating operation to heat water and store it in a tank, which, upon receiving a demand response (DR) request from a power company, controlled the heating operation on the day the DR request was received.

[0011] However, in the above conventional technology, the boiling time and the like may vary significantly between the days when DR implementation is required and the days when it is not. Therefore, from the perspective of the user of the water supply equipment, it is difficult to predict the boiling operation and it is easy to feel不安. In addition, if the boiling operation is always controlled according to the DR implementation requirement regardless of the user's intention when the DR implementation requirement is received, the degree of freedom of setting for the user will decrease, and there is a concern that the user's willingness to introduce a water supply equipment corresponding to DR implementation will decrease. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a power control system, a power control method, and a management program that allow a user to select whether to respond to a DR implementation requirement regarding adjustment of the power demand of an electrical device.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, a more detailed description may be omitted as necessary. For example, a detailed description of well-known matters or a duplicate description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid making the following description overly redundant and to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art. Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0013] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. [1. Overall Configuration of Power Control System] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power control system 1 according to an embodiment. The power control system 1 includes an electrical device 2 installed in a house H of a user P and a management device 3. The user P is, for example, a power consumer PC who has concluded an electricity supply contract with an electric power company EC. The electrical device 2 corresponds to an electrical device used by a user who is a power consumer in the present disclosure. In the present embodiment, the electrical device 2 is, for example, a storage-type water heater that stores hot water in a tank.

[0014] The power control system 1 also includes a user terminal device 4 used by a user P who is a power consumer PC. The user terminal device 4 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

[0015] The power control system 1 may include a power company server 5 operated by a power company EC. The management device 3 is communicably connected to the electrical equipment 2, the user terminal device 4, and the power company server 5 via a communication network NW such as the Internet.

[0016] The power company EC is a power supply source for the power consumer PC. The power company EC supplies, for example, the power generated by a power plant PP to the building CB of each power consumer PC via a power grid PG. The house H of the user P is an example of the building CB of the power consumer PC.

[0017] In the power grid PG, not only the power from the power plant PP but also the power from the solar power generation facilities provided by the contracting facilities that have concluded a power receiving and supplying contract with the power company EC may be supplied.

[0018] The power company server 5 predicts the time change in the power supply-demand balance in the power grid PG and monitors the current power supply-demand state, and transmits a DR implementation request (demand response implementation request) regarding the adjustment of the power demand amount to the power consumer PC that receives power supply from the power grid. Here, the DR implementation request transmitted by the power company server 5 corresponds to the DR implementation request regarding the adjustment of the power demand amount from the power supply source in the present disclosure.

[0019] The DR implementation request includes an up-DR instruction for instructing to increase the power demand amount or a down-DR instruction for instructing to decrease the power demand amount. Further, the DR implementation request may include the designation of the area and time zone (for example, start date and time and end date and time) where the adjustment of the power demand amount is necessary. Further, the DR implementation request may include information about the incentive given to the power consumer PC that has adjusted the power demand according to the DR implementation request. The incentive is a reward given to the power consumer PC and may be, for example, points having a monetary value.

[0020] The management device 3 receives DR implementation requests transmitted by the power company server 5 and manages the adjustment of power demand at power consumer PCs using electrical equipment. The management device 3 is, for example, a server device operated by an intermediary business that acts as an intermediary between the power company EC and the power consumer PC. The above-mentioned intermediary business may be, for example, a so-called power aggregator or an electrical equipment supplier.

[0021] In this embodiment, when the management device 3 receives a DR implementation request from the power company EC, which is the power supplier, from the power company server 5, it sends an instruction request to the user terminal device 4 of user P, asking for instructions on whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request, and receives an acceptance or rejection instruction from user P regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request via the user terminal device 4.

[0022] This allows user P to choose whether or not to respond to DR implementation requests in electrical equipment 2, thereby increasing user P's acceptance of responding to DR implementation requests and improving the convenience of power control system 1. Furthermore, by allowing user P to choose whether or not to respond to DR implementation requests, the psychological burden on user P to participate in DR implementation can be reduced, thereby promoting an increase in the number of participants in DR implementation and achieving a more stable power supply and demand balance.

[0023] If the acceptance / rejection instruction received from the user terminal device 4 is an acceptance instruction instructing the electrical equipment 2 to comply with the DR implementation request, the management device 3 may send a DR execution instruction to the electrical equipment 2 instructing it to perform the response to the DR implementation request.

[0024] Electrical equipment 2 operates automatically according to an operating schedule, which includes the scheduled operating time, and when it receives the above-mentioned DR execution instruction, it modifies its operating schedule to respond to the DR implementation request.

[0025] [2. Configuration of the control device] Figure 2 shows the configuration of the control device 3. The management device 3 is a computer comprising a processor 30 such as a CPU, memory 31, and a communication device 32. The communication device 32 includes transceivers for communicating with electrical equipment 2, user terminal devices 4, and power company servers 5 via a communication network NW.

[0026] The memory 31 is composed of a magnetic memory device, a semiconductor memory element such as flash ROM, and / or other types of non-volatile memory devices. The memory 31 may also include RAM that constitutes the work area of ​​the processor 30.

[0027] The processor 30 includes, as functional elements or functional units, a request receiving unit 34, an inquiry unit 35, an instruction unit 36, and an assignment unit 37. These functional elements of the processor 30 are realized, for example, by the processor 30 of the management device 3 (which is a computer) reading and executing a management program 33 stored in memory 31. The management program 33 can be stored in any storage medium that is readable by a computer. Alternatively, all or part of the above functional elements of the processor 30 can be configured by hardware, each including one or more electronic circuit components.

[0028] The request receiving unit 34 receives a DR implementation request from the power company server 5 and determines whether the received DR implementation request pertains to an area managed by the management device 3. If the received DR implementation request pertains to an area managed by the management device 3, the request receiving unit 34 notifies the inquiry unit 35 of the received DR implementation request. Information on which areas the management device 3 manages can be pre-stored in the memory 31.

[0029] When the inquiry unit 35 receives notification from the request receiving unit 34 that it has received a DR implementation request, it sends an instruction request to the user terminal device 4 asking for instructions on whether or not to comply with the DR implementation request received by the request receiving unit 34. User P responds to the instruction request by inputting an acceptance or rejection instruction to the user terminal device 4 regarding whether or not to comply with the DR implementation request. The inquiry unit 35 receives the acceptance or rejection instruction from user P via the user terminal device 4.

[0030] When the inquiry unit 35 sends an instruction request to the user terminal device 4, it may obtain status information indicating the status of the electrical equipment 2 from the electrical equipment 2 and display the obtained status information on the user terminal device 4. For example, when the inquiry unit 35 sends an instruction request to the user terminal device 4, it sends an information display instruction to the user terminal device 4 that includes the obtained status information. The status information may include, for example, the current operating plan of the electrical equipment 2, and information regarding the time and content of changes to the operating plan based on the most recent DR execution instruction.

[0031] As a result, user P can understand the current status of electrical equipment 2 based on the status information displayed on user terminal device 4 and make a more appropriate decision on whether or not to comply with the DR implementation request, thereby improving the convenience of the power control system 1.

[0032] The inquiry unit 35 may also, when sending an instruction request to the user terminal device 4, cause the content of the DR implementation request received by the request receiving unit 34 to be displayed on the user terminal device 4. For example, when the inquiry unit 35 sends an instruction request to the user terminal device 4, it sends an information display instruction to the user terminal device 4 that includes the content of the DR implementation request.

