METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING AN ENERGY AUDIT

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for performing an energy audit are disclosed, including using one or more current sensors clamped to an existing lighting system to measure one or more current or voltage signals over a first period of time; calculating a first power usage from the one or more current or voltage signals; replacing the existing lighting system with a replacement lighting system; using the one or more current sensors to measure one or more current or voltage signals of the replacement lighting system over a second period of time; calculating a second power usage from the one or more current or voltage signals; determining a power difference between the first power usage and the second power usage; using the power difference to estimate a cost savings between the first period of time and the second period of time; and generating an energy audit report. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Provisional Patent Application No. 62/027,627, filed Jul. 22, 2014, Provisional Patent Application No. 62/027,626, filed Jul. 22, 2014, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. Furthermore, the Nonprovisional patent application entitled “Methods, Systems, and Apparatus for the Monitoring, Controlling, and Communicating of Lighting Systems”, filed Jul. 22, 2015, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The disclosure relates generally to the field of performing an energy audit. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for creating an energy audit report by measuring the power usage with existing lighting, measuring the power usage with new lighting, and comparing the power usage between the existing lighting and the new lighting to estimate a cost savings.

The LED lighting market it is expected to reach $45 billion annually in the United States by 2020. Energy audits are helping to grow the LED lighting market as companies and individuals are able to see the cost savings and advantages in changing from traditional lighting to new, higher efficiency LED lighting. Current energy auditing systems cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and once installed are not designed to be removed. Additionally, current energy audit systems take 2 to 3 months in order to generate an energy audit of a facility.

SUMMARY

In one respect, disclosed is a method for performing an energy audit, the method comprising: using a current sensor in electrical communication with existing first lighting system to measure at least one of a current and voltage signal over a first period of time; calculating a first power usage from at least one of a current and voltage signals measured over the first period of time; using at least one current sensor in electrical communication with a second lighting system to measure at least one of a current and voltage signal of the second lighting system over a second period of time; calculating a second power usage from the at least one of a current and voltage signal measured over the second period of time; determining a power difference between the first power usage and the second power usage; using the power difference to estimate a cost savings over a period of time; and generating an energy audit report.

In one respect, disclosed is an apparatus for performing an energy audit, the apparatus comprising: an electric power monitor comprising: a housing; a system bus within the housing; one or more processors coupled to the system bus; system memory coupled to the one or more processors; one or more non-transitory memory units coupled to the one or more processors; a power port coupled to the system bus; a communication port coupled to the system bus; one or more current sensor ports coupled to the system bus; and power usage code stored on the one or more non-transitory memory units; and one or more current sensors coupled to the one or more current sensor ports; wherein the power usage code when executed by the one or more processors is configured to perform a method, comprising: using the one or more current sensors to measure one or more current or voltage signals over a first period of time; calculating a first power usage from the one or more current or voltage signals measured over the first period of time; using the one or more current sensors to measure one or more current or voltage signals over a second period of time; calculating a second power usage from the one or more current or voltage signals measured over the second period of time; and calculating a power difference between the first power usage and the second power usage.

In another respect, disclosed is an apparatus for performing an energy audit, the apparatus comprising: an electric power monitor comprising: a housing; a system bus within the housing; one or more processors coupled to the system bus; system memory coupled to the one or more processors; one or more non-transitory memory units coupled to the one or more processors; one or more hard drives coupled to the system bus; a GPS module coupled to the system bus; a power port coupled to the system bus; an external power source coupled to the power port; an internal battery coupled to the system bus; a communication port coupled to the system bus, wherein the communication port comprising at least one of: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, 6LoWPan, ZigBee, and a cellular network radