Hot water supply system, hot water supply method, and program

Abstract

This hot water supply system (10) comprises: a first hot water supply device (27); a second hot water supply device (26) having a lower hot water discharge pressure than the first hot water supply device (27); a solenoid valve (29) for controlling the supply of hot water from the first hot water supply device (27); a plurality of required hot water amount measurement units (28d) provided to each of a plurality of residences (51); an acquisition unit for acquiring, from each of the plurality of required hot water amount measurement units (28d), first information indicating the amount of hot water required in the corresponding residence, second information indicating the amount of hot water that can be supplied by each of the first hot water supply device (27) and the second hot water supply device (26), and third information indicating the amount of electrical power exchanged between the plurality of residences (51) and the outside of the plurality of residences (51); and a control unit (255) that controls the solenoid valve (29) on the basis of the acquired first information, second information, and third information.

Description

Hot water supply system, hot water supply method, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a hot water supply system, a hot water supply method, and a program.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for controlling hot water supply from a storage-type water heater installed in a house to a unit bathroom, a kitchen, etc. in the house.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-034819

[0004] By the way, among the storage-type water heaters installed in houses, there are electric water heaters that boil water using electricity and gas water heaters that boil water simultaneously with power generation. When electric water heaters and gas water heaters are used in combination in a plurality of houses, since the electric water heater uses electricity when boiling water, it is necessary to purchase electricity for hot water supply.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a hot water supply system, a hot water supply method, and a program that can suppress the purchase of electricity during hot water supply when electric water heaters and gas water heaters are used in combination in a plurality of households.

[0006] A hot water supply system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a first hot water supply device, a second hot water supply device having a lower hot water outlet pressure than the first hot water supply device, a solenoid valve for controlling the hot water supply from the first hot water supply device, a plurality of required hot water volume measurement units provided in each of a plurality of households, first information indicating the amount of hot water required in the corresponding household from each of the plurality of required hot water volume measurement units, second information indicating the amount of hot water that can be supplied by each of the first hot water supply device and the second hot water supply device, and acquisition means for acquiring third information indicating the amount of electric power exchanged between the plurality of households and the outside of the plurality of households, and a control unit for controlling the solenoid valve based on the acquired first information, second information, and third information.

[0007] A hot water supply method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a hot water supply method performed by a computer, which includes an acquisition step of acquiring first information indicating the amount of hot water required in a corresponding dwelling unit from a plurality of hot water quantity measuring units provided in each of a plurality of dwelling units, second information indicating the amount of hot water that can be supplied by a first hot water supply device and a second hot water supply device having a lower hot water outlet pressure than the first hot water supply device, and third information indicating the amount of electricity exchanged between the plurality of dwelling units and the outside of the plurality of dwelling units, and a control step of controlling a solenoid valve for controlling the hot water supply from the first hot water supply device based on the acquired first information, second information and third information.

[0008] Furthermore, this disclosure can be implemented not only as the hot water supply method described above, but also as a program that causes a computer to execute the hot water supply method. Moreover, it can also be implemented as a computer-readable recording medium storing that program.

[0009] The hot water supply system, hot water supply method, and program described herein can reduce the amount of electricity purchased for hot water supply when electric and gas water heaters are used in combination in multiple dwelling units.

[0010] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a hot water supply system according to an embodiment. Figure 2A is a schematic diagram showing the flow of hot water when the first hot water supply device (high output pressure) according to the embodiment supplies hot water. Figure 2B is a schematic diagram showing the flow of hot water when the second hot water supply device (low output pressure) according to the embodiment supplies hot water. Figure 3 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the hot water supply system according to the embodiment. Figure 4A is a flowchart explaining the operation of an electric water heater to generate hot water. Figure 4B is a flowchart explaining the operation of a gas water heater to generate hot water. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of piping in a dwelling according to an embodiment.

[0011] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement and connection configurations of components, steps, and the order of steps shown in the following embodiments are examples only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. Furthermore, components in the following embodiments that are not described in an independent claim will be described as optional components.

[0012] Please note that each figure is a schematic diagram and not necessarily a strictly accurate representation. Furthermore, in each figure, substantially identical components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations may be omitted or simplified.

[0013] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," etc., in this disclosure do not refer to the number or order of components, etc., but are used for the purpose of avoiding confusion and distinguishing similar components, etc.

[0014] (Embodiment) [Configuration] First, the configuration of the hot water supply system according to the embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the hot water supply system 10 according to the embodiment. In Figure 1, thick lines indicate the power supply path, and dashed lines indicate the communication path.

[0015] The hot water supply system 10 is a system that can reduce the amount of electricity purchased for hot water supply when electric water heaters 26 and gas water heaters 27 are used in combination in multiple dwelling units 51 (private areas) included in the apartment building 50. In the apartment building 50, the electric water heaters 26 and gas water heaters 27 are not installed in each of the multiple dwelling units 51, but are shared by multiple dwelling units 51 (multiple residents). In other words, the hot water heated by the electric water heaters 26 and gas water heaters 27 is distributed to multiple dwelling units 51.

[0016] A dwelling unit 51 is, for example, one of several private units included in a multi-unit dwelling 50 such as a condominium or apartment building, but it may be all of the dwelling units 51 included in the multi-unit dwelling 50, or it may be several dwelling units 51 included on one floor of the multi-unit dwelling 50.

[0017] When the hot water heated by the electric water heater 26 and the gas water heater 27 is distributed to multiple dwelling units 51 in this manner, the hot water supply system 10 can reduce the total electricity purchase for all multiple dwelling units 51 by appropriately controlling the hot water supply and hot water generation for the electric water heater 26 and the gas water heater 27.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the hot water supply system 10 includes a solar power generation system 21, a power conditioner 22, a distribution board 23, a power storage system 24, an EMS (Energy Management System) controller 25, an electric water heater 26, a gas water heater 27, an electric meter 28a, multiple water meters 28b, a gas meter 28c, multiple hot water volume meters 28d, and a solenoid valve 29. In Figure 1, the grid power supply 70 is also shown. Each component of the hot water supply system 10 is installed in the apartment building 50.

[0019] In the example shown in Figure 1, the hot water supply system 10 is equipped with one electric water heater 26 and one gas water heater 27, but it may be equipped with two or more electric water heaters 26 or two or more gas water heaters 27. The hot water supply system 10 only needs to be equipped with a group of water heaters that includes one or more electric water heaters 26 and one or more gas water heaters 27. Note that the total number of water heaters included in the group of water heaters is less than, for example, the total number of dwelling units 51 included in the apartment building 50.

