Cloud Energy Management for Multi-Site HVAC Control
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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sites lack centralized control and analysis capabilities, leading to inefficient energy usage and high costs due to outdated manual or custom-designed systems that are not scalable for multiple locations.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based energy management system with a centralized service unit that collects data from various energy management devices across sites, enables site groupings, and provides a management interface for statistical views and automated controls, using Wi-Fi enabled devices to facilitate remote monitoring and optimization.
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 combines local thermostat control with centralized cloud-based management by having thermostats communicate energy usage data to a remote server. This allows local sites to maintain operational control while the centralized system aggregates data from multiple sites for comprehensive analysis and management, resolving the contradiction between local autonomy and centralized oversight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an energy management communication interface as an intermediary between local thermostats and the centralized server. This intermediary component enables data exchange and coordination, allowing local devices to operate independently while contributing to centralized data collection and analysis, thus maintaining both local control and centralized management capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom-designed energy management systems are implemented at individual sites, then site-specific needs are met, but scalability across multiple sites is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal energy management platform that can be deployed across multiple sites with varying needs. The system provides standardized core functionality that works across all locations while allowing configuration options for site-specific requirements. This universal approach enables scalability without requiring custom-designed systems at each location, reducing overall complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the energy management system into independent, modular components that can be deployed at individual sites and then aggregated at the enterprise level. Each site operates as an independent unit with its own thermostat and data collection capabilities, but these segmented units communicate with the centralized system, enabling scalable expansion from single-site to multi-site deployments without increasing overall system complexity.
3Reliability
If professional services are bundled with energy management systems, then system maintenance is ensured, but costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service capabilities that allow site managers and employees to independently configure, monitor, and manage their own energy management systems without requiring expensive professional services. The system provides automated features including scheduling templates, real-time monitoring, and diagnostic tools that enable users to perform maintenance and optimization tasks themselves, ensuring system reliability while eliminating the need for costly professional service contracts.
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.