Patent ID: 7460930

Claim:
A compact power management device for simultaneously monitoring a plurality of individual energy sub-loads and controlling the plurality of sub-loads to control their overall energy consumption, comprising: an integrated combination monitor/controller unit, including: a multi-circuit power monitor module for directly and simultaneously monitoring energy usage of the plurality of individual energy sub-loads to generate a plurality of measurements of energy usage comprising at least one measurement of energy usage by said plurality of energy sub-loads, and a control module integrated with and operatively coupled to the monitor module for simultaneously controlling overall and individual energy usage by the plurality of energy sub-loads in a first pre-determined manner based on the plurality of measurements of energy usage, said control module for controlling overall and individual energy usage of said plurality of energy subloads via a data link, at least one program for using said plurality of measurements of energy usage, said at least one program selected from the group consisting of firmware and software, each said at least one program downloadable via a communications network, each said at least one program locally stored on the device, each said at least one program comprising at least one pre-determined algorithm, and each said at least one program comprising at least one member of the group consisting of at least one schedule, at least one setpoint and at least one report parameter; said first pre-determined manner including said control module selecting and executing said at least one program, a single housing unit for housing the monitor module and the control module within 24 inches of one another, and a local display coupled to the integrated combination monitor/control unit, wherein the communications network is operatively coupled to at least one module of the group consisting of said monitor module and said control module, wherein at least one module of the group consisting of said monitor module and said control module is configured for further performing processing to accomplish at least one of the group consisting of alarm notification, exception reporting, and periodic reporting, wherein said at least one of alarm notification, exception reporting, and periodic reporting are output to at least one of the communication network and the local display; wherein said at least one member of the group consisting of said monitor module and said control module is further configured to indirectly monitor at least one environmental variable and to generate at least one environmental measurement therefor; and wherein said control module is further configured to control said at least one environmental variable in a second pre-determined manner that is based on the at least one environmental measurement.