[0033] The contents of the DR implementation request displayed on the user terminal device 4 may include, for example, the distinction between the above-mentioned upward DR instruction or downward DR instruction included in the DR implementation request, as well as the regions and time periods in which adjustment of electricity demand is necessary. This allows user P to understand the content of the DR implementation request and make a more appropriate decision on whether to accept or reject the DR implementation request, thereby further improving the convenience of the power control system 1.

[0034] The inquiry unit 35 may also, when sending an instruction request to the user terminal device 4, cause the user terminal device 4 to display incentive information indicating the incentive that will be given to user P if the DR implementation request is accepted. For example, when the inquiry unit 35 sends an instruction to the user terminal device 4, it sends an information display instruction including incentive information to the user terminal device 4. The incentive information may be information about the incentive included in the DR implementation request received by the request receiving unit 34 from the power company server 5, or information indicating the incentive calculated from such information.

[0035] This allows user P to see the incentives that may be granted if they approve a DR request before deciding whether to accept or reject it, potentially increasing the frequency with which user P accepts DR requests. As a result, it becomes possible to further suppress temporal fluctuations in the power supply and demand balance in the power grid PG.

[0036] The inquiry unit 35 may also determine, in accordance with the automatic determination instructions set in the management device 3, that the DR implementation request received by the request receiving unit 34 has been approved or rejected by user P if it does not receive an approval or rejection instruction from user P 4 within a predetermined time after sending an instruction request to user P 4. The automatic determination instructions may be an automatic approval instruction that instructs the management device 3 to determine that the DR implementation request has been approved by user P, or an automatic rejection instruction that instructs the management device 3 to determine that the DR implementation request has been rejected by user P. The automatic determination instructions may be set, for example, by a setting instruction from user P using user P 4 and stored in memory 31.

[0037] According to this, by pre-setting automatic decision instructions, user P no longer needs to manually input acceptance or rejection instructions into the user terminal device 4, thus improving the convenience of the power control system 1.

[0038] The inquiry unit 35 may also store the received acceptance / rejection instruction in the memory 31 each time it receives an acceptance / rejection instruction from the user terminal device 4. Based on the history of acceptance / rejection instructions up to the present, indicated by the acceptance / rejection instructions stored in the memory 31, the inquiry unit 35 can display a message on the user terminal device 4 prompting user P to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic acceptance. For example, if the proportion of acceptance instructions in the most recent predetermined number of acceptance / rejection instructions exceeds a predetermined proportion (for example, 50%), the inquiry unit 35 may send an automatic decision setting request to the user terminal device 4 and display a message on the user terminal device 4 prompting user P to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic acceptance.

[0039] As described later, the user terminal device 4 can receive user instructions regarding whether or not to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic permission and transmit them to the management device 3. When the inquiry unit 35 receives a user instruction from the user terminal device 4 to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic permission, it sets the automatic decision instruction to automatic permission.

[0040] The inquiry unit 35 notifies the instruction unit 36 ​​and the granting unit 37 of the acceptance or rejection instruction from user P, or the acceptance or rejection instruction determined according to the automatic judgment instruction.

[0041] When the instruction unit 36 ​​receives an acceptance / rejection instruction from user P notified by the inquiry unit 35, which indicates that the DR implementation request will be met, or when the instruction determined according to the automatic judgment instruction is an acceptance instruction, the instruction unit 36 ​​sends a DR execution instruction to the electrical equipment 2, instructing it to perform the response to the DR implementation request. The DR execution instruction may include, for example, a time period in which the amount of electricity demand should be increased if the DR implementation request includes an increase DR instruction, and a time period in which the amount of electricity demand should be decreased if the DR implementation request includes a decrease DR instruction.

[0042] The granting unit 37 grants an incentive to user P for complying with the DR implementation request if the acceptance / rejection instruction from user P notified by the inquiry unit 35 is an acceptance instruction, or if the instruction determined according to the automatic judgment instruction is an acceptance instruction. The incentive granted by the granting unit 37 to user P may be the incentive indicated by the incentive information displayed on the user terminal device 4 when the inquiry unit 35 transmits the instruction request to the user terminal device 4. The incentive may be, for example, points with monetary value. For example, the granting unit 37 grants the points, which are the incentive, to an account of a point provider company that has been registered in advance for user P, in accordance with the prior art.

[0043] [3. User Terminal Device Configuration] Figure 3 shows the configuration of the user terminal device 4. In this embodiment, the user terminal device 4 is, for example, a smartphone. The user terminal device 4 comprises a processor 40 such as a CPU, memory 41, and a communication device 42, which constitute a computer. The user terminal device 4 also comprises a display device 43 and an input device 44.

[0044] The memory 41 is composed of a magnetic memory device, a semiconductor memory element such as flash ROM, and / or other types of non-volatile memory devices. The memory 41 may also include RAM that constitutes the work area of ​​the processor 40.

[0045] The communication device 42 may include transceivers for communicating with the electrical equipment 2 and the management device 3 via the communication network NW. The display device 43 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device. The input device 44 is, for example, a touch sensor provided on the display screen of the display device 43. The display device 43 and the input device 44 can be configured as a touch panel.

[0046] The processor 40 includes, as functional elements or functional units, a response instruction acquisition unit 46 and a decision instruction acquisition unit 47. These functional elements of the processor 40 are realized, for example, by the processor 40 of the management device 3, which is a computer, reading and executing a terminal program 45 stored in memory 41. The terminal program 45 can be stored in any storage medium that is readable by a computer. Alternatively, all or part of the above functional elements of the processor 40 can be configured by hardware, each including one or more electronic circuit components.

[0047] When the response instruction acquisition unit 46 receives an instruction request from the management device 3 asking for instructions on whether or not to comply with the DR implementation request, it displays an instruction acquisition screen on the display device 43 for user P to input an acceptance or rejection instruction. The response instruction acquisition unit 46 transmits the acceptance or rejection instruction entered by user P in the input device 44 on the instruction acquisition screen to the management device 3.

[0048] When the response instruction acquisition unit 46 receives an information display instruction along with the instruction request from the management device 3, it displays the information included in the information display instruction on the display device 43 as part of the instruction acquisition screen. As described above, the information display instruction may include status information indicating the current state of the electrical equipment 2, information indicating the content of the DR implementation request, and / or incentive information.

[0049] When the decision instruction acquisition unit 47 receives an automatic decision setting request from the management device 3, it displays an automatic decision setting screen on the display device 43, which includes a message prompting the user to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic permission. The decision instruction acquisition unit 47 receives a user instruction from the user P via the input device 44 on the automatic decision setting screen, indicating whether or not to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic permission. The decision instruction acquisition unit 47 transmits the input user instruction to the management device 3.

[0050] Figure 9 shows an example of an instruction acquisition screen. Figure 10 shows an example of an automatic judgment setting screen. In Figures 9 and 10, the user terminal device 4, which is a mobile device such as a smartphone, is equipped with a touch panel including a display device 43 and an input device 44.

[0051] The instruction acquisition screen 100 shown in Figure 9 and the automatic decision setting screen 110 shown in Figure 10 can be displayed as push notifications on the display device 43, for example. Alternatively, the instruction acquisition screen 100 shown in Figure 9 and the automatic decision setting screen 110 shown in Figure 10 can be displayed when a text box displayed as a push notification on the display device 43 is selected by touch operation or the like.

