Space conditioning based on weather information
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Solution Overview
Problem
HVAC systems may fail to provide necessary heating or cooling due to seasonal shut-offs, leading to uncomfortable temperatures when weather conditions change unexpectedly, as they rely on historical data and lack proactive forecasting for space conditioning.
Innovation Solution
A controller that receives forecasted weather information and historical setpoint data to determine if space conditioning is needed, generating alerts and adjusting temperature setpoints proactively to ensure heating or cooling is provided when required, using a processor and memory to analyze future weather conditions and historical data for HVAC system operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If HVAC systems rely on historical data and seasonal shut-offs for operation, then energy consumption is reduced during unnecessary periods, but the system fails to provide necessary heating or cooling when weather conditions change unexpectedly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by receiving and analyzing forecasted weather information in advance to determine future space conditioning needs. The controller proactively adjusts temperature setpoints and activates HVAC equipment before weather conditions change, rather than waiting for current conditions to trigger response. This ensures reliable heating or cooling when needed while avoiding unnecessary energy consumption during periods when conditioning won't be required.
2Ease of operation
If the thermostat only monitors current indoor temperature, then the system operation is simple and energy-efficient, but it cannot anticipate temperature changes or provide proactive conditioning
Solution Approach 1:
The thermostat performs preliminary actions by receiving forecasted weather information and analyzing it to determine future temperature trends and space conditioning needs. This allows the system to proactively adjust setpoints and activate HVAC equipment in advance of actual temperature changes, reducing response time while maintaining simple operation through automated forecast-based control logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback by continuously monitoring both current indoor temperature conditions and forecasted weather information. The controller integrates this feedback to dynamically adjust temperature setpoints and HVAC operation, ensuring responsive conditioning while maintaining simple automated operation without requiring complex user intervention.
3Device complexity
If the HVAC system activates equipment based on current conditions only, then the control logic is simple, but the system cannot prepare for upcoming temperature changes or maintain optimal comfort during weather transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The control system performs preliminary actions by analyzing forecasted weather information to determine future space conditioning needs before weather conditions actually change. The controller proactively adjusts temperature setpoints and activates HVAC equipment in advance, ensuring reliable conditioning during weather transitions while managing complexity through automated forecast-based decision logic that compares predicted conditions against historical patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, devices, and systems for space conditioning based on weather information are described herein. One device includes a memory, and a processor to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to receive forecasted weather information, determine, based on the forecasted weather information, future weather conditions, determine based on the future weather conditions and historical setpoint data, whether conditioning of a space is expected, and generate an alert in response to conditioning of the space being expected.