[0020] The following describes each component of the hot water supply system 10. The solar power generation system 21 is a power generation system that generates electricity by converting sunlight into electrical energy. The electricity generated by the solar power generation system 21 is output to the power conditioner 22. Specifically, the solar power generation system 21 is realized by PV (Photovoltaic) panels, etc.

[0021] The power conditioner 22 is a power conversion device that converts DC power generated by the solar power generation system 21 into AC power, and is sometimes called a PCS (Power Conditioning System). The power conditioner 22 is implemented by power conversion circuits such as a DC-DC converter and a DC-AC converter. The power conditioner 22 measures the power generated by the solar power generation system 21 and transmits power generation information indicating the measured power to the EMS controller 25. The power conditioner 22 also supplies the power generated by the solar power generation system 21 or the discharge power of the energy storage system 24 to the electric water heater 26 and the gas water heater 27 via the distribution board 23. The power conditioner 22 may also be a V2X (Vehicle to X) system that can charge and discharge the secondary battery of an electric vehicle.

[0022] The distribution board 23 is a device that distributes the power supplied from the grid power supply 70, the power generated by the solar power generation system 21, the power discharged by the energy storage system 24, and the power generated by the gas water heater 27 to the electric water heater 26 and the gas water heater 27.

[0023] The energy storage system 24 is a system that functions as a power source in the apartment building 50. The energy storage system 24 is realized by a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery, a charging circuit for charging the secondary battery, and a discharge circuit for discharging the secondary battery. The secondary battery is charged by the power generated by the solar power generation system 21. The DC power discharged by the energy storage system 24 is converted into AC power by the power conditioner 22 and supplied to the electric water heater 26 and the gas water heater 27 via the distribution board 23.

[0024] The EMS controller 25 is an information terminal with energy management functions. The EMS controller 25 can control the supply of hot water to multiple dwelling units 51. Specifically, the EMS controller 25 can communicate with multiple hot water meters 28d and multiple solenoid valves 29, and adjusts the amount of hot water supplied to the multiple dwelling units 51 from the electric water heater 26 and gas water heater 27 by controlling the multiple solenoid valves 29 according to the hot water demand in the multiple dwelling units 51. Specifically, the EMS controller 25 comprises a communication unit 251, an information processing unit 252, and a storage unit 253.

[0025] The communication unit 251 is a communication circuit for the EMS controller 25 to communicate with the power conditioner 22, the electric meter 28a, the multiple water meters 28b, the gas meter 28c, and the multiple hot water meters 28d, as well as the electric water heater 26, the gas water heater 27, and the solenoid valve 29. The communication unit 251 may be a wired communication circuit for wired communication or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication.

[0026] The information processing unit 252 performs information processing to reduce electricity purchases when supplying hot water. The information processing unit 252 is implemented by, for example, a microcomputer, but may also be implemented by a processor. The information processing unit 252 includes, as functional components, an acquisition unit 254, a control unit 255, a determination unit 256, and a calculation unit 257. The functions of the acquisition unit 254, the control unit 255, the determination unit 256, and the calculation unit 257 are realized, for example, by the microcomputer or processor constituting the information processing unit 252 executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 253.

[0027] The acquisition unit 254 acquires the first information, the second information, and the third information.

[0028] The first piece of information is information indicating the amount of hot water required for each of the multiple dwelling units 51. The acquisition unit 254 acquires the first piece of information for the corresponding dwelling unit 51 from each of the multiple hot water meters 28d.

[0029] The second piece of information indicates the amount of hot water that can be supplied by the gas water heater 27 and the electric water heater 26, respectively. Specifically, the second piece of information indicates the amount of hot water stored in the tanks provided by the gas water heater 27 and the electric water heater 26, respectively. The acquisition unit 254 acquires the second piece of information from the gas water heater 27 and the electric water heater 26, respectively.

[0030] The third piece of information is information indicating the amount of electricity exchanged between multiple dwelling units 51 and the outside of those dwelling units 51. The acquisition unit 254 acquires the third piece of information, for example, from an electric meter 28a.

[0031] Based on the first information, second information, and third information acquired by the acquisition unit 254, the control unit 255 causes the EMS controller 25 to perform control of the electric water heater 26, the gas water heater 27, and the solenoid valve 29.

[0032] The determination unit 256 determines whether the first information, second information, and third information acquired by the acquisition unit 254 satisfy predetermined conditions.

[0033] The calculation unit 257 calculates third information based on the amount of electricity generated from the power generation system and the amount of electricity consumed in the multiple dwelling units 51. The power generation system includes, for example, a gas water heater 27. The power generation system may also include a solar power generation system 21. Furthermore, the power generation system may include a battery storage system 24 or a V2X system. The amount of electricity generated includes the power generated by the solar power generation system 21, the power discharged by the battery storage system 24, and the power generated by the gas water heater 27. The amount of electricity consumed includes the amount of electricity required to generate hot water by the electric water heater 26 and the amount of electricity used by household appliances in each of the multiple dwelling units 51. The amount of electricity consumed may also include the available capacity of the battery storage system 24, that is, the amount of electricity that can be charged into the battery storage system 24. Furthermore, the amount of electricity generated and the amount of electricity consumed may be the actual amount of electricity, or they may be the amount of electricity predicted from past data. Hereinafter, the value obtained by subtracting the amount of electricity consumed from the amount of electricity generated may be called the surplus amount of electricity.

[0034] The storage unit 253 is a storage device that stores information necessary for information processing performed by the information processing unit 252, as well as computer programs executed by the information processing unit 252. The storage unit 253 is implemented by, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), but may also be implemented by semiconductor memory or the like. The EMS controller 25 can communicate with the electric meter 28a, multiple water meters 28b, and gas meter 28c, and acquires the measured values ​​of each meter when the electric water heater 26 and gas water heater 27 are heating water, and stores them in the storage unit 253. The EMS controller 25 can communicate with multiple hot water volume meters 28d, and acquires the amount of hot water used in multiple dwelling units 51 (measured values ​​of the hot water volume meters 28d) and stores them in the storage unit 253.

[0035] The electric water heater 26 is a storage-type water heater that heats water using electricity distributed by the distribution board 23. Specifically, the electric water heater 26 is a heat pump type water heater, and may also be a water heater called EcoCute (registered trademark). The electricity supplied to the electric water heater 26 includes electricity supplied from the grid power supply 70, electricity generated by the solar power generation system 21, electricity discharged by the energy storage system 24, and electricity generated by the gas water heater 27. The electric water heater 26 can supply hot water to each of the multiple dwelling units 51 through the hot water pipes. The electric water heater 26 is an example of a second hot water supply system.

