Abstract: An energy controller maintains the total power delivered to an establishment close to a power limit so as to ensure shared operation of all curtailed loads by computing a cumulative priority value (CPV) for each load. The CPV of a particular load is the positive product of a "user-set priority" for that load and the amount of time that load has been shed, or is the negative product of the user-set priority and the amount of time that load has been restored. A processor makes decisions whether to shed or restore a certain load on the basis of the relation of the CPV of that load to the CPV's of the other loads. Loads with the highest CPV's are restored first and loads with the lowest CPV's are shed first. The power limit is adjusted between upper and lower bounds to reflect recent power usage patterns. A minor average and a major average, each of which is most "weighted" by recent power readings, are computed.

Abstract: A power shedding-restoring system for controlling delivery of electrical energy from a power line to a residence having a plurality of controlled loads with predetermined priorities includes a plurality of load relays, a circuit for measuring total power delivered to the residence, a computer for computing and storing a shed value for each controlled load as it is shed, a minor average equal to the average power delivered to the residence over the past minute, and a major average equal to the average power delivered to the residence over the past hour. The computer also stores a power limit preset by the residence owner, and compares the minor average and the major average to the power limit. If the minor average and the major average both exceed the power limit, the system sheds the lowest priority controlled load that is presently electrically connected to the power line.