Location-Aware Thermostat Control for HVAC Energy Savings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Homeowners face challenges in reducing utility bills for HVAC systems without significant sacrifices in comfort or effort, as their schedules are often unpredictable, and existing programmable thermostats do not effectively adapt to changing locations and behaviors.
Innovation Solution
A system that connects a wireless-communication-enabled thermostat to a network, using GPS and other location services to dynamically adjust temperature set points based on the user's geographic location, thermal properties of the structure, and outdoor conditions, allowing for remote and automatic temperature setbacks and recoveries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If programmable thermostats are used to reduce energy consumption, then energy savings are achieved, but the system cannot adapt to changing user locations and unpredictable schedules
Solution Approach 1:
The thermostat system transitions from static, pre-programmed temperature schedules to dynamic, real-time adjustment based on user location data from mobile devices. The system continuously monitors GPS coordinates and automatically modifies setpoints according to the user's actual position and movement patterns, enabling adaptation to unpredictable schedules while optimizing energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements location-based feedback by continuously receiving real-time geographic data from user mobile devices and using this information to adjust thermostat setpoints. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows the system to respond dynamically to user presence or absence, resolving the contradiction between energy savings and adaptability to changing schedules.
2Ease of operation
If manual thermostat adjustment is used to maintain comfort, then comfort is preserved, but significant user effort and micromanagement are required
Solution Approach 1:
The thermostat system performs automatic temperature adjustment based on user location data without requiring manual intervention. The system autonomously monitors mobile device GPS coordinates, determines user presence or absence, and modifies setpoints accordingly, eliminating the need for user micromanagement while optimizing comfort and energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical thermostat adjustment with automated electronic control based on GPS location data. Mobile device location information substitutes for user physical interaction, automatically triggering temperature changes that would otherwise require manual thermostat manipulation, thereby reducing user effort while maintaining comfort optimization.
3Use of energy by moving object
If thermostat set point is changed to optimize energy savings, then energy consumption is reduced, but comfort may be compromised during unoccupied periods
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary temperature adjustment based on predicted user arrival time and location. By monitoring user mobility patterns and estimating time of return, the thermostat begins cooling or heating before the user arrives, ensuring comfort is restored without excessive energy consumption during unoccupied periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermostat dynamically adjusts setpoints based on real-time location data rather than applying fixed temperature changes. The system continuously evaluates user proximity and modifies temperature settings accordingly, optimizing the balance between energy savings during unoccupied periods and comfort upon user return.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of providing climate control and/or energy management in a structure having a networking thermostat. In some example embodiments the network is used to monitor a geographic location of a user device associated with a user of the structure. The monitoring may be performed to determine the location relative to a destination located apart from the structure. The network is used to control a set point of the thermostat based on the location. Additionally or alternatively, the monitoring may be performed to determine time period(s) during which the structure is unoccupied and the thermostat is set at a first set point. Energy savings that could have been realized by changing the first set point to a second set point are estimated and provided to the user.