[0036] The gas water heater 27 is a storage-type water heater that generates electricity using city gas or LPG, and heats water by transferring the heat generated during power generation to water via a heat exchanger. Specifically, the gas water heater 27 is a water heater equipped with a fuel cell power generation unit, and can be rephrased as a fuel cell power generation system. The gas water heater 27 may also be a water heater called EneFarm (registered trademark). The gas water heater 27 can supply hot water to each of the multiple dwelling units 51 through the hot water pipes. The gas water heater 27 is an example of the first hot water supply system. Generally, the hot water pressure from the gas water heater 27 is greater than the hot water pressure from the electric water heater 26.

[0037] Therefore, in the following explanation, the gas water heater 27 will be described as a first hot water supply device with high hot water pressure, and the electric water heater 26 will be described as a second hot water supply device with low hot water pressure. However, depending on the capacity of the gas water heater 27 and electric water heater 26 installed in the dwelling unit 51, the electric water heater 26 may become the first hot water supply device and the gas water heater 27 may become the second hot water supply device.

[0038] The electric meter 28a measures the amount of electricity supplied from the grid power supply 70 to the electric water heater 26 via the distribution board 23 (in other words, the amount of electricity purchased by the electric water heater 26 to heat water). The electric meter 28a is implemented using power measuring elements such as a CT (Current Transformer).

[0039] Each water meter 28b corresponds one-to-one with each of the multiple water heaters included in the group of water heaters, and measures the amount of water that will be used to heat the water heated by the corresponding water heater. Specifically, one of the multiple water meters 28b measures the amount of water that will be used to heat the water heated by the electric water heater 26, and another of the multiple water meters 28b measures the amount of water that will be used to heat the water heated by the gas water heater 27. The water meter 28b may be an impeller-type water meter or an electromagnetic water meter.

[0040] The gas meter 28c measures the amount of gas used by the gas water heater 27 to heat water (generate power). The gas meter 28c may be any type of gas meter, such as a diaphragm type, ultrasonic type, rotor type, or turbine type.

[0041] The hot water meter 28d corresponds one-to-one with each of the multiple dwelling units 51 included in the apartment building 50, and measures the amount of hot water used in the corresponding dwelling unit 51. The hot water meter 28d may be an impeller-type water meter or an electromagnetic water meter. The hot water meter 28d is an example of a hot water volume measurement unit.

[0042] The solenoid valve 29 corresponds one-to-one to each of the gas water heaters 27 in the apartment house 50, and opens and closes the opening of the water supply pipe of the corresponding gas water heater 27. That is, the solenoid valve 29 controls the supply and stop of hot water from the gas water heater 27 to a plurality of households 51. When the apartment house 50 includes a plurality of gas water heaters 27, a plurality of solenoid valves 29 are provided. The opening and closing of the solenoid valve 29 is controlled by the EMS controller 25.

[0043] [Operation of discharging hot water] Next, the operation when discharging hot water from the gas water heater 27 and the electric water heater 26 by the hot water supply system 10 will be described.

[0044] First, how to control which of the gas water heater 27 and the electric water heater 26 discharges hot water will be described. FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing the flow of hot water when the first hot water supply device (high hot water pressure) according to the embodiment discharges hot water. FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing the flow of hot water when the second hot water supply device (low hot water pressure) according to the embodiment discharges hot water.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2A, when discharging hot water from the gas water heater 27, the EMS controller 25 controls the solenoid valve 29 to be in an open state. When the solenoid valve 29 is controlled to be in an open state, hot water is discharged from the gas water heater 27. Since the hot water discharge pressure of the gas water heater 27 is higher than the hot water discharge pressure of the electric water heater 26, the discharge of hot water from the electric water heater 26 is suppressed while the hot water is being discharged from the gas water heater 27. Therefore, hot water is supplied to the household 51 by the hot water discharged from the gas water heater 27.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 2B, when discharging hot water from the electric water heater 26, the EMS controller 25 controls the solenoid valve 29 to be in a closed state. When the solenoid valve 29 is controlled to be in a closed state, the discharge of hot water from the gas water heater 27 is stopped. While the discharge of hot water from the gas water heater 27 is stopped, hot water is supplied to the household 51 by the hot water discharged from the electric water heater 26.

[0047] As described above, the hot water supply system 10 controls the electromagnetic valve 29 that controls the hot water supply from the gas water heater 27 by utilizing the difference in the hot water supply pressure between the gas water heater 27 and the electric water heater 26, thereby controlling which of the gas water heater 27 and the electric water heater 26 supplies hot water. According to such a hot water supply system 10, it is not necessary to provide an electromagnetic valve 29 corresponding to the electric water heater 26, which can contribute to reducing the construction cost and maintenance cost and increasing the service life.

[0048] Further, as will be described later, the hot water supply system 10 is a system that supplies hot water to a plurality of residential units 51 while causing the electric water heater 26 to supply hot water as much as possible within a range where power purchase due to the hot water supply of the electric water heater 26 does not occur. Therefore, when not necessary, the hot water supply system 10 causes the hot water to be supplied from the electric water heater 26 (that is, the electromagnetic valve 29 is controlled to be in a closed state).

[0049] Here, when the hot water supply system 10 supplies hot water from the electric water heater 26 while the electromagnetic valve 29 is controlled to be in a closed state, it is not necessary to control the electromagnetic valve 29 by the EMS controller 25. Therefore, according to such a hot water supply system 10, the time lag from when the resident of the residential unit 51 (exclusive part) requests hot water until the hot water is actually supplied can be reduced.

[0050] As described above, by controlling the electromagnetic valve 29 that controls the hot water supply from the gas water heater 27, it is possible to control which of the electric water heater 26 and the gas water heater 27 supplies hot water. The operation of determining whether to control the electromagnetic valve 29 when there is a request for hot water from the residential unit 51 will be described. In other words, the operation of determining which of the electric water heater 26 and the gas water heater 27 supplies hot water when there is a request for hot water from the residential unit 51 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the hot water supply system 10 according to the embodiment for supplying hot water.

[0051] First, the acquisition unit 254 acquires first information from the hot water meter 28d (S11). The first information is information indicating the amount of hot water required in the residential unit 51 corresponding to the hot water meter 28d measured by each of the plurality of hot water meters 28d.

