Abstract: An advanced remotely accessible energy control system utilizes a client/server software architecture, and an “open” communication protocol, such as the well known TCP/IP protocol for design-in remote accessibility. Multiple graphic user interface clients can operate on widely available computers incorporating operating systems which are well suited to graphic user interface functions, while the energy control server and the input/output interface components can operate on a separate computer, using other or different operating systems, which are adapted to the processing performed there. According to the invention, the graphic user interface software is resident on one or more graphic user interface consoles or clients, so that processing for formatting data for display, and processing of input actions taken by a system user are offloaded from the server to the graphic user interface clients.

Abstract: A home automation system is provided that has addressable input modules and sensors that provide input signals relating to at least one of the condition of the input modules or a sensed condition, an interface coupled to the input modules and sensors to receive and transmit the input signals and control signals, and a computer coupled to the interface and which receives the input signals from the interface and transmits the control signals to the interface. The computer receives the input signals from the interface, determines which rules of a stored set of rules are dependent on the input values, produces output values in accordance with those rules that are determined to be dependent on the input values, with at least one such rule producing output values via an arithmetic operation having more than two distinct values, generates control signals as a function of the output values, and transmits the control signals to the interface.