Thermal modeling technology

The patent introduces thermal models as intermediary computational representations that bridge the gap between readily available temperature/weather data and the desired energy consumption measurements. These models act as mediators that translate observable thermal behavior into inferred energy usage without requiring direct power readings, thus maintaining measurement precision while improving ease of deployment.

The patent replaces the mechanical measurement system (power meters and direct electrical measurements) with a computational modeling system that uses thermal physics principles. Instead of mechanically measuring energy consumption through power readings, the system substitutes this with computational inference based on temperature dynamics and weather conditions, achieving the same information goal through a different physical and methodological approach.

The patent segments the total heat gain into distinct components: internal heat gains (from occupants, appliances, lighting) and external heat gains (from heating/cooling systems). This segmentation allows the model to independently characterize and measure each source, improving overall measurement precision by isolating previously conflated thermal effects while managing complexity through modular decomposition.

The patent introduces additional parameters to the thermal model, specifically internal heat gain rates and their temporal profiles, to capture previously unmodeled thermal sources. By changing the model's parameters to include these distinct heat gain components, the system achieves more precise thermal behavior measurement while the increased complexity is offset by the use of standard building physics parameters that can be estimated from routine operational data.