Patent ID: 7774282

Claim:
A method for controlling the supply of at least one utility service to at least one load at a consumer site, the method comprising: communicating from an ID chip, information to a computer system about each of a plurality of different loads, wherein each ID chip communicates for its load, a first usage range representation; controlling the utility services supplied to each of the loads with a utility supply control device for each load, wherein each utility supply control device communicates with the computer system; measuring with at least one measurement device of the group comprising: at least one input measurement device that measures an input value of a utility supplied to each load, and at least one output measurement device that measures an output value of at least one product produced by each load; wherein the computer system at the consumer site has at least one processor for accessing computer readable instructions and at least one data storage device for storing computer readable instructions; communicating, with a communications device, with the computer system at the consumer site, with the utility supply control device for each load, with at least one entity not located at the consumer site, and with the ID chip of each load; storing in the computer system, with respect to each load, a response value, wherein the response value indicates whether the utility service used by a load is preventable or restrictable; receiving in the computer system, with respect to each load, from the ID chip the first usage range representation; receiving in the computer system, with respect to each load, from a second source a second usage range representation wherein the second usage range representation is different than the first usage range representation for at least one time period; generating and storing in the computer system a third usage range representation which comprises a third range of usage of the first utility service by that load that falls within one or both of the first and second usage representations; generating a supply control signal by the computer system when the response value indicates that at least one utility service used by a load is preventable or restrictable, wherein the supply control signal is further based on a comparison among the measured input value of the load, the measured output value of the product produced by the load, and the third usage range representation for the load; and communicating the supply control signal to the utility supply control device of the load to restrict or prevent the supply of the utility to the load.