[0052] In the example shown in Figure 9, the instruction acquisition screen 100 includes a notification title 101 at the top of the screen that reads "!Notification: DR Implementation Request!", an instruction input box 102, a status display 103, a DR content display 104, and an incentive display 105. The status display 103, the DR content display 104, and the incentive display 105 are displays of the status information of the electrical equipment 2, the content of the DR implementation request, and the incentive information, respectively, which are included in the information display instruction received from the management device 3 along with the instruction request.

[0053] In response to the question displayed in the instruction input box 102, "A request for adjustment of electricity demand (DR) has been made for your area as follows. Do you approve?", User P can send an approval or rejection instruction to the management device 3 by touching the approval button 106 or the rejection button 107, respectively. Alternatively, User P may touch the ignore button 108 and not send any reply to the management device 3.

[0054] In the example shown in Figure 10, the automatic decision setting screen 110 includes a notification title 111 at the top of the screen that reads "!Notification: Review of automatic decision setting (recommended)!" and an instruction input box 112. The automatic decision setting screen 110 may also include a history display 113. The history display 113 displays the history of acceptance / rejection instructions given by user P up to the present. Information such as the history of acceptance / rejection instructions can be transmitted, for example, by the management device 3 to the user terminal device 4 along with the automatic decision setting request.

[0055] The message displayed in the instruction input box 112, "The setting for automatic response operation regarding DR implementation requests (automatic judgment specification) is recommended to be 'automatic approval'," is a message prompting user P to set the automatic judgment instruction to automatic approval. User P can send a user instruction to the management device 3 indicating whether they agree or disagree to set the automatic judgment instruction to "automatic approval" by touching the "Yes" button 114 or the "No" button 115 in response to the question "Do you want to change the setting to 'automatic approval'?" displayed in the instruction input box 112.

[0056] [4. Configuration of electrical equipment] As described above, in this embodiment, the electrical equipment 2 is, for example, a hot water storage type water heater installed outdoors of the house H. Referring to Figure 1, the electrical equipment 2 includes a heat pump unit 6, which is a heating device for heating water; a tank unit 8, which has a tank 7 for storing the high-temperature water heated by the heat pump unit 6; a control device 9; and a relay device 10. The electrical equipment 2 performs a heating operation to store the high-temperature water heated by the heat pump unit 6 in the tank 7 within the tank unit 8. The electrical equipment 2 also performs a bath filling operation to supply the high-temperature water stored in the tank 7 to the bathtub 11, and a hot water supply operation to supply the hot water to the water heater 12. The electrical equipment 2 also performs a reheating operation to heat the water stored in the bathtub 11.

[0057] The control device 9 controls each part of the electrical equipment 2 to perform the above-mentioned water heating and reheating operations. The control device 9 communicates with the management device 3 via the communication network NW using the relay device 10. The control device 9 also communicates with the remote control RC located inside the house H. The control device 9 receives operation instructions from the remote control RC and transmits information such as the operating status of the electrical equipment 2 to the remote control RC. User P, who is a resident of house H, uses the remote control RC to instruct the control device 9 of the electrical equipment 2 to operate and to obtain information from the control device 9.

[0058] The electrical equipment 2 can be operated automatically by the control device 9 according to an operating schedule that includes the scheduled operating time. The operating schedule may include, for example, the scheduled time for the heating operation performed using the heat pump unit 6, which is a heating device. The control device 9 will be described in more detail later.

[0059] Figure 4 shows the configuration of electrical equipment 2. The heat pump unit 6 of the electrical equipment 2 includes, for example, a compressor 50, a water-refrigerant heat exchanger 51, an expansion valve 52, and an air heat exchanger 53. These are connected in a ring by refrigerant piping 54 to form a heat pump cycle for circulating the refrigerant.

[0060] Tap water is supplied to the tank unit 8 from the water inlet 60. The tap water is supplied into the tank 7 from the tank water inlet 61 at the bottom of the tank 7.

[0061] During the heating operation, the control device 9 operates the heat pump unit 6. The control device 9 also operates the tank-side pump 62 of the tank unit 8 and switches the three-way valve 63 and the four-way valve 64 to circulate the hot water in the tank 7 between the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 51 and the tank 7 via the intake pipe 65, the three-way valve 63, the tank-side pump 62, the heat exchange pipe 66, the four-way valve 64, and the return pipe 67.

[0062] As a result, the hot water from the tank 7 flowing through the heat exchange piping 66 is heated in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 51 by the heat of the high-temperature refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant piping 54, and returns to the tank 7 as high-temperature water. The control device 9 detects the hot water temperature in the tank 7 using a hot water temperature sensor 55 installed in the tank 7, and continues the heating operation until the hot water temperature reaches the target hot water temperature. The target hot water temperature can be instructed to the control device 9 by operating the remote control RC.

[0063] The high-temperature water heated in tank 7 is then supplied to the bathtub 11 by a bath filling operation and to the water heater 12 by a hot water supply operation. The bath filling operation is started by an instruction from user P using remote control RC or by operating a switch (not shown) provided on the bathtub 11. The hot water supply operation is started by operating a switch (not shown) provided on the water heater 12.

[0064] During hot water supply operation, high-temperature water in the tank 7 is supplied to the water heater 12 (Figure 1) from the first outlet 68 through the general mixing valve 69 and the general hot water outlet 70. The general mixing valve 69 has the function of adjusting the mixing ratio of high-temperature water from the first outlet 68 and tap water from the water inlet 60 by changing the valve opening. The control device 9 detects the outlet temperature, which is the temperature of the hot water flowing out of the general hot water outlet 70, using the outlet temperature sensor 71, and controls the valve opening of the general mixing valve 69 so that the outlet temperature becomes the target outlet temperature. The target outlet temperature can be instructed to the control device 9 by operating the remote control RC or by operating a temperature regulator (not shown) provided on the water heater 12.

[0065] Furthermore, during the bath filling operation, the high-temperature water in the tank 7 is supplied to the bathtub 11 from the first outlet 68 through the bath mixing valve 72, the solenoid valve 73, and the bath supply piping 74. The bath mixing valve 72 has the function of adjusting the mixing ratio of the high-temperature water from the first outlet 68 and the tap water from the water supply outlet 60 by changing the degree of valve opening. The control device 9 detects the bath filling temperature, which is the temperature of the hot water flowing through the bath supply piping 74, using the bath filling temperature sensor 75, and controls the degree of valve opening of the bath mixing valve 72 so that the bath filling temperature becomes the target bath filling temperature. The target bath filling temperature can be instructed to the control device 9, for example, by remote control RC or by operating a temperature controller installed in the bathtub 11.

[0066] Furthermore, during the reheating operation, the control device 9 operates the tank-side pump 62 and switches the three-way valve 63 and the four-way valve 64 to circulate the high-temperature water from the tank 7 through the second outlet 76, the hot water introduction pipe 77, the three-way valve 63, the tank-side pump 62, the hot water return pipe 78, the four-way valve 64, and the return pipe 67 between the water-water heat exchanger 79 and the tank 7.

