Climate Control Degradation Detection from Energy Signatures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for detecting degradation in climate control system performance, such as heating or air-conditioning systems, are limited by the inability to accurately determine when the system is active or inactive, making it difficult to identify impending failures, especially with modern controls that vary operation times based on conditions.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that receive climate control data and energy consumption signals to determine an energy consumption signature when the system is turned on or off, correlating these to detect differences indicative of degradation and impending failure, with the ability to report remotely and control the system via a webpage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring is used to detect energy consumption, then the system can monitor energy usage without direct access to climate control components, but the system cannot reliably identify when the climate control system is active or inactive
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by collecting energy consumption data over extended periods and establishing baseline patterns of when the climate control system is typically active. This preliminary data gathering enables the system to learn normal operation cycles and detect deviations that indicate degradation or failure, resolving the contradiction between easy monitoring and accurate state identification.
2Measurement precision
If day-by-day comparison is used to identify heating start/stop events, then the system can detect fixed-time operations, but the method fails when heating start times vary based on conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static, fixed-time comparison methods to dynamic pattern recognition that adapts to varying operation schedules. By continuously learning and updating expected operation patterns based on environmental conditions and historical data, the system can accurately identify climate control events even when start times and durations vary, resolving the contradiction between detection precision and adaptability.
3Measurement precision
If direct measurement at the boiler or air-conditioning unit is used, then the system can obtain accurate performance data, but this is not possible or desirable due to the wide variety of equipment installed
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary approach by measuring energy consumption at the property level rather than directly at the climate control equipment. This intermediary measurement point provides sufficient data to detect system degradation and failure without requiring direct access to or integration with the diverse range of boiler and air-conditioning unit components, resolving the contradiction between measurement accuracy and implementation complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to the detection of degradation in climate control system performance, in particular to the detection of degradation in heating system performance or air-conditioning system performance that is an indicator of impending heating system failure or air-conditioning system failure in domestic properties. In particular, the present invention provides a method for detecting such degradation comprising: receiving climate control data indicative of a climate control system in a property (location) being turned on and turned off; receiving an energy consumption signal indicative of the energy consumption of the property; correlating the received signal with the received data to determine an energy consumption signature of the climate control system when being turned on and turned off; comparing the determined signature with previously obtained energy consumption signatures to detect differences in the determined signature that are indicative of degradation.