Cloud-Based Socket Outlet Grouping for Multi-Facility Energy Scheduling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building management systems fail to monitor and control plug-in assets effectively, leading to unnoticed energy consumption by low-energy devices, which collectively account for a significant portion of a facility's energy usage, and lack of centralized scheduling across multiple facilities complicates energy management.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based system for grouping and scheduling socket outlets across multiple facilities, considering factors like asset type and consumption patterns, enabling centralized control and energy optimization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If building management systems monitor only traditional assets (boilers, chillers, HVAC), then monitoring coverage is limited to major energy consumers, but plug-in assets (25%+ of energy consumption) remain unmonitored
Solution Approach 1:
The building management system is extended to universally monitor both traditional assets and plug-in assets through a unified platform. The system integrates monitoring of diverse equipment types (boilers, chillers, HVAC, printers, microwaves, refrigerators) under a single management framework, eliminating blind spots in energy consumption tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments socket outlets into multiple groups based on asset type, location, and consumption patterns. This segmentation allows differentiated monitoring and control strategies for different plug-in asset categories while maintaining overall system coherence and manageability.
2Ease of operation
If socket outlets are monitored and controlled individually, then control precision is high, but system complexity and operational burden increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple socket outlets are merged into logical groups based on common characteristics such as asset type, location, or consumption patterns. This merging allows the system to manage and control multiple outlets collectively through unified schedules and policies, reducing operational complexity while maintaining precise control over energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-establishes schedules and control rules for socket outlet groups before operational issues arise. By defining operational patterns in advance (e.g., business hours, weekends, holidays), the system automatically executes control actions without real-time manual intervention, simplifying operations and reducing burden.
3Productivity
If centralized scheduling is implemented across multiple facilities, then energy optimization is improved, but system complexity and implementation effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides universal scheduling capabilities that work across multiple facilities with different socket outlet configurations. The same scheduling platform can manage outlets in diverse locations (offices, retail stores, warehouses) with varying requirements, enabling centralized control without requiring facility-specific custom solutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The scheduling system dynamically adapts to different facility requirements and consumption patterns. It allows flexible configuration of schedules based on time zones, business hours, weather conditions, and other variables, enabling optimized energy management across multiple facilities while maintaining system flexibility and ease of implementation.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments described herein relate to providing and/or employing a system and a method for controlling operations of socket outlets across a plurality of facilities. In this regard, at least one group of socket outlets from a plurality of socket outlets is generated. The plurality of socket outlets is associated with a plurality of facilities and the socket outlets are logically grouped based on data associated with a plurality of assets. At least one schedule is generated corresponding to the at least one group of socket outlets and the at least one schedule is split among the plurality of facilities based on the generated group of socket outlets. Furthermore, the at least one schedule is executed at the plurality of facilities, and at least one operation of the at least one group of socket outlets is controlled based on the at least one schedule.