[0067] During the reheating operation, the control device 9 also operates the bathtub circulation pump 80 and closes the solenoid valve 73 to circulate the hot water stored in the bathtub 11 between the water-water heat exchanger 79 and the bathtub 11 via the bath return pipe 81 and the bath supply pipe 74. As a result, in the water-water heat exchanger 79, the hot water from the bathtub 11 is heated by the high-temperature water from the tank 7, and the hot water in the bathtub 11 is reheated. The target temperature of the water in the bathtub 11 during the reheating operation can be instructed to the control device 9, for example, by the remote control RC or by operating the temperature controller provided in the bathtub 11.

[0068] Figure 5 shows the configuration of the control device 9. The control device 9 controls the operation of electrical equipment 2 according to an operation plan that includes the scheduled operating time of electrical equipment 2. Specifically, the control device 9 controls the operation of electrical equipment 2 according to an operation plan that includes the scheduled time of the heating operation performed using the heat pump unit 6, which is a heating device.

[0069] The control device 9 is a computer comprising a processor 90 such as a CPU, memory 91, and a communication device 92. The communication device 92 includes a transceiver for communicating with the remote control RC and with the management device 3 via the relay device 10.

[0070] The memory 91 is composed of a magnetic memory device, a semiconductor memory element such as flash ROM, and / or other types of non-volatile memory devices. The memory 91 may also include RAM that constitutes the work area of ​​the processor 90.

[0071] The processor 90 includes a planning unit 94, a control unit 95, and an information provision unit 96 as functional elements or functional units. These functional elements of the processor 90 are realized, for example, by the processor 90 of the control device 9 (which is a computer) reading and executing a control program 93 stored in the memory 91. The control program 93 can be stored in any storage medium that is readable by a computer. Alternatively, all or part of the functional elements of the processor 90 can be configured by hardware, each including one or more electronic circuit components.

[0072] The planning unit 94 creates an operation plan that includes the scheduled operating time periods for the electrical equipment 2. For example, the planning unit 94 creates an operation plan that includes the scheduled time periods for the heating operation performed using the heat pump unit 6, which is a heating device.

[0073] Specifically, the planning unit 94 measures the amount of hot water consumed by user P for each time period of the day by the electrical equipment 2, which is a storage-type water heater, using a flow meter 82 (see Figure 4), and stores the measured amount of hot water consumed for each time period over the most recent predetermined period (for example, one month) as a hot water consumption history in the memory 91. Based on the stored hot water consumption history and the electricity charges for each time period of the day, the planning unit 94 creates an operation plan that includes the scheduled time periods for performing the heating operation. When the planning unit 94 has created an operation plan, it notifies the control unit 95 of the created operation plan.

[0074] The planning unit 94 also receives DR execution instructions from the management device 3 via the communication device 92 and the relay device 10, which instruct the planning unit 94 to take action in response to the DR implementation request. When the planning unit 94 receives a DR execution instruction, it modifies the operation plan to respond to the DR implementation request.

[0075] As described above, a DR execution instruction may include, for example, a time period in which the amount of electricity demand should be increased if the DR execution request includes an increase DR instruction, and a time period in which the amount of electricity demand should be decreased if the DR execution request includes a decrease DR instruction. When the planning unit 94 receives a DR execution instruction that includes a time period in which the amount of electricity demand should be increased, it modifies the operation plan to execute the water heating operation within that time period. Furthermore, when the received DR execution instruction includes a time period in which the amount of electricity demand should be decreased, and that time period overlaps with the scheduled time period in the operation plan for executing the water heating operation, the planning unit 94 modifies the operation plan so that the scheduled time period does not overlap with the time period in which the amount of electricity demand should be decreased. When the planning unit 94 changes the operation plan, it notifies the control unit 95 of the changed operation plan.

[0076] The control unit 95 controls the operation of the electrical equipment 2 according to the operation plan notified by the planning unit 94. Specifically, when the scheduled time for the heating operation indicated in the operation plan arrives, the control unit 95 controls the heat pump unit 6 and the tank unit 8 to start the heating operation, and stops the heating operation when the scheduled time has elapsed.

[0077] Furthermore, the planning unit 94, as described above, also modifies the operation plan to respond to the DR implementation request when the DR implementation request includes an upward DR instruction or a downward DR instruction for a time period that includes the current time. In this case as well, the control unit 95 controls the operation of the electrical equipment 2 according to the modified operation plan. That is, if the modified operation plan includes a scheduled time period for the water heating operation that starts from the current time, the control unit 95 immediately starts the water heating operation. Similarly, if the modified operation plan does not include a scheduled time period for the water heating operation that includes the current time, which was included in the operation plan before the modification, the control unit 95 immediately stops the water heating operation.

[0078] Furthermore, the control unit 95 performs a bath filling operation by supplying high-temperature water from the tank 7 to the bathtub 11 when it receives instructions from the user P using the remote control RC or when it operates a switch provided on the bathtub 11. Also, the control unit 95 performs a reheating operation to heat the water stored in the bathtub 11 when it receives instructions from the user P using the remote control RC or when it operates a switch provided on the bathtub 11. The control unit 95 also performs a hot water supply operation by supplying high-temperature water from the tank 7 to the water heater 12 when it receives an operation on a switch provided on the water heater 12.

[0079] When the information provision unit 96 receives a request for information provision from the management device 3, it transmits status information indicating the status of the electrical equipment 2 to the management device 3. The status information may include, for example, the current operation plan and information regarding the time and content of any changes to the operation plan based on the most recent DR execution instruction.

[0080] [5. Operation of the Power Control System] Next, the operation of the power control system 1 will be described. Figures 6, 7, and 8 are flowcharts illustrating the operating procedures of the management device 3, user terminal device 4, and electrical equipment 2, which constitute the power control system 1, respectively. In Figures 6, 7, and 8, the exchange of instructions and information between the management device 3, user terminal device 4, and electrical equipment 2 is indicated by dotted arrows, along with the step numbers in the flowchart diagrams for the destination or source of those instructions and information. The cooperative operation of the management device 3, user terminal device 4, and electrical equipment 2 shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8, as a whole, realizes the power control method in the power control system 1.

[0081] The processes shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8 start and are repeatedly executed when the power to the management device 3, user terminal device 4, and electrical equipment 2 is turned on, respectively. The repeated execution of the processes shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8 ends when the power to the management device 3, user terminal device 4, and electrical equipment 2 is turned off, respectively.

[0082] First, we will explain the operation procedure of the control device 3 shown in Figure 6. When processing begins, the request receiving unit 34 of the management device 3 first determines whether or not it has received a DR implementation request from the power company server 5 of the power company EC, which is the power supplier (S100). If it does not receive a DR implementation request (S100, NO), the request receiving unit 34 returns to step S100 and repeats the process, waiting to receive a DR implementation request.

[0083] On the other hand, when a DR implementation request is received from the power company server 5 (S100, YES), the inquiry unit 35 of the management device 3 sends an instruction request to the user terminal device 4 of user P of the electrical equipment 2, asking for instructions on whether or not to comply with the DR implementation request (S102). The transmitted instruction request is received by the user terminal device 4 in step S200 shown in Figure 7.

[0084] As described above, when the inquiry unit 35 sends an instruction request to the user terminal device 4, it may obtain status information indicating the status of the electrical equipment 2 from the electrical equipment 2 and send an information display instruction including the obtained status information to the user terminal device 4. The inquiry unit 35 can also send an information provision request to the electrical equipment 2 and obtain status information from the electrical equipment 2. The inquiry unit 35 may also include information on the content of the DR implementation request and / or incentives in the information display instruction, as described above. This allows the status information of the electrical equipment 2, the content of the DR implementation request, and / or incentive information to be displayed on the user terminal device 4.

