Patent ID: 8740100

Claim:
A system for reducing the usage of a ventilation system comprising: a thermostatic controller having at least two settings for a delay enforced by said thermostatic controller after said thermostatic controller turns said ventilation system off prior to allowing said thermostatic controller to signal said ventilation system to turn on again, one setting being for a first interval, and at least a second setting for a second interval that is longer than said first interval; and a computer processor in communication with said thermostatic controller, the processor configured to: access stored data comprising a plurality of internal temperature measurements taken within a structure and a plurality of outside temperature measurements relating to temperatures outside the structure; use the stored data to predict a rate of change of temperatures inside the structure in response to at least changes in outside temperatures; and evaluate one or more parameters including at least the outside temperature measurements and the predicted rate of change, and to determine whether to adopt said first interval or said second interval based upon the values of said parameters.