[0052] When the first information is acquired, the determination unit 256 determines whether the amount of hot water indicated by the first information is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold (S12). If the amount of hot water indicated by the first information is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold, the amount of hot water supplied from the electric water heater 26 cannot satisfy the required amount of hot water, and it is necessary to supply hot water from the gas water heater 27. The first threshold is, for example, 15 L / min. The value of the first threshold can be appropriately changed according to the performance and number of electric water heaters 26 and gas water heaters 27 provided in the hot water supply system 10. In addition, as information indicating the amount of hot water required in multiple dwelling units 51, a value may be calculated by summing the amounts of hot water indicated by multiple first information acquired from multiple hot water meters 28d, and the determination may be made using this summed value.

[0053] If it is determined that the amount of hot water indicated by the first information is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold (Yes in S12), the process proceeds to step S17.

[0054] If the amount of hot water indicated by the first information is determined to be less than a predetermined first threshold (No in S12), the determination unit 256 determines whether the amount of hot water that can be supplied by the electric water heater 26 indicated by the second information is equal to or greater than the amount of hot water that can be supplied by the gas water heater 27 indicated by the second information (S13). The second information is information indicating the amount of hot water that can be supplied by the gas water heater 27 and the electric water heater 26, respectively. The second information indicates the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tanks of each water heater. In other words, the determination unit 256 determines whether more hot water is stored in the electric water heater 26 or the gas water heater 27. The second information may also be information indicating the ratio of the amount of hot water stored to the total amount of hot water in the hot water storage tanks of the gas water heater 27 and the electric water heater 26.

[0055] If the amount of hot water that the electric water heater 26, indicated by the second information, can supply is determined to be less than the amount of hot water that the gas water heater 27, indicated by the second information, is determined to be less than (No in S13), that is, if it is determined that more hot water is stored in the gas water heater 27, the determination unit 256 determines whether the amount of electricity indicated by the third information is greater than or equal to a predetermined second threshold (S14). The third information is information indicating the amount of electricity exchanged between multiple dwelling units 51 and the outside of those multiple dwelling units 51. The third information is obtained, for example, from the electric meter 28a by the acquisition unit 254. The second threshold is, for example, 0.

[0056] Here, a positive value for the amount of electricity indicated by the third piece of information indicates that the amount of electricity generated is greater than the amount of electricity consumed, meaning there is a surplus of electricity. A negative value for the amount of electricity indicated by the third piece of information indicates that the amount of electricity consumed is greater than the amount of electricity generated, meaning there is no surplus of electricity and electricity is being purchased.

[0057] If it is determined that the amount of hot water that the electric water heater 26, as indicated by the second information, can supply is equal to or greater than the amount of hot water that the gas water heater 27, as indicated by the second information, is equal to or greater than the amount of hot water that the gas water heater 27, as indicated by the second information (Yes in S13), that is, if it is determined that more hot water is stored in the electric water heater 26, the determination unit 256 determines whether or not the amount of hot water that the gas water heater 27, as indicated by the second information, can supply is equal to or greater than a predetermined third threshold (S15). The third threshold is, for example, 80% of the amount of hot water in the storage tank of the gas water heater 27.

[0058] If it is determined that the amount of power indicated by the third information is less than a predetermined second threshold (No in S14), the process proceeds to step S17.

[0059] If it is determined that the amount of electricity indicated by the third information is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold (Yes in S14), it is determined whether the amount of hot water that the electric water heater 26 can supply, as indicated by the second information, is equal to or greater than a predetermined fourth threshold (S16). The fourth threshold is, for example, 20% of the amount of hot water in the hot water storage tank of the electric water heater 26.

[0060] If it is determined that the amount of hot water that the gas water heater 27 can supply, as indicated by the second information, is equal to or greater than a predetermined third threshold (Yes in S15), the process proceeds to step S17. The fact that the amount of hot water that the gas water heater 27 can supply, as indicated by the second information, is equal to or greater than a predetermined third threshold means that a large amount of hot water is stored in the tank equipped with the gas water heater 27, and therefore it is necessary to dispense hot water from the gas water heater 27. This is because when the tank equipped with the gas water heater 27 is filled with hot water, it becomes impossible for the gas water heater 27 to generate electricity.

[0061] If it is determined that the amount of hot water that the gas water heater 27 can supply, as indicated by the second information, is less than a predetermined third threshold (No in S15), the process proceeds to step S18. The fact that the amount of hot water that the gas water heater 27 can supply, as indicated by the second information, is less than a predetermined third threshold means that there is no hot water stored in the tank provided by the gas water heater 27, and therefore, even without supplying hot water from the gas water heater 27, it is possible to maintain a state in which the gas water heater 27 can generate electricity.

[0062] If it is determined that the amount of hot water that the electric water heater 26 can supply, as indicated by the second information, is less than a predetermined fourth threshold (No in S16), the process proceeds to step S17. The fact that the amount of hot water that the electric water heater 26 can supply, as indicated by the second information, is less than a predetermined fourth threshold means that there is not enough hot water stored in the tank provided by the electric water heater 26.

[0063] If it is determined that the amount of hot water that the electric water heater 26 can supply, as indicated by the second information, is equal to or greater than a predetermined fourth threshold (Yes in S16), the process proceeds to step S18. The fact that the amount of hot water that the electric water heater 26 can supply, as indicated by the second information, is equal to or greater than a predetermined fourth threshold means that there is enough hot water stored in the tank of the electric water heater 26 to allow for the supply of hot water from the electric water heater 26 without any problems.

[0064] As described above, once the determination unit 256 has performed the processes from step S12 to step S16, the process proceeds to either step S17 or step S18.

[0065] The control unit 255 uses the EMS controller 25 to control the solenoid valve 29 to an open state (S17). In other words, the control unit 255 causes the gas water heater 27 to supply hot water by controlling the solenoid valve 29 to an open state.

[0066] The control unit 255 uses the EMS controller 25 to control the solenoid valve 29 to a closed state (S18). In other words, the control unit 255 causes the electric water heater 26 to supply hot water by controlling the solenoid valve 29 to a closed state.

[0067] With the above-described operation, the hot water supply system 10 can supply hot water to multiple dwelling units 51 while ensuring that as much hot water as possible is supplied by the electric water heater 26, within the limits where no electricity is purchased for hot water supply by the electric water heater 26. At the same time, the hot water supply system 10 can supply hot water to multiple dwelling units 51 while maintaining the tank of the gas water heater 27 not to become full. Therefore, with such a hot water supply system 10, electricity purchases for hot water supply can be reduced.

[0068] [Operation to generate hot water] Next, the operation by which the hot water supply system 10 generates hot water will be described. Based on predetermined conditions, the EMS controller 25 instructs the gas water heater 27 and the electric water heater 26 to generate hot water.

