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EP-2972654-B1 - UTILITY PORTALS FOR MANAGING DEMAND-RESPONSE EVENTS

EP2972654B1EP 2972654 B1EP2972654 B1EP 2972654B1EP-2972654-B1

Inventors

  • MATSUOKA, YOKY
  • FADELL, ANTHONY, MICHAEL
  • ROGERS, MATTHEW, LEE
  • SLOO, DAVID
  • MCGARAGHAN, Scott, A.
  • KORZ, Samuel, Ward

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20140307

Claims (10)

  1. A utility portal interface having an input/output element (3400; 3401; 3403; 3404; 3405; 3406; 3407; 3600; 3700; 3800) for use by a utility company for managing demand response events (3485, 3486), the utility portal interface comprising: a customer management module (3424) operable to enable a utility operator to assign, by input via the input/output element, at least one parameter to each energy consumer (3434) that is enrolled to participate in a demand response program, wherein the at least one parameter associates each energy consumer with at least one of a plurality of groups; and a scheduling module (3422) operable to: enable the utility operator to define, by input via the input/output element, at least one attribute of a future demand response event, wherein the at least one attribute comprises (i) at least one of a date (3451) at which the future demand response event is to begin, a demand response event period (3452), and (ii) an identity of at least one of the groups of energy consumers (3434) for potential inclusion in the future demand response event; display, at the input/output element, information associated with at least one of the identified groups, wherein the information comprises an indication (3458) as to whether the at least one identified group is available for inclusion in the future demand response event and how much energy would be saved if the at least one identified group participated in the demand response event; and enable the utility operator to selectively include, by input via the input/output element, at least one of the available identified group(s) for participation in the future demand response event.
  2. The utility portal interface of claim 1, wherein the scheduling module is further operable to limit (3460) the number of times a particular one of the groups can be included in a future demand response event within a predetermined time period.
  3. The utility portal interface of claim 1, wherein the scheduling module is further operable to impose a submission deadline (3453) by when the utility operator must submit a request for the future demand response event.
  4. The utility portal interface of claim 1, wherein the scheduling module comprises a utility operating parameters region (3630) operable to: enable the utility operator to enter at least one of an energy production capacity (3632) and an energy demand profile (3634); and display a graph (3640) that comprises a graphical representation of the at least one of the energy production capacity and the energy demand profile; and optionally, wherein the graph further comprises a graphical representation of a demand response energy profile (3644 ), and wherein the graphical representation of the demand response energy profile is dynamically updated as each selectively included group is included by the utility operator.
  5. The utility portal interface of claim 1, wherein the scheduling module is further operable to display active demand response events (3470), wherein each displayed active demand response event comprises information identifying group information, date and event period information (34 72), and statistical information associated with customer premises control units involved in the active demand response event, and optionally, wherein the statistical information comprises confirmation statistics of customer premises control units that have successfully received a signal corresponding to the future demand response event wherein the confirmation statistics may be updated on one of areal-time basis and a periodic basis.
  6. The utility portal interface of claim 1, wherein the scheduling module is further operable to display previously implemented demand response events (3480), wherein each displayed previously implemented demand response event comprises information identifying group information (3485, 3486), date and event period information (3482), and statistical information associated with customer premises control units involved in the active demand response event, and optionally, wherein the statistical information comprises confirmation statistics for customer premises control units that have successfully received a signal corresponding to the future demand response event.
  7. The utility portal interface of claim 1, wherein the scheduling module is further operable to: display aggregated statistical information for each group identified for potential inclusion in the future demand response period event; and display an interactive demand response request button (3466) selectable by the utility operator to include each identified group in the future demand response event.
  8. The utility portal interface of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises one of an approved status to participate in the demand response program and a not approved status to participate in the demand response program, and wherein each energy consumer is assigned one of the approved status and the non-approved status.
  9. The utility portal interface of claim 1, wherein the parameters assigned to each energy customer are provided to an energy management system that communicates with a population of structures comprising environmental cooling systems controlled by a respective population of network-controlled thermostats (202), and wherein a subset of the population of structures comprises the energy consumers that are enrolled to participate in the demand response program.
  10. The utility portal interface of claim 1, wherein the customer module is further operable to: download data from an energy management system, the data comprising information for a plurality of energy consumers enrolled to participate in the demand response program; enable the utility operator to change the data for at least one of the plurality of energy consumers; and upload the data to the energy management system; and optionally, wherein, after the data is uploaded to the energy management system, the customer module is further operable to display summary information.

