Patent ID: 8095233

Claim:
A system for allowing a user to regulate energy consumption of a premises containing a heating and air conditioning system (HVAC); said energy supplied by an energy provider; said system containing: a monitoring and control coordinator; a premises control communication gateway; a premises display system; a power flow sensor, and a communicating appliance interface; a. said monitoring and control coordinator in communication with the energy provider, and premises control communication gateway; b. said premises control communication gateway in communication with the monitoring and control coordinator, the premises display, sensors, and communicating appliance interface; c. said monitoring and control coordinator comprising: i. a computer having a processor and data store; ii. a user interface logic for formatting information for presentation to the user and soliciting information from the user; iii. a premises equipment interface logic for providing instructions to and receiving information from the communicating appliance interface; iv. energy provider logic for providing interaction between the monitoring and control coordinator and an applicable data interface at the energy provider; and v. a connection to the power flow sensor; said power flow sensor providing information to the monitoring and control coordinator for calculating an amount of energy being consumed at the premises and how much the energy costs; d. said premises control communications gateway receiving monitoring and control data from the monitoring and control coordinator and distributing said monitoring and control data through a premises area network to communicating appliance interface; e. said communication appliance interface containing: i. an electrical outlet and a processor for distributing and controlling consumption of power to an electric consuming device; ii. an electrical input for plugging into an electric power outlet; iii. a local power converter for providing local system power to components of the communication appliance interface; iv. a power flow sensor for measuring power delivered to the electric consuming device; and v. a premises area network transceiver for providing communications between the communication appliance interfaces and other components.