[0069] The gas water heater 27 generates electricity using gas when producing hot water. The electric water heater 26 uses electricity when producing hot water. The hot water supply system 10 can reduce electricity purchases by appropriately instructing the gas water heater 27 and the electric water heater 26 to produce hot water.

[0070] First, we will explain the operation of instructing the electric water heater 26 to generate hot water. Figure 4A is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the electric water heater 26 to generate hot water.

[0071] First, the determination unit 256 determines whether the amount of electricity generated is greater than the amount of electricity consumed (S21).

[0072] If it is determined that the amount of electricity generated is less than or equal to the amount of electricity consumed (No in S21), the EMS controller 25 terminates its operation without instructing the electric water heater 26 to generate hot water.

[0073] If it is determined that the amount of electricity generated is greater than the amount of electricity consumed (Yes in S21), the determination unit 256 determines whether the amount of hot water indicated by the second information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S22). The amount of hot water indicated by the second information is the amount of hot water stored in the tank of the electric water heater 26. The predetermined threshold is, for example, 80% of the amount of hot water in the tank of the electric water heater 26.

[0074] If the amount of hot water indicated by the second information is determined to be above a predetermined threshold (Yes in S22), the EMS controller 25 terminates its operation without instructing the electric water heater 26 to generate hot water.

[0075] If the amount of hot water indicated by the second information is determined to be less than a predetermined threshold (No in S22), the determination unit 256 determines whether or not electricity is purchased when the electric water heater 26 generates hot water (S23). More specifically, the determination unit 256 determines whether or not the amount of electricity indicated by the third information becomes a negative value, assuming that the control unit 255 instructs the electric water heater 26 to generate hot water.

[0076] If it is determined that electricity will be purchased when the electric water heater 26 generates hot water (Yes in S23), the EMS controller 25 terminates its operation without instructing the electric water heater 26 to generate hot water. Alternatively, the EMS controller 25 instructs the electric water heater 26 to generate hot water with a power consumption less than the surplus power.

[0077] If it is determined that no electricity will be purchased when the electric water heater 26 generates hot water (No in S23), the control unit 255 instructs the electric water heater 26 to generate hot water (S24).

[0078] With this operation, the EMS controller 25 can instruct the electric water heater 26 to generate hot water so that no electricity is purchased when the electric water heater 26 generates hot water.

[0079] Next, we will explain the operation of instructing the gas water heater 27 to generate hot water. Figure 4B is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the gas water heater 27 to generate hot water.

[0080] First, the determination unit 256 determines whether the amount of electricity generated is greater than the amount of electricity consumed (S31).

[0081] If it is determined that the amount of electricity generated is greater than the amount of electricity consumed (Yes in S31), the EMS controller 25 terminates its operation without instructing the gas water heater 27 to produce hot water. Alternatively, the EMS controller 25 instructs the gas water heater 27 to produce hot water with the amount of electricity generated less than the amount of electricity consumed.

[0082] If it is determined that the amount of electricity generated is less than or equal to the amount of electricity consumed (No in S31), the determination unit 256 determines whether the amount of hot water indicated by the second information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S32). The amount of hot water indicated by the second information is the amount of hot water that the gas water heater 27 can supply. In other words, it is the amount of hot water stored in the tank provided by the gas water heater 27. The predetermined threshold is, for example, 80% of the amount of hot water in the tank provided by the gas water heater 27.

[0083] If the amount of hot water indicated by the second information is determined to be above a predetermined threshold (Yes in S32), the EMS controller 25 terminates its operation without instructing the gas water heater 27 to generate hot water.

[0084] If the amount of hot water indicated by the second information is determined to be less than a predetermined threshold (No in S32), the determination unit 256 determines whether or not reverse power flow occurs when the gas water heater 27 generates hot water (S33). More specifically, the determination unit 256 determines whether or not the amount of electricity indicated by the third information becomes a positive value, assuming that the control unit 255 instructs the gas water heater 27 to generate hot water.

[0085] If it is determined that reverse power flow occurs when the gas water heater 27 generates hot water (Yes in S33), the EMS controller 25 terminates its operation without instructing the gas water heater 27 to generate hot water. Alternatively, the EMS controller 25 instructs the gas water heater 27 to generate hot water using power generated less than the power consumed.

[0086] If it is determined that no reverse flow occurs when the gas water heater 27 generates hot water (No in S33), the control unit 255 instructs the gas water heater 27 to generate hot water (S34).

[0087] With this operation, the EMS controller 25 can instruct the gas water heater 27 to generate hot water so that reverse flow does not occur when the gas water heater 27 generates hot water.

[0088] The predetermined threshold value is merely an example and may be changed as appropriate depending on the performance and number of water heaters in the hot water supply system 10, the number of dwelling units 51 to which the hot water is supplied, etc.

[0089] [Modification 1] In the above-described operation for supplying hot water, the operation was explained in the case where the hot water supply system 10 is equipped with a gas water heater 27 and an electric water heater 26. However, the number of water heaters equipped in the hot water supply system 10 is not particularly limited.

[0090] For example, the hot water supply system 10 may include multiple gas water heaters 27. In such a case, the hot water supply system 10 includes multiple solenoid valves 29 for controlling the hot water supply from each of the multiple gas water heaters 27.

[0091] The control unit 255 controls at least one of the plurality of solenoid valves 29 based on second information indicating the amount of hot water that each of the plurality of gas water heaters 27 and electric water heaters 26 can supply.

[0092] At this time, the control unit 255 identifies the dwelling unit 51 that is requesting hot water supply from among the multiple dwelling units 51 based on the first information. For example, the control unit 255 identifies the corresponding dwelling unit 51 by identifying the hot water volume meter 28d that is requesting hot water supply from among the multiple hot water volume meters 28d. The control unit 255 controls the solenoid valve 29 that is located closest to the identified dwelling unit 51 from among the multiple solenoid valves 29. In other words, the control unit 255 controls the solenoid valve 29 that is located closest to the identified dwelling unit 51 with priority over the other solenoid valves 29.

[0093] By implementing this control, it is possible to suppress large time differences between the time a hot water supply is requested and the time when hot water is actually supplied.

[0094] [Modification 2] In the above embodiment, each of the dwelling units 51 is equipped with one hot water volume meter 28d. Therefore, a given dwelling unit 51 can measure the amount of hot water required for the entire dwelling unit 51.

[0095] However, the hot water meter 28d, which measures the total amount of hot water supplied to the entire dwelling unit 51, cannot distinguish between the amount of hot water supplied to the bathtub and the amount of hot water supplied to other areas of the dwelling unit 51, for example, when filling the bathtub, where a predetermined amount of hot water is required. Therefore, when supplying hot water in response to the request of equipment that requires a predetermined amount of hot water, the EMS controller 25 cannot determine whether or not the predetermined amount of hot water has been supplied to that equipment.

