Patent ID: 7711651

Claim:
An apparatus located at a consumer site for controlling usage of a utility by each one of a plurality of loads at the consumer site, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of different loads located at a consumer site; an ID chip that communicates information about each of the different loads, wherein each ID chip communicates for its load, a first usage range representation; a utility usage control device for each of the different loads that communicates with a computer system and controls the utility services used by each of the loads; at least one input measurement device for each of the different loads that communicates with the computer system and provides a measured input value of at least one utility supplied to each load; at least one output measurement device that communicates with the computer system and provides a measured output value of at least one product produced by each load; the computer system at the consumer site having at least one computer processor for accessing computer readable instructions and at least one data storage device for storing computer readable instructions; a communications device that communicates with the computer system at the consumer site, the utility usage control device of each load, at least one entity not located at the consumer site, and with the ID chip of each load; wherein the computer system, with respect to each load, stores a response value, wherein the response value indicates whether the utility service used by a load is interruptible; wherein the computer system, with respect to each load, receives from the ID chip the first usage range representation; wherein the computer system, with respect to each load, receives 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; wherein the computer system, with respect to each load, generates a third usage range representation which comprises a third range of usage of the utility service by that load which falls within both of the first and second usage range representations; and wherein when the response value indicates that at least one utility service used by a load is interruptible, the computer system, generates a control signal for the load based on a comparison between 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, wherein the control signal directs the utility usage control device of the load to regulate the usage of the utility by the load.