Methods and system for building energy split calculation and visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current commercial building energy bills are calculated at the building level, making it difficult for individual occupants to understand and improve energy efficiency, as they lack personalized energy usage data, which is essential for motivating energy savings.
Innovation Solution
A software-centric method that splits whole building energy consumption across zones using sensor data from VAV boxes, electric meters, gas meters, and ventilation systems, providing zone-specific energy consumption data and visualizations to occupants, without the need for additional hardware installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If additional hardware sensors are installed to monitor energy usage at individual room or zone level, then measurement precision of zone energy consumption is improved, but device complexity and initial investment cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses existing VAV box sensors as intermediaries to infer zone energy consumption. Instead of installing new sensors, the system leverages airflow measurement data from VAV boxes combined with weather data and building models to calculate energy splits, thereby avoiding additional hardware while achieving zone-level measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual model of building energy consumption by copying and processing data from existing sensors through software algorithms. The system generates virtual energy split data that mirrors what physical sensors would measure, eliminating the need for additional hardware installation while providing accurate zone-level energy consumption information
2Device complexity
If building-level energy monitoring is maintained without zone-level splitting, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of information regarding individual occupant energy usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments building-level energy consumption data into zone-level components by processing existing sensor data through energy split algorithms. The system divides total building energy usage by zone based on VAV box airflow measurements and environmental factors, providing detailed occupant energy information without requiring separate monitoring infrastructure for each zone
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms aggregate building energy consumption data into zone-specific energy split data by changing the parameter granularity. The system processes existing sensor readings through computational models that allocate energy consumption to individual zones based on airflow, temperature, and occupancy parameters, thereby extracting detailed information from coarse-grained measurements
Data Source
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AI summary
A computer-implemented method of splitting whole building energy consumption includes collecting sensor data from a plurality Variable Air Volume (VAV) boxes in a building, an electric meter in the building, and a gas meter in the building. The total heating energy consumption is split across a plurality of zones within the building using the sensor data, thereby yielding heating energy consumption for each zone. The total cooling energy consumption is split across the plurality of zones using the sensor data, thereby yielding cooling energy consumption for each zone and the total ventilation energy consumption is split across the plurality of zones using the sensor data, thereby yielding ventilation energy consumption for each zone. Zone energy consumption by aggregating the heating energy consumption for the zone, the cooling energy consumption for the zone, and the ventilation energy consumption for the zone.