[0096] Therefore, as shown in Figure 5, a sub-hot water volume meter 28e and a sub-solenoid valve 291 are provided to correspond to equipment requiring a predetermined amount of hot water. The sub-hot water volume meter 28e is a device that has the same function as the hot water volume meter 28d, and the sub-solenoid valve 291 is a device that has the same function as the solenoid valve 29. The sub-hot water volume meter 28e is an example of a flow meter. By providing the sub-hot water volume meter 28e and the sub-solenoid valve 291 in this way, a predetermined amount of hot water can be measured for specific equipment included in the dwelling unit 51. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of piping in a dwelling unit 51 according to this embodiment.

[0097] As shown in Figure 5, in the dwelling unit 51, a sub-hot water volume meter 28e and a sub-solenoid valve 291 are provided in the piping for supplying hot water to the bathtub 52.

[0098] The sub-solenoid valve 291 is normally controlled to be in a closed state. When a resident of the dwelling unit 51 tries to fill the bathtub 52 with hot water, the sub-hot water volume meter 28e starts measuring a predetermined amount of hot water.

[0099] When the control unit 255 supplies hot water in response to a request to fill the bathtub 52, it controls the sub-solenoid valve 291 to a closed state when the amount of hot water supplied to the bathtub 52, as measured by the sub-hot water volume meter 28e, exceeds a predetermined amount.

[0100] In this way, the hot water supply system 10 can supply a predetermined amount of hot water to the equipment in the dwelling unit 51 that requires a predetermined amount of hot water.

[0101] [Effects, etc.] Below, examples of inventions obtained from the disclosures of this specification will be given, and the effects, etc. obtained from said inventions will be explained.

[0102] Technology 1 is a hot water supply system 10 comprising a first hot water supply device 27, a second hot water supply device 26 having a lower hot water output pressure than the first hot water supply device 27, a solenoid valve 29 for controlling the hot water supply from the first hot water supply device 27, a plurality of hot water demand measurement units 28d provided in each of the plurality of dwelling units 51, an acquisition unit 254 that acquires from each of the plurality of hot water demand measurement units 28d first information indicating the amount of hot water required in the corresponding dwelling unit 51, second information indicating the amount of hot water that can be supplied by the first hot water supply device 27 and the second hot water supply device 26, and third information indicating the amount of electricity exchanged between the plurality of dwelling units 51 and the outside of the plurality of dwelling units 51, and a control unit 255 that controls the solenoid valve 29 based on the acquired first information, second information and third information.

[0103] In such a hot water supply system 10, when the first hot water supply device 27 and the second hot water supply device 26 are used in combination in multiple dwelling units 51, the system can reduce the purchase of electricity when supplying hot water by determining which of the first hot water supply device 27 or the second hot water supply device 26 to supply hot water, taking into account the amount of electricity exchanged between the multiple dwelling units 51 and the outside of the multiple dwelling units 51.

[0104] Furthermore, this type of hot water supply system 10 controls which hot water supply device to use by utilizing the difference between the hot water output pressure of the first hot water supply device 27 and the hot water output pressure of the second hot water supply device 26. Therefore, there is no need to provide a solenoid valve 29 to control the hot water output from the second hot water supply device 26. This contributes to a reduction in the number of parts and a reduction in maintenance costs. In addition, because there is no solenoid valve 29 to control the hot water output from the second hot water supply device 26, when a request for hot water is made from the dwelling unit 51, hot water can be supplied without operating the solenoid valve 29, thus suppressing a large time lag between the request for hot water and the supply of hot water.

[0105] Technology 2 is a hot water supply system 10 of Technology 1, further comprising a calculation unit 257 that calculates the amount of electricity based on the amount of electricity generated from the power generation system and the amount of electricity consumed in multiple dwelling units 51.

[0106] Such a hot water supply system 10 can calculate the amount of surplus electricity in multiple dwelling units 51 based on the amount of electricity generated and consumed in multiple dwelling units 51, and can control the supply of hot water from multiple hot water supply devices to suppress the purchase of electricity by the second hot water supply device 26 based on the calculated amount of surplus electricity.

[0107] Technology 3 is a hot water supply system 10 of Technology 1 or 2, in which the first hot water supply device 27 is a gas water heater that generates electricity when producing hot water, and the second hot water supply device 26 is an electric water heater that consumes electricity to produce hot water.

[0108] This type of hot water supply system 10 can reduce the purchase of electricity when supplying hot water by determining whether to use the gas water heater 27 or the electric water heater 26 when both gas water heaters 27 and electric water heaters 26 are used in multiple dwelling units 51.

[0109] Technology 4 is a hot water supply system 10 according to any of technologies 1 to 3, wherein the control unit 255 controls the solenoid valve 29 to a closed state when the amount of power indicated by the third information is above a predetermined threshold and the amount of hot water that can be supplied by the second hot water supply device 26 indicated by the second information is above a predetermined threshold, and controls the solenoid valve 29 to an open state when the amount of power indicated by the third information is below a predetermined threshold or the amount of hot water that can be supplied by the second hot water supply device 26 indicated by the second information is below a predetermined threshold.

[0110] Such a hot water supply system 10 can determine whether to control the hot water supply to be provided by the first hot water supply system 27 or the second hot water supply system 26, based on the amount of electricity exchanged between the multiple dwelling units 51 and the outside of the multiple dwelling units 51, and the amount of hot water that the second hot water supply system 26 can supply.

[0111] Technology 5 is a hot water supply system 10 according to any of Technologies 1 to 4, comprising a plurality of first hot water supply devices 27 and a plurality of solenoid valves 29 for controlling the supply of hot water from each of the plurality of first hot water supply devices 27, the second information indicates the amount of hot water that each of the plurality of first hot water supply devices 27 and second hot water supply devices 26 can supply, and the control unit 255 controls at least one of the plurality of solenoid valves 29.

[0112] Such a hot water supply system 10 can reduce the amount of electricity purchased when supplying hot water, when multiple first hot water supply devices 27 and at least one second hot water supply device 26 are used in combination.

[0113] Technology 6 is a hot water supply system 10 of Technology 5, in which the control unit 255 identifies a dwelling unit 51 that is requesting hot water supply from among a plurality of dwelling units 51 based on first information, and controls the solenoid valve 29 located closest to the identified dwelling unit 51 from among a plurality of solenoid valves 29 with priority over the other solenoid valves 29.

