Load Management Using Circuit Breaker Metering and Occupancy Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current load management systems for buildings, particularly HVAC systems, face challenges in achieving optimal energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness, as they can only estimate energy savings and are limited to improving HVAC efficiency without considering the broader energy loads within a building.
Innovation Solution
A load management system that utilizes sensors to estimate occupancy and metering information from circuit breakers to implement a dynamic load management scheme, including controlling HVAC systems based on temperature data and user preferences, optimizing energy usage across all building loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If occupancy-based control is implemented in HVAC systems, then energy efficiency of HVAC system is improved, but the solution is limited to HVAC systems only and cannot improve efficiency of all loads in the building
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit breaker is designed to perform multiple functions: traditional circuit protection, occupancy detection through sensors, energy metering, and load management control. This multi-functional design allows the system to manage energy across all loads connected to the circuit breaker, not just HVAC systems, thereby resolving the limitation of occupancy-based control being restricted to HVAC-only applications
2Use of energy by moving object
If occupancy-based control is used in HVAC systems, then HVAC efficiency is improved, but the solution can only estimate energy savings and cannot provide precise measurement
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates a metering circuit that provides real-time feedback on actual energy consumption of loads. This feedback mechanism allows the controller to precisely measure energy savings achieved through load management actions, moving beyond estimation to accurate quantification of efficiency improvements
3Use of energy by moving object
If load management system controls all loads based on occupancy, then overall building energy efficiency is improved, but the system complexity increases with multiple sensors and circuit breakers
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges previously separate functions into integrated circuit breakers that combine occupancy sensing, energy metering, and load control capabilities in a single device. This consolidation reduces the number of separate components needed throughout the building, thereby managing system complexity while maintaining comprehensive load management functionality
Data Source
AI summary
A load management system including a number of sensors structured to sense characteristics of a managed area, a controller including a processor structured to estimate occupancy of the managed area based on outputs of the number of sensors and to implement a load management scheme, a number of circuit breakers, at least one of the number of circuit breakers being electrically connected to a corresponding load circuit and including a metering circuit structured to meter energy provided to the load circuit and a device control unit structured to control one or more load devices electrically connected to the load circuit based on the load management scheme. The processor is structured to implement the load management scheme based on outputs of the sensors and metering information of one or more of the circuit breakers.