Energy management computer system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing energy management solutions for small footprint commercial sites lack centralized control and analysis capabilities, leading to inefficient energy usage and high costs due to outdated manual or custom-designed systems that are not scalable for multiple sites.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based energy management system with networked energy management devices and a centralized service unit that collects and analyzes energy usage data, enabling automated controls, behavioral learning, and customizable site groupings to optimize energy usage across multiple sites.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual or programmable thermostats are used at each site, then local control is available, but centralized management and analysis capabilities are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an energy management system comprising a server and client devices that act as intermediaries between locally deployed energy management devices and centralized control. The system collects data from devices at multiple sites, processes it centrally, and provides both centralized analytics and localized control capabilities through the client-server architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The energy management system is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides centralized data collection and analysis across multiple sites, enables remote device configuration, delivers real-time monitoring, and maintains local control capabilities. This multi-functional platform resolves the contradiction by serving both centralized management and local operational needs simultaneously.
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom-designed energy management solutions are implemented for each site, then individual site requirements are met, but scalability and cost-effectiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the energy management functionality into modular components: energy management devices at individual sites, a server for centralized processing, and client devices for user interaction. This segmentation allows each site to be configured independently while maintaining overall system scalability and reducing complexity through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables flexible configuration of energy management devices through parameter changes without requiring custom hardware design for each site. The system allows sites to be grouped, devices to be configured with different parameters, and analytics to be customized based on site-specific requirements, all while using the same underlying platform architecture.
3Ease of operation
If site managers manually configure and manage thermostats, then local responsiveness is maintained, but energy management efficiency and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The energy management system enables devices to be automatically configured and managed through the centralized platform. The system can remotely provision devices, update configurations, and optimize settings without requiring manual intervention from site managers, thereby improving energy management efficiency while maintaining local responsiveness through automated controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where energy consumption data is collected from devices, analyzed by the server, and used to automatically adjust device configurations. This feedback mechanism improves energy management productivity by enabling data-driven optimization while allowing site managers to maintain local control when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides an energy management system that is based on a distributed architecture that includes networked energy management devices located at a plurality of sites and a collection of energy management program applications and modules implemented by a centralized energy management service unit. The energy management program applications and modules are responsible for facilitating customer access to the system, configuring energy management devices, and collecting, storing, and analyzing energy management data collected from the plurality of sites. The energy management system is adaptable to a wide variety of energy usage requirements and enables customers to configure energy management devices at customer sites using scheduling templates, to define and customize site groupings for device configuration and data analysis purposes, and to request and view various statistical views of collected energy usage data.