[0114] This type of hot water supply system 10 can suppress large time differences between the time a request for hot water supply is made and the time when hot water is actually supplied, by controlling the solenoid valve 29 located closest to a specific dwelling unit 51 among a plurality of solenoid valves 29.

[0115] Technology 7 is a hot water supply system 10 according to any of technologies 1 to 6, wherein the control unit 255 controls the solenoid valve 29 so that the amount of hot water supplied is equal to or greater than the sum of the required hot water amounts determined based on first information obtained from each of the multiple required hot water amount measuring units 28d.

[0116] Such a hot water supply system 10 can calculate the total amount of hot water required for the entire hot water supply system 10 and control the hot water output from the gas water heater 27 and the electric water heater 26 to satisfy that amount.

[0117] Technology 8 is a hot water supply system 10 according to technologies 1 to 7, wherein the control unit 255 further instructs the first hot water supply device 27 and the second hot water supply device 26 to generate hot water.

[0118] Such a hot water supply system 10 can instruct the first hot water supply device 27 and the second hot water supply device 26 to generate hot water at an appropriate timing.

[0119] Technology 9 is a hot water supply system 10 of Technology 8, in which, assuming that the control unit 255 has instructed the first hot water supply unit 27 to generate hot water, the amount of power indicated by the third information falls below a predetermined threshold, and in this case, the control unit 255 instructs the first hot water supply unit 27 to generate hot water.

[0120] Such a hot water supply system 10 can be configured to allow the first hot water supply device 27 to generate hot water even if power is generated in conjunction with the generation of hot water by the first hot water supply device 27, but no reverse power flow occurs.

[0121] Technology 10 is a hot water supply system 10 of Technology 8 or 9, wherein the control unit 255 instructs the second hot water supply unit 26 to generate hot water when the amount of power indicated by the third information exceeds a predetermined threshold, assuming that the control unit 255 has instructed the second hot water supply unit 26 to generate hot water.

[0122] Such a hot water supply system 10 can be configured to allow the second hot water supply device 26 to generate hot water even if there is power consumption required for the generation of hot water by the second hot water supply device 26, but no electricity is purchased.

[0123] Technology 11 is a hot water supply system 10 according to any of technologies 2 to 10, further comprising a first hot water supply device 27 and a solar power generation system 21, wherein the calculation unit 257 calculates the amount of electricity exchanged between multiple dwelling units 51 and the outside of said multiple dwelling units 51, taking into consideration the amount of electricity generated by the first hot water supply device 27 and the solar power generation system 21.

[0124] In such a hot water supply system 10, if the power generation system includes a first hot water supply device 27 and a solar power generation system 21, the amount of surplus electricity can be calculated by considering the amount of electricity generated by the first hot water supply device 27 and the solar power generation system 21. For example, when power generation is being carried out by the solar power generation system 21, the amount of electricity that can be supplied increases, so even when the hot water supply system 10 uses the electric water heater 26 to generate hot water, it becomes less likely that electricity will be purchased.

[0125] Technology 12 is a hot water supply system 10 according to any of technologies 2 to 11, further comprising a power generation system, a power storage system 24, or a V2X system capable of charging and discharging a secondary battery of an electric vehicle, and a calculation unit 257 that calculates the amount of electricity exchanged between multiple dwelling units 51 and the outside of said multiple dwelling units 51, taking into consideration the amount of electricity that can be stored in the power storage system 24 or the secondary battery of an electric vehicle.

[0126] Such a hot water supply system 10 can calculate the amount of surplus power by considering the available capacity of the energy storage system 24 or the secondary battery of an electric vehicle, if the power generation system includes an energy storage system 24 or a V2X system. For example, if there is available capacity in the energy storage system 24, the hot water supply system 10 will be less likely to generate reverse power flow even when generating hot water using the gas water heater 27.

[0127] Technology 13 is a hot water supply system 10 according to any of technologies 1 to 12, wherein at least one of the multiple dwelling units 51 is equipped with a facility 52 that requires a predetermined amount of hot water and has a flow meter 28e and a sub-solenoid valve 291, and when the control unit 255 supplies hot water in response to the request of the facility 52 that requires a predetermined amount of hot water, the control unit 255 controls the sub-solenoid valve 291 to a closed state when the amount of hot water supplied to the facility 52 that requires a predetermined amount of hot water, as measured by the flow meter 28e, exceeds the predetermined amount of hot water.

[0128] This type of hot water supply system 10 can supply a fixed amount of hot water to equipment 52 that requires a predetermined amount of hot water by providing a dedicated flow meter 28e and sub-solenoid valve 291 to the equipment 52 that requires a predetermined amount of hot water in the dwelling unit 51. For example, it can supply an appropriate predetermined amount of hot water when filling a bathtub 52 in the dwelling unit 51.

[0129] Technology 14 is a computer-operated hot water supply method that includes an acquisition step of acquiring first information indicating the amount of hot water required in a corresponding dwelling unit 51 from a plurality of hot water request amount measuring units 28d provided in each of a plurality of dwelling units 51, second information indicating the amount of hot water that can be supplied by a first hot water supply device 27 and a second hot water supply device 26 having a lower hot water outlet pressure than the first hot water supply device 27, and third information indicating the amount of electricity exchanged between the plurality of dwelling units 51 and the outside of the plurality of dwelling units 51, and a control step of controlling a solenoid valve 29 for controlling the hot water supply from the first hot water supply device 27 based on the acquired first information, second information and third information.

[0130] This hot water supply method, when the first hot water supply device 27 and the second hot water supply device 26 are used in combination in multiple dwelling units 51, can reduce the amount of electricity purchased for hot water supply by considering the amount of electricity exchanged between the multiple dwelling units 51 and the outside of those multiple dwelling units 51 and determining which of the first hot water supply device 27 or the second hot water supply device 26 to supply hot water from.

[0131] Technology 15 is a program that causes a computer to execute the hot water supply method of Technology 14.

[0132] Such a program can help reduce electricity purchases when supplying hot water when the first hot water supply system 27 and the second hot water supply system 26 are used in combination in multiple dwelling units 51.

[0133] (Other Embodiments) Although embodiments have been described above, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0134] In the above embodiment, the hot water supply system 10 was applied to an apartment building 50. However, the application of the hot water supply system 10 is not limited to an apartment building 50 as long as it has multiple dwelling units 51. For example, it may be implemented as a system in which two hot water supply devices are shared by three neighboring houses.