Description

This patent specification relates to utility portals for managing demand response events. More particularly, this patent specification relates to user interfaces that enable utility companies to communicate information to an energy management system that can implement energy shifting techniques for a population of structures having environmental cooling systems controlled by a respective population of network-connected thermostats. BACKGROUND Utility companies face ongoing challenges with consistently satisfying the demand for electricity. Facilities for generating electricity are typically well-suited for supplying constant amounts of electricity. However, consumers' demand for electricity is often quite the opposite in that the aggregate electricity demand varies significantly over the course of the delay. The daily variance results in one or more 'peak' demand times or periods in which demand on the utility company is greatest, and 'non-peak' demand times or periods in which demand on the utility company is reduced. The variance in demand over the course of a day may be impacted by a number of factors such as weather and living patterns. For example, during the summertime, demand generally tends to increase as the outside temperature increases to levels considered uncomfortable as consumers increase their usage of high consumption appliances such as air conditioning systems. Demand also generally tends to vary based on work habits, where demand peaks when people leave for work and again when people return from work. During some points in the year, such as during extremely hot days, demand may reach extreme peaks. Utility companies have a variety of options for dealing with the variable demand for energy. They may, for example, increase their ability to satisfy higher peak demands by building additional power plants. However, the costs of doing so are often prohibitive and building such plants is often inefficient as the added capacity is used for only short durations throughout the year. They may buy additional capacity from other utility company's or energy providers, but doing so is also costly as such company's may charge a premium and the energy transfer from those other companies is often less efficient. Instead of increasing supply, utility companies may also address peak demands by reducing the demand via load shedding. Load shedding is a technique in which the utility company reduces the amount of energy demanded by its consumers during a period of peak demand. A variety of load shedding techniques are in use today, most of which are based on the utility company directly controlling the cooling systems of its consumers. During such peak demand periods the utility company controls the cooling systems to reduce their energy demand. Such events, which most often take place on very hot days in the mid-to-late afternoon and have a duration in the general range of two to six hours, are referenced in the literature by a variety of different names such as load shedding events, load shifting events, and demand response events. The goal of the utility company in carrying out such events is not necessarily to reduce the total amount of energy consumed over the whole day, but rather to reduce the peak demand during that particular two-to-six hour interval, i.e., during the load shedding interval or demand-response interval. Typically, the end result is that the energy that would have been consumed during the load shedding interval is instead consumed in the hours subsequent to the load shedding interval, as the cooling systems of the participating homes work to regain their cooler normal setpoint temperature. Such control, of course, often creates an inconvenience to the consumers who sign up to participate in such a 'demand response program' as their cooling system may not cool their residence as expected. However, in return for this inconvenience the consumer is often granted certain benefits, such as more favorable rates for energy consumed outside of the peak demand period. One common load shedding technique, often referred to as direct load control, involves the periodic on-and-off cycling of power to the cooling system of each participating customer under the direct control of the utility during the load shedding period. In such a method, a remotely controllable switch is installed on the cooling system of each customer and is operable to disconnect power to the cooling system under the direct control of the utility company. The power to the cooling system may then be directly controlled by the utility company such that it is turned off for regular, fixed time intervals during a peak demand period. Consumers may express some degree of animosity towards such a technique, however, as direct load control results in a lack of control by the consumer of their cooling system, and often results in inside temperatures that are found to be uncomfortable by the consumer. Deficiencies in the communication link be