Patent ID: 8103388

Claim:
A power management system comprising: a plurality of electronic devices; a power grid supplying power to said electronic devices; a processor receiving data from at least one data source and further analyzing said data in order to generate a prediction as to an occurrence, at a future time, of a set of at least one condition that will trigger a voluntary reduction in overall power consumption by said electronic devices in accordance with a predetermined voluntary reduction in power consumption scheme; and a communication network between said processor and said electronic devices, said processor communicating said prediction to at least one electronic device over said communication network and, upon receiving said prediction, said at least one electronic device taking at least one predetermined preparatory action in accordance with a predetermined preparatory action scheme so as to avoid a negative impact of said voluntary reduction in power consumption, said processor further receiving from said at least one electronic device a notification as to a status of compliance with said predetermined preparatory action scheme and one of overriding and altering said predetermined voluntary reduction in power consumption scheme, based on said status, to ensure completion of a user-specified high priority task.