Patent ID: 8172153
Filing Date: 2012-05-08
Classification: F24D,F24F,G05B,G05D,Y02B

Abstract:
1. A system to control energy usage of a building, said building having a plurality of zones, said zones of the building each having a peak operating state and an off-peak operating state, said system comprising: at least one temperature sensor in each of the zones to monitor a temperature therewithin, a processor that executes computer-executable instructions to determine an off-peak temperature target as a function of a duration of an off-peak operating state of the monitored zone, as a function of a desired temperature within the monitored zone during a peak operating state of the monitored zone subsequent to said off-peak operating state, and as a function of a usage goal and energy usage of the building, said processor receiving ambient temperature information from a sensor external to the monitored zone, said ambient temperature information indicative of an ambient temperature outside the monitored zone, said received ambient temperature information corresponding to both a sensed heat and a latent heat in the ambient air outside the monitored zone, wherein the peak operating state represents that the monitored zone is in use or occupied and the off-peak operating state represents that the monitored zone is not in use or is unoccupied, wherein the off-peak temperature target is determined for optimizing overall energy usage of the monitored zone during both the peak and the off-peak operating states thereof, and wherein the processor determines the off-peak temperature target to be based on the received ambient temperature information and to be nearer the ambient temperature outside of the monitored zone, as indicated by the received ambient temperature information, than the desired temperature during the subsequent peak operation state, a controller associated with the at least one temperature sensor in each of the zones, said controller receiving and responsive to the determined off-peak temperature target for controlling a climate control system of the monitored zone to control the temperature within the monitored zone of the building during the off-peak operating state, said controller controlling the climate control system to maintain the temperature of the monitored zone between the desired temperature and the determined off-peak temperature target during the off-peak operating state, wherein the controller is responsive to the desired temperature to control the climate control system such that the temperature in the monitored zone reaches the desired temperature as said peak operating state begins and to maintain the temperature within the monitored zone of the building at about the desired temperature during the peak operating state, a network connecting the at least one temperature sensor and the controller associated therewith for the monitored zone of the building to a temperature sensor and a controller associated therewith for another zone of the building, and a memory that stores historical data representative of the temperature within the monitored zone over a period relative to information representative of a weather condition.