Patent ID: 7991513
Filing Date: 2011-08-02
Classification: G06Q,Y04S

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: obtaining an electrical energy pricing structure from an electrical utility providing electrical energy to a consumer, the electrical energy pricing structure comprising a first tiered marginal rate schedule for electrical energy usage occurring during a first rate period within a billing period and a different second tiered marginal rate schedule for electrical energy usage occurring during a second rate period within the billing period; projecting, based at least in part on historical data pertaining to time-dependent and load-specific usage of electrical energy by a plurality of electrical energy loads of the consumer, a first electrical energy usage by a first load of the plurality of electrical energy loads during at least one first time increment within a current or future electrical energy billing period and a second electrical energy usage by a second load of the plurality of electrical energy loads during at least one second time increment within the current or future electrical energy billing period; generating a first load reduction and redistribution matrix, the generating of the first load reduction and redistribution matrix comprising scheduling the first time increment to occur during the first rate period and the second time increment to occur during the second rate period based at least on a predetermined prioritization pattern; calculating, based on the electrical energy pricing structure, a first cost associated with energy usage scheduled according to the first load reduction and redistribution matrix; scheduling the first time increment and the second time increment during the billing period according to the first load reduction and redistribution matrix if the first cost is lower than a threshold; generating a second load reduction and redistribution matrix if the first cost is not lower than the threshold, the generating of the second load reduction and redistribution matrix comprising scheduling at least one of the first time increment and the second time increment to occur during a different rate period within the billing period than in the first load reduction and redistribution matrix; calculating, based on the electrical energy pricing structure, a second cost associated with energy usage scheduled according to the second load reduction and redistribution matrix; and scheduling the first time increment and the second time increment during the billing period according to the second load reduction and redistribution matrix if the second cost is lower than the threshold; wherein at least one of the obtaining, the projecting, the generating, the calculating, and the scheduling is performed by at least one processor.