Patent ID: 8288889

Claim:
A method for limiting an electric power required by at least two electric loads, each of which has a predetermined priority level, the method comprising: reducing the total electric power required by the at least two electric loads according to the predetermined priority levels of the electric loads if the total electric power exceeds a predetermined threshold value by reducing, in a priority-level-wise manner, individual electric powers required by the electric loads having the predetermined priority levels by starting from electric load or loads having the lowest priority level and proceeding, one priority level at a time, towards the highest priority level until the monitored total electric power does not exceed the predetermined threshold value, wherein the reducing of the total electric power comprises: communicating individual electric powers required by the electric loads from each of the at least two electric loads to each other; monitoring in each of the at least two electric loads the total electric power required by the at least two electric loads; communicating the predetermined priority levels and predetermined minimum power levels of the electric loads from each of the at least two electric loads to each other; and determining in the electric loads if the individual electric power required by the electric load in question should be reduced on the basis of the predetermined threshold value and the information communicated from the other electric loads.