Thermostat Temperature Offset Control for Peak Load Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional thermostats face challenges in reliably reducing air conditioner operation during peak demand periods, as users often override utility-set temperature changes, leading to ineffective energy curtailment and increased costs for both consumers and utility providers.
Innovation Solution
The development of thermostats with sensors and controllers that apply temperature offsets to reduce heating or cooling operations without altering the set-point temperature, allowing for transparent energy savings by maintaining the user's selected temperature setting while reducing energy demand, thus avoiding user override and simplifying software complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the utility provider changes the set point temperature of the thermostat to reduce air conditioner operation, then energy consumption is reduced, but the user may override the utility change to the set-point temperature setting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (temperature offset) between the utility's load reduction request and the thermostat's set-point temperature. Instead of directly changing the set-point temperature which users can see and override, the system applies a temporary offset to the determined temperature value used for controlling the air conditioner. This intermediary approach allows load reduction while keeping the displayed set-point temperature unchanged, preventing user override.
2Loss of energy
If the thermostat applies a predetermined temperature offset to reduce energy usage, then energy consumption is reduced, but the user may respond by over-riding the utility change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a temperature offset as an intermediary that affects the determined temperature value used for control decisions, while leaving the displayed set-point temperature unchanged. This allows the system to reduce energy consumption through the offset mechanism without presenting a visible change to users that would prompt them to override the setting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the temperature control mechanism by maintaining both the displayed set-point temperature (which remains unchanged for user acceptance) and the determined temperature value (which includes the offset for load reduction). This copying approach allows the system to achieve load reduction while maintaining user-perceived comfort and acceptance.
3Reliability
If the thermostat uses complex software to manage load shedding, then load reduction reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the load reduction functionality from complex software control and implements it through a simple temperature offset mechanism. By removing the need for complex load shedding software and relying instead on a straightforward offset application to the determined temperature value, the system achieves reliable load reduction with minimal software complexity and lower device cost.
Data Source
AI summary
A thermostat is provided that is capable of reliably reducing the operation of an air conditioner and other systems to provide energy cost savings to the consumer and load reduction to a utility provider. The thermostat includes at least one sensor configured to communicate information indicative of the temperature within the space, and a memory for storing at least one temperature offset value associated with a request for reduced heating or reduced cooling operation. The thermostat further includes a controller in communication with the at least one sensor, which is configured to periodically determine a temperature value for the space and to control heating or cooling of the space until the determined temperature value has substantially reached the set-point temperature. The periodically determined temperature value is in part based on information received from the at least one sensor, and may include at least one temperature offset value when a request for reduced operation has been received by the thermostat.