[0085] Next, the inquiry unit 35 determines whether it has received an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user terminal device 4 within a first predetermined time T1 after sending the instruction request (S104). The acceptance or rejection instruction is sent from the user terminal device 4 in step S204 shown in Figure 7. Note that the timing for determining whether an acceptance instruction has been received in step S104 is not limited to within the first predetermined time T1 after sending the instruction request, but can be until a predetermined time has elapsed after sending the instruction request. For example, the predetermined time can be set to any time at which the operating schedule of the electrical equipment 2 can be changed. As an example, the predetermined time may be n hours before the start date and time of the period in which the adjustment of power demand indicated by the DR implementation request is required (for example, n=6), or 23:59 on the day before the start date and time indicated by the DR implementation request.

[0086] Then, if an acceptance / rejection instruction is received from the user terminal device 4 within the first predetermined time T1 (S104, YES), the inquiry unit 35 stores the received acceptance / rejection instruction in the memory 31 (S106). As a result, each time the process in Figure 6 is repeated, the history of acceptance / rejection instructions up to the present is stored in the memory 31.

[0087] The instruction unit 36 ​​of the management device 3 determines whether the acceptance / rejection instruction received by the inquiry unit 35 is an acceptance instruction instructing the DR implementation request to be fulfilled (S110). If the received acceptance / rejection instruction is an acceptance instruction (S110, YES), the instruction unit 36 ​​transmits a DR execution instruction to the electrical equipment 2 instructing it to perform the response to the DR implementation request (S112). The DR execution instruction is received by the electrical equipment 2 in step S302 of Figure 8.

[0088] Next, the granting unit 37 of the management device 3 grants user P an incentive for complying with the DR implementation request (S114). As described above, the incentive may be, for example, points with monetary value. For example, the granting unit 37 grants the points, which are the incentive, to an account of a point provider company that has been registered in advance for user P, in accordance with the prior art.

[0089] Next, the inquiry unit 35 calculates an acceptance rate (S116), which is the ratio of acceptance instructions to acceptance instructions in the most recent predetermined number of acceptance / rejection instructions, based on the history of acceptance / rejection instructions stored in the memory 31 in step S106. The inquiry unit 35 determines whether the calculated acceptance rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (S118). If the acceptance rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (S118, YES), the inquiry unit 35 determines whether the automatic decision instruction is set to automatic rejection (S120). If the automatic decision instruction is set to automatic rejection, the inquiry unit 35 sends an automatic decision setting request to the user terminal device 4 and causes the user terminal device 4 to display a message prompting it to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic acceptance (S122). The transmitted automatic decision setting request is received by the user terminal device 4 in step S208 of Figure 7.

[0090] Next, the inquiry unit 35 receives a user instruction from the user terminal device 4 regarding whether or not to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic permission (S124). The user instruction is transmitted from the user terminal device 4 in step S210 of Figure 7.

[0091] The inquiry unit 35, in accordance with the user instructions received above, either sets the automatic decision instruction to automatic approval or maintains the current automatic rejection setting (S126), and then terminates this process.

[0092] On the other hand, in step S110, if the acceptance / rejection instruction received by the inquiry unit 35 is not an acceptance instruction (S110, NO), in step S118, if the acceptance rate is less than a predetermined value (S118, NO), and in step S120, if the automatic judgment instruction is not set to automatic rejection (S120), this process is terminated.

[0093] On the other hand, if in step S104 an acceptance or rejection instruction is not received from the user terminal device 4 within a first predetermined time T1 after sending the instruction request (S104, NO), the inquiry unit 35 determines whether the automatic decision instruction is set to automatic acceptance (S108). If the automatic decision instruction is set to automatic acceptance (S108, YES), the inquiry unit 35 moves the process to step S112. On the other hand, if the automatic decision instruction is set to automatic rejection (S108, NO), the inquiry unit 35 terminates this process.

[0094] Next, the processing procedure in the user terminal device 4 will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 7. When processing begins, the response instruction acquisition unit 46 of the user terminal device 4 determines whether or not it has received an instruction request from the management device 3 asking for instructions on whether or not to comply with the DR implementation request (S200). The instruction request is transmitted from the management device 3 in step S102 of Figure 6.

[0095] If the response instruction acquisition unit 46 does not receive an instruction request from the management device 3 (S200, NO), it returns to step S200 and repeats the process, waiting to receive an instruction request from the management device 3. On the other hand, if it does receive an instruction request from the management device 3 (S200, YES), the response instruction acquisition unit 46 displays an instruction acquisition screen on the display device 43 for user P to input an acceptance or rejection instruction, and waits for user P to input an acceptance or rejection instruction. When user P inputs an acceptance or rejection instruction, the response instruction acquisition unit 46 acquires the input acceptance or rejection instruction.

[0096] The response instruction acquisition unit 46 displays the instruction acquisition screen on the display device 43, and then determines in step S200 whether or not an acceptance / rejection instruction has been obtained from the user P within a second predetermined time T2 after receiving the instruction request (S202). The second predetermined time T2 can be slightly shorter than the first predetermined time T1 in step S104 of Figure 6.

[0097] If the response instruction acquisition unit 46 acquires an acceptance or rejection instruction from user P within a second predetermined time T2 after receiving an instruction request (S202, YES), it transmits the acquired acceptance or rejection instruction to the management device 3 (S204). The transmitted acceptance or rejection instruction is received by the management device 3 in step S104 of Figure 6.

[0098] Subsequently, the decision instruction acquisition unit 47 waits for a predetermined third predetermined time T3 from the transmission of the acceptance / rejection instruction in step S204 to receive an automatic decision setting request from the management device 3 (S206). The automatic decision setting request is transmitted from the management device 3 in step S122 in Figure 6. The above third predetermined time can be the length of time obtained by adding a predetermined buffer time to the time required for the management device 3 from receiving the acceptance / rejection instruction in step S104 in Figure 6 to transmitting the automatic decision setting request in step S122.

[0099] Then, if an automatic decision setting request is received from the management device 3 within the third predetermined time T3 (S208, YES), the decision instruction acquisition unit 47 displays an automatic decision setting screen on the display device 43, which includes a message prompting the user to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic permission. The decision instruction acquisition unit 47 receives a user instruction from the user P via the input device 44 on the automatic decision setting screen, indicating whether or not to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic permission. The decision instruction acquisition unit 47 acquires the input user instruction and transmits it to the management device 3 (S210), after which this process ends. The transmitted user instruction is received by the management device 3 in step S124 of Figure 6.

[0100] On the other hand, in step S202, if no acceptance or rejection instruction is received from user P even after a second predetermined time T2 has elapsed since receiving the instruction request (S202, NO), the response instruction acquisition unit 46 terminates this process. Also, on the other hand, in step S208, if no automatic decision setting request is received within a third predetermined time T3 since sending the acceptance or rejection instruction (S208, NO), the decision instruction acquisition unit 47 terminates this process.

