Patent ID: 8761944

Claim:
A thermostat for monitoring the energy consumption associated with an HVAC unit having an electrically powered compressor, comprising: a sensor that provides an output indicative of a temperature within a space of a premises; a processor for controlling activation of at least the compressor of the HVAC unit to control the temperature in the space relative to a desired set-point temperature, the processor being configured to receive energy consumption load measurements from a utility meter for the premises prior to activation of the compressor and subsequent to activation of the compressor, and further configured to estimate the energy consumption of the HVAC unit based at least in part upon the difference between the energy consumption load measurement prior to activation and the energy consumption load measurement subsequent to activation of the compressor; a display that displays an indication of the energy consumption of the HVAC system based at least in part upon the estimate; a gateway for enabling connection via the internet to a website, wherein the thermostat is configured to communicate the information on the energy consumption associated with the HVAC unit to the gateway to permit an energy service provider to access the information on the energy consumption for the HVAC unit; wherein the thermostat is configured to monitor a duration of time in which the compressor is activated; and wherein the thermostat is configured to receive energy consumption information from a utility meter for the premises in terms of the rate of power usage expressed in units of kilowatts, such that the difference between energy consumption prior to and subsequent to activation of the compressor is indicative of an increase in the rate of power usage expressed in kilowatts, and the estimate of consumption is based on the increase in the rate of power usage and the time duration that the HVAC unit was activated.