[0135] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, information processing for controlling the supply of hot water, etc., to multiple dwelling units 51 was performed by the EMS controller 25, but information processing for controlling the supply of hot water, etc., to multiple dwelling units 51 may also be performed by the EMS server. The EMS server is a server device capable of executing information processing for controlling the supply of hot water, etc., to multiple dwelling units 51. The EMS server is located outside the apartment building 50, but may also be located inside the apartment building 50. The EMS server is equipped with a communication circuit for communicating with the EMS controller 25 via a wide-area communication network such as the Internet. The communication circuit equipped in the EMS server may be a wired communication circuit for wired communication, or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication.

[0136] For example, in the above embodiment, the hot water supply system was implemented by multiple devices. In this case, the components of the hot water supply system may be distributed among the multiple devices in any way. For example, some or all of the processing performed by the EMS controller may be performed by the EMS server. Alternatively, the hot water supply system may be implemented by a single device. For example, the hot water supply system may be implemented as a single device corresponding to the EMS server. Thus, in this specification, a system may be implemented by multiple devices or by a single device.

[0137] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a process executed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit. Also, the order of multiple processes may be changed, or multiple processes may be executed in parallel.

[0138] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may also be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0139] Furthermore, each component may be implemented by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or they may be separate circuits. Also, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0140] Furthermore, the general or specific embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented as a system, apparatus, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM. They may also be implemented as any combination of a system, apparatus, method, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium.

[0141] For example, the present disclosure may be implemented as a hot water supply system, EMS server, or EMS controller according to the above embodiment. Alternatively, the present disclosure may be implemented as a method executed by a computer, such as a hot water supply system, EMS server, or EMS controller, or as a program for causing a computer to execute such a method. The present disclosure may also be implemented as a computer-readable non-temporary recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

[0142] Furthermore, this disclosure also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art could conceive, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0143] 10 Hot water supply system 21 Solar power generation system 24 Energy storage system 254 Acquisition unit 255 Control unit 257 Calculation unit 26 Electric water heater (second hot water supply device) 27 Gas water heater (first hot water supply device) 28d Water volume meter (required water volume measurement unit) 28e Sub-water volume meter (flow meter) 29 Solenoid valve 291 Sub-solenoid valve 51 Dwelling unit 52 Bathtub (equipment requiring a specified amount of hot water)

Claims

1. A hot water supply system comprising: a first hot water supply device; a second hot water supply device having a lower hot water output pressure than the first hot water supply device; a solenoid valve for controlling the hot water supply from the first hot water supply device; a plurality of hot water demand measurement units provided in each of the plurality of dwelling units; an acquisition unit that acquires from each of the plurality of hot water demand measurement units first information indicating the amount of hot water required in the corresponding dwelling unit, second information indicating the amount of hot water that can be supplied by the first hot water supply device and the second hot water supply device, and third information indicating the amount of electricity exchanged between the plurality of dwelling units and the outside of the plurality of dwelling units; and a control unit that controls the solenoid valve based on the acquired first information, second information and third information.

2. The hot water supply system according to claim 1, further comprising a calculation unit that calculates the amount of electricity based on the amount of electricity generated from the power generation system and the amount of electricity consumed in the plurality of dwelling units.

3. The hot water supply system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first hot water supply device is a gas water heater that generates electricity when producing hot water, and the second hot water supply device is an electric water heater that consumes electricity to produce hot water.

4. The hot water supply system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit controls the solenoid valve to a closed state when the amount of power indicated by the third information is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold and the amount of hot water that the second hot water supply device can supply is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and controls the solenoid valve to an open state when the amount of power indicated by the third information is less than a predetermined threshold, or the amount of hot water that the second hot water supply device can supply is less than a predetermined threshold.

5. The hot water supply system according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a plurality of first hot water supply devices and a plurality of solenoid valves for controlling the supply of hot water from each of the plurality of first hot water supply devices, wherein the second information indicates the amount of hot water that each of the plurality of first hot water supply devices and second hot water supply devices can supply, and the control unit controls at least one of the plurality of solenoid valves.

6. The hot water supply system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit identifies a dwelling unit among the plurality of dwelling units that is requesting the supply of hot water based on the first information, and controls the solenoid valve located closest to the identified dwelling unit among the plurality of solenoid valves with priority over the other solenoid valves.

7. The hot water supply system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit controls the solenoid valve so that the amount of hot water supplied is equal to or greater than the sum of the required hot water amounts determined based on the first information obtained from each of the plurality of required hot water amount measuring units.

8. The hot water supply system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit further instructs the first hot water supply device and the second hot water supply device to generate hot water.

9. The hot water supply system according to claim 8, wherein the control unit instructs the first hot water supply unit to produce hot water if the amount of power indicated by the third information falls below a predetermined threshold, assuming that the control unit has instructed the first hot water supply unit to produce hot water.

10. The hot water supply system according to claim 8, wherein the control unit instructs the second hot water supply unit to produce hot water if the amount of power indicated by the third information exceeds a predetermined threshold, assuming that the control unit has instructed the second hot water supply unit to produce hot water.

11. The hot water supply system according to claim 2, further comprising the first hot water supply device and the solar power generation system, wherein the calculation unit calculates the amount of electricity exchanged between the plurality of dwelling units and the outside of the plurality of dwelling units, taking into consideration the amount of electricity generated by the first hot water supply device and the solar power generation system.

12. The hot water supply system according to claim 2, further comprising a power generation system or a V2X (Vehicle to X) system capable of charging and discharging a secondary battery of an electric vehicle, wherein the calculation unit calculates the amount of electricity exchanged between the plurality of dwelling units and the outside of the plurality of dwelling units, taking into consideration the amount of electricity that can be stored in the power storage system or the secondary battery of the electric vehicle.

13. The hot water supply system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of dwelling units is equipped with equipment requiring a predetermined amount of hot water, which has a flow meter and a sub-solenoid valve, and when the control unit supplies hot water in response to a request from the equipment requiring the predetermined amount of hot water, the control unit controls the sub-solenoid valve to a closed state when the amount of hot water supplied to the equipment requiring the predetermined amount of hot water, as measured by the flow meter, exceeds the predetermined amount of hot water.

14. A computer-operated hot water supply method, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring first information indicating the amount of hot water required in a corresponding dwelling unit from a plurality of hot water demand measurement units provided in each of a plurality of dwelling units; second information indicating the amount of hot water that can be supplied by a first hot water supply device and a second hot water supply device having a lower hot water outlet pressure than the first hot water supply device; and third information indicating the amount of electricity exchanged between the plurality of dwelling units and the outside of the plurality of dwelling units; and a control step of controlling a solenoid valve for controlling the hot water supply from the first hot water supply device based on the acquired first information, second information, and third information.

15. A program for causing the computer to execute the hot water supply method described in claim 14.

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