[0101] Next, the processing procedure in electrical equipment 2 will be described. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device 9 of electrical equipment 2, in particular, the processing procedure in the planning unit 94. Other functional elements of the control device 9 of electrical equipment 2 perform their respective processes in parallel with the processing in Figure 8. For example, the control unit 95 performs the boiling operation, as well as the hot water supply operation, the bath filling operation, and the boiling operation, in parallel with the processing shown in Figure 8, based on the operation plan created and modified in the processing in Figure 8. In addition, when the information provision unit 96 of the control device 9 receives an information provision request sent by the management device 3 before sending the instruction request in step S102 of Figure 6, it transmits status information indicating the status of electrical equipment 2 to the management device 3.

[0102] When the process shown in Figure 8 is started, the planning unit 94 of the electrical equipment 2 first creates an operation plan that includes the scheduled time period for the operation of the electrical equipment 2 (S300). For example, the planning unit 94 creates an operation plan that includes the scheduled time period for performing the heating operation, based on the hot water consumption history for the most recent predetermined period. The control unit 95 of the electrical equipment 2 then performs the heating operation in accordance with the operation plan created above, during the scheduled time period indicated in the operation plan.

[0103] Next, the planning unit 94 determines whether or not it has received a DR execution instruction from the management device 3, which instructs it to take action in response to the DR implementation request (S302). If it does not receive a DR execution instruction (S302, NO), the planning unit 94 returns to step S302 and repeats the process, waiting to receive a DR execution instruction from the management device 3. The above DR execution instruction is transmitted from the management device 3 in step S112 of Figure 6.

[0104] On the other hand, when a DR execution instruction is received from the management device 3 (S302, YES), the planning unit 94 modifies the operation plan created in step S300 to respond to the DR execution request indicated by the received execution instruction (S304). The control unit 95 of the electrical equipment 2 performs the water heating operation in accordance with the modified operation plan, during the scheduled time period indicated by the modified operation plan.

[0105] Next, the planning unit 94 determines whether the DR implementation period, i.e., the period during which power demand should be adjusted, as indicated in the received DR execution instruction, has ended (S306). If the DR implementation period has not ended (S306, NO), the planning unit 94 returns to step S306 and repeats the process, waiting for the DR implementation period to end. On the other hand, if the DR implementation period has ended (S306, NO), the planning unit 94 terminates this process. After the termination of this process, unless the power to the electrical equipment 2 is turned off, the planning unit 94 repeats this process again from step S300. As a result, a new operation plan is created in step S300.

[0106] [6. Effects, etc.] As described above, the power control system 1 of this embodiment includes electrical equipment 2 used by a power consumer, a management device 3, and a user terminal device 4 used by user P, who is a power consumer. The management device 3 receives a DR implementation request from the power company EC, which is the power supplier, regarding the adjustment of power demand, and manages the adjustment of power demand by user P who uses the electrical equipment 2. When the management device 3 receives a DR implementation request from the power company EC from the power company server 5, it sends an instruction request to the user terminal device 4 to ask whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request, and receives an acceptance or rejection instruction from user P regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request via the user terminal device 4. This allows user P to choose whether or not to respond to DR implementation requests in electrical equipment 2, thereby increasing user P's acceptance of responding to DR implementation requests. As a result, the convenience of the power control system 1 is improved, and the psychological burden on user P to participate in DR implementation is reduced, thereby promoting the stabilization of the power supply and demand balance.

[0107] When the management device 3 sends an instruction request to the user terminal device 4, it may obtain status information indicating the status of the electrical equipment 2 from the electrical equipment 2 and display the status information on the user terminal device 4. This allows user P to better understand the current status of electrical equipment 2 based on the status information displayed on user terminal device 4 and make a more appropriate decision on whether or not to comply with the DR implementation request, thereby improving the convenience of the power control system 1.

[0108] Furthermore, when the management device 3 sends an instruction request to the user terminal device 4, it may also display the contents of the received DR implementation request on the user terminal device 4. According to this, user P can understand the content of the DR implementation request and make a more appropriate decision on whether to accept or reject the DR implementation request, thus further improving the convenience of the power control system 1.

[0109] The management device 3 may also send a DR execution instruction to the electrical equipment 2 instructing it to perform the action in response to the DR execution request if the acceptance / rejection instruction received from the user terminal device 4 is an acceptance instruction indicating that the received DR execution request will be met. According to this, with permission from user P, the management device 3 can directly instruct the electrical equipment 2 to respond to the DR implementation request, thus ensuring that the electrical equipment 2 reliably performs the action to respond to the DR implementation request.

[0110] Electrical equipment 2 may operate automatically according to an operating plan that includes the scheduled operating time. When electrical equipment 2 receives a DR execution instruction, it modifies its operating plan to respond to the DR execution request. According to this, electrical equipment 2 can also respond to demand response (DR) requests that require adjustments to power demand for future times.

[0111] The electrical equipment 2 may be a hot water supply system that stores hot water in the tank 7. According to this, in a hot water storage type hot water supply system that performs a heating operation to store hot water in tank 7 based on an operational plan, it is possible to respond to a DR implementation request with the permission of user P.

[0112] If the acceptance / rejection instruction received from the user terminal device 4 is an acceptance instruction that complies with the DR implementation request, the management device 3 may provide an incentive to user P. According to this, the frequency with which user P accepts DR implementation requests may increase, thus further suppressing the temporal changes in the power supply and demand balance at the power supplier.

[0113] When the management device 3 sends an instruction request to the user terminal device 4, it may also display information on the user terminal device 4 about the incentive that will be given to user P if user P complies with the DR implementation request. This allows user P to see the incentives that may be granted if they approve a DR request before deciding whether to accept or reject it, potentially increasing the frequency with which user P accepts DR requests. As a result, it becomes possible to further suppress temporal changes in the power supply and demand balance at the power source.

[0114] If the management device 3 does not receive an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user terminal device 4 within a predetermined time after sending the instruction request, it may determine that the DR implementation request has been accepted or rejected by user P, depending on whether the automatic decision instruction set in the management device 3 is for automatic acceptance or automatic rejection. According to this, by pre-setting automatic decision instructions, user P no longer needs to manually input acceptance or rejection instructions into the user terminal device 4, thus improving the convenience of the power control system 1.

[0115] Each time the management device 3 receives an acceptance / rejection instruction from the user terminal device 4, it stores the received instruction and, based on the history of acceptance / rejection instructions up to the present indicated by the stored instruction, displays a message on the user terminal device 4 prompting user P to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic acceptance. According to this, for example, even if user P initially has resistance to accepting DR implementation requests and has set the automatic decision instruction to automatic rejection, when the frequency of acceptance of DR implementation requests based on acceptance / rejection instructions from user P increases, user P will be prompted to change the setting to automatic acceptance, thereby improving the convenience of the power control system 1. Furthermore, as a result of being prompted to change the setting, the likelihood of the automatic decision instruction being set to automatic acceptance increases, and the likelihood of the electrical equipment 2 automatically executing a response operation to DR implementation requests increases, making it possible to suppress changes in the power supply and demand balance at the power source more quickly.

[0116] Furthermore, the power control system 1 of the embodiment executes a power control method. The power control method includes the management device 3 sending an instruction request to the user terminal device 4 when it receives a DR implementation request from the power company EC, which is the power supplier, from the power company server 5, requesting instructions on whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request, and receiving an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user P regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request via the user terminal device 4. This allows user P to choose whether or not to respond to DR implementation requests in electrical equipment 2, thereby increasing user P's acceptance of responding to DR implementation requests. As a result, the convenience of the power control system 1 is improved, and the psychological burden on user P to participate in DR implementation is reduced, thereby promoting the stabilization of the power supply and demand balance.

[0117] The management device 3 executes the management program 33. The management program 33 causes the management device 3 to function as a request receiving unit 34 and an inquiry unit 35. The request receiving unit 34 receives a DR implementation request from the power company EC, which is the power supplier, from the power company server 5. When the inquiry unit 35 receives a DR implementation request, it sends an instruction request to the user terminal device 4 of the user P, who is a power consumer, to ask for instructions on whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request, and receives an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request via the user terminal device. According to this, a management device 3 can be realized that can instruct electrical equipment 2 to respond to DR implementation requests with the permission of user P.

[0118] (Other embodiments) The following are examples of other embodiments.

[0119] In the embodiment described above, the management device 3 is a server device operated by an intermediary business that acts as an intermediary between the power company EC and the power consumer PC. Alternatively, the management device 3 may be a device operated by the power company EC. For example, the management device 3 may be part of the power company server 5, or the functions of the management device 3 may be implemented as part of the functions of the power company server 5.

[0120] In the embodiment described above, the user terminal device 4 is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone. Alternatively, the user terminal device 4 may be a remote control RC used for setting the operation of the electrical equipment 2 and acquiring operation information.

[0121] In the embodiment described above, the management device 3 is responsible for sending a DR execution instruction to the electrical equipment 2, which instructs the electrical equipment 2 to perform the action in response to the DR implementation request. Alternatively, the user terminal device 4 may notify the management device 3 of the permission instruction and simultaneously send a DR execution instruction to the electrical equipment 2.

[0122] Furthermore, the user terminal device 4 may notify the management device 3 of the authorization instruction and also notify the electrical equipment 2 of the authorization instruction. When the electrical equipment 2 receives a DR execution instruction from the management device 3 and also receives a notification of the authorization instruction from the user terminal device 4, it may change its operating plan.

[0123] In the embodiment described above, the management device 3 sends a DR execution instruction to the electrical equipment 2 in response to receiving a permission instruction from the user terminal device 4, and then provides an incentive to user P. Alternatively, the management device 3 may, after sending a DR execution instruction to the electrical equipment 2, acquire status information from the electrical equipment 2, confirm that the operation plan has been changed to respond to the DR implementation request, and then provide an incentive to user P.

[0124] In the embodiment described above, it is assumed that there is one electrical device 2 whose operational plan is changed in response to the DR implementation request. However, the electrical device 2 is not limited to this and may be multiple devices. The user terminal device 4 may send an acceptance / rejection instruction for each electrical device 2 to the management device 3. The management device 3 may send a DR execution request to the electrical device 2 for which an acceptance instruction has been selected.

[0125] In the embodiment described above, the electrical equipment 2 is assumed to be a storage-type hot water supply system. The storage-type hot water supply system is just one example of an electrical equipment 2 that operates according to an operating plan, and the electrical equipment 2 can be any electrical equipment that can operate based on an operating plan. For example, the electrical equipment 2 may be a battery charging device for an on-board battery or the like that performs charging operations according to an operating plan.

[0126] Furthermore, the operating plan for electrical equipment 2 may include not only the scheduled time period from the start to the end of operation, but also the scheduled time periods for increasing or decreasing the power demand of electrical equipment 2, and the specified power demand for each of these scheduled time periods.

[0127] As described above, embodiments have been explained as examples of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments and can be applied to embodiments that have been modified, replaced, added, or omitted. Furthermore, it is possible to combine the elements described in the above embodiments to create new embodiments. Since the embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes of the technology described herein, various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc., can be made within the claims or their equivalents.

[0128] (Note) Based on the above description of embodiments, the following technologies are disclosed.

[0129] (Technology 1) A power control system comprising: electrical equipment used by a power consumer; a management device that receives a DR implementation request from a power supplier regarding the adjustment of the amount of power demand and manages the adjustment of the amount of power demand by the power consumer using the electrical equipment; and a user terminal device used by the user who is the power consumer, wherein when the management device receives the DR implementation request from the power supplier, it transmits an instruction request to the user terminal device to ask whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request, and receives an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request via the user terminal device. According to this, users can choose whether or not to respond to DR implementation requests for electrical equipment, which increases user satisfaction with responding to DR implementation requests, improves the convenience of the power control system, and reduces the psychological burden on users to participate in DR implementation, thereby promoting the stabilization of the power supply and demand balance.

[0130] (Technical 2) The power control system according to Technical 1, wherein the management device, when transmitting the instruction request to the user terminal device, acquires status information indicating the status of the electrical equipment from the electrical equipment and displays the status information on the user terminal device. According to this, users can better understand the current status of electrical equipment based on the status information displayed on their user terminal device and make a more appropriate decision on whether or not to comply with a demand response (DR) request, thus improving the convenience of the power control system.

[0131] (Technology 3) The power control system according to Technology 1 or 2, wherein the management device displays the contents of the received DR implementation request on the user terminal device when transmitting the instruction request to the user terminal device. According to this, users can understand the content of the DR implementation request and make a more appropriate decision on whether to accept or reject the request, thus further improving the convenience of the power control system.

[0132] (Technology 4) The power control system according to any one of Techniques 1 to 3, wherein the management device transmits a DR execution instruction to the electrical equipment to perform the action in response to the DR execution request when the acceptance / rejection instruction received from the user terminal device is an acceptance instruction indicating that the received DR execution request will be met. According to this, with the user's permission, the management device can directly instruct the electrical equipment to respond to the DR implementation request, thus ensuring that the electrical equipment reliably performs the action required to respond to the DR implementation request.

[0133] (Technology 5) The power control system according to Technology 4, wherein the electrical equipment operates automatically according to an operating schedule that includes the scheduled operating time period, and when it receives the DR execution instruction, it changes the operating schedule to respond to the DR execution request. According to this, electrical equipment can also respond to demand response (DR) requests that require adjustments to power demand at future times.

[0134] (Technical 6) The electrical equipment is a hot water supply system with a storage tank that stores hot water, as described in Technical 5. According to this, in a hot water supply system that stores hot water in a tank and performs the heating operation based on an operational plan, it is possible to respond to DR (Design Response) requests with the user's permission.

[0135] (Technical 7) The power control system according to any one of Technical 1 to 6, wherein the management device provides an incentive to the user when the acceptance / rejection instruction received from the user terminal device is an acceptance instruction to respond to the received DR implementation request. According to this, users may accept DR requests more frequently, which can further suppress temporal changes in the power supply and demand balance at the power supplier.

[0136] (Technical 8) The power control system according to Technical 7, wherein the management device, when transmitting the instruction request to the user terminal device, causes the user terminal device to display information on the user terminal device regarding the incentive to be given to the user when the DR implementation request is met. According to this, users can see the incentives they may receive if they approve a DR request before deciding whether to accept or reject it, which may increase the frequency with which users accept DR requests. As a result, it may be possible to further suppress changes in the power supply and demand balance at the power source over time.

[0137] (Technical 9) The power control system according to any one of Technical 1 to 8, wherein if the management device does not receive the acceptance / rejection instruction from the user terminal device within a predetermined time after transmitting the instruction request, the management device determines that the received DR implementation request has been accepted or rejected by the user, according to whether the automatic judgment instruction set in the management device is for automatic acceptance or automatic rejection. According to this, by pre-setting automatic decision instructions, users will no longer need to manually input acceptance or rejection instructions into their user terminal devices, thus improving the convenience of the power control system.

[0138] (Technical 10) The power control system according to Technical 9, wherein the management device stores the received accept / reject instruction each time it receives the accept / reject instruction from the user terminal device, and displays a message on the user terminal device prompting the user to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic approval based on the history of accept / reject instructions up to the present indicated by the stored accept / reject instructions. According to this, even users who initially have resistance to accepting DR implementation requests and have set the automatic decision instruction to automatic rejection will be prompted to change the setting to automatic acceptance when the frequency of accepting DR implementation requests via acceptance / rejection instructions increases, thereby improving the convenience of the power control system. Furthermore, as a result of being prompted to change the setting, the likelihood of the automatic decision instruction being set to automatic acceptance increases, and the likelihood of electrical equipment automatically executing actions in response to DR implementation requests increases, making it possible to suppress changes in the power supply and demand balance over time more quickly at the power supplier.

[0139] (Technical 11) A power control method executed by a power control system including electrical equipment used by a power consumer, a management device that receives a DR implementation request from a power supplier regarding the adjustment of the amount of electricity demand and manages the adjustment of the amount of electricity demand at the power consumer using the electrical equipment, and a user terminal device used by the user who is the power consumer, the power control method comprising: when the management device receives the DR implementation request from the power supplier, it transmits an instruction request to the user terminal device asking for an instruction on whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request; and it receives an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request via the user terminal device. According to this, it produces the same effect as Technique 1.

[0140] (Technical 12) A management program executed by a management device that receives a DR implementation request from a power supplier regarding the adjustment of electricity demand and manages the adjustment of electricity demand at electricity consumers using electrical equipment, wherein the management device functions as a request receiving unit that receives the DR implementation request from the power supplier, and an inquiry unit that, upon receiving the DR implementation request, sends an instruction request to the user terminal device of the user, which is the electricity consumer, requesting an instruction on whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request, and receives an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request via the user terminal device. According to this, it is possible to realize a management device that can instruct electrical equipment to respond to DR implementation requests with the user's permission. [Industrial applicability]

[0141] The power control system, power control method, and management program relating to this disclosure can be suitably used as a power control system, a power control method, and a management program executed by a management device constituting the power control system, which allow the user to select whether or not to respond to demand response (DR) requests regarding the adjustment of the power demand of electrical equipment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0142] 1. Power control system 2. Electrical equipment 3 Management device 4. User terminal device 5. Power company servers 6. Heat pump unit 7 tanks 8 Tank Units 9 Control device 10. Relay device 11 Bathtub 12 Water heaters 30, 40, 90 processors 31, 41, 91 memory 32, 42, 92 Communication equipment 33 Management Programs 34 Request Receiving Unit 35. Inquiry Department 36 Instruction section 37 Granting section 43 Display device 44 Input devices 45 Terminal Programs 46 Response instruction acquisition unit 47 Judgment instruction acquisition unit 50 Compressors 51 Water-refrigerant heat exchanger 52 Expansion valve 53 Air heat exchanger 54 Refrigerant piping 55 Hot water storage temperature sensor 60 Water inlet 61 Tank water inlet 62 Tank-side pump 63 Three-way valve 64 Four-way valve 65 Water intake piping 66 Heat exchange piping 67 Return piping 68 First hot water outlet 69 General mixing valve 70 General hot water inlet 71 Hot water temperature sensor 72 Bath Mixing Valve 73 Solenoid valve 74. Bath supply piping 75. Bathtub temperature sensor 76 Second hot water outlet 77 Hot water inlet piping 78 Hot water return piping 79 Water-water heat exchanger 80 Bathtub circulation pump 81 Bath return piping 82 Flow meter 93 Control Program 94 Planning Department 95 Control Unit 96 Information Provision Department CB building EC power companies H house NW (Network Communication Network) P User PC electricity consumer PG power grid PP power plant RC remote control

Claims

1. Electrical equipment used by electricity consumers, A management device that receives a demand response (DR) request from a power supplier regarding the adjustment of electricity demand and manages the adjustment of electricity demand at the electricity consumer using the electrical equipment, The user terminal device used by the aforementioned electricity consumer user, Includes, When the management device receives the DR implementation request from the power supplier, A request for instructions is sent to the user terminal device asking whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request. The system receives, via the user terminal device, an instruction from the user regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request. Power control system.

2. When the management device transmits the instruction request to the user terminal device, it obtains status information indicating the status of the electrical equipment from the electrical equipment and displays the status information on the user terminal device. The power control system according to claim 1.

3. When the management device transmits the instruction request to the user terminal device, it displays the contents of the received DR implementation request on the user terminal device. The power control system according to claim 1.

4. When the acceptance / rejection instruction received from the user terminal device is an acceptance instruction indicating that the received DR implementation request will be granted, the management device transmits a DR execution instruction to the electrical equipment instructing it to perform the response to the DR implementation request. The power control system according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned electrical equipment is It operates automatically according to the operational plan, which includes the scheduled operating hours. When the aforementioned DR execution instruction is received, the operation plan is modified to comply with the aforementioned DR implementation request. The power control system according to claim 4.

6. The aforementioned electrical equipment is a hot water supply system that stores hot water in a tank. The power control system according to claim 5.

7. The management device provides an incentive to the user when the acceptance / rejection instruction received from the user terminal device is an acceptance instruction to comply with the received DR implementation request. The power control system according to claim 1.

8. When the management device transmits the instruction request to the user terminal device, it displays information on the user terminal device regarding the incentive to be given to the user if they comply with the DR implementation request. The power control system according to claim 7.

9. If the management device does not receive an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user terminal device within a predetermined time after transmitting the instruction request, it determines that the received DR implementation request has been accepted or rejected by the user, according to whether the automatic decision instruction set in the management device is for automatic acceptance or automatic rejection. A power control system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The aforementioned control device is Each time the user terminal device receives the acceptance / rejection instruction, the received acceptance / rejection instruction is stored. Based on the history of the previously stored acceptance / rejection instructions, the user terminal device is instructed to display a message prompting the user to set the automatic decision instruction to automatic approval. The power control system according to claim 9.

11. Electrical equipment used by electricity consumers, A management device that receives a demand response (DR) request from a power supplier regarding the adjustment of electricity demand and manages the adjustment of electricity demand at the electricity consumer using the electrical equipment, The user terminal device used by the aforementioned electricity consumer user, A power control method in which a power control system including the following is performed: When the management device receives the DR implementation request from the power supplier, Sending a request for instructions to the user terminal device to ask whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request, The user's approval or rejection of the received DR implementation request is received via the user terminal device. including, Power control method.

12. A management program executed by a control device that receives a demand response (DR) request from a power supplier regarding the adjustment of electricity demand and manages the adjustment of electricity demand at electricity consumers using electrical equipment, The aforementioned control device, A request receiving unit that receives the DR implementation request from the power supply source, and An inquiry unit, upon receiving the aforementioned DR implementation request, executes the following: sending an instruction request to the user terminal device of the user, who is the power consumer, to ask whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request; and receiving an acceptance or rejection instruction from the user regarding whether or not to comply with the received DR implementation request via the user terminal device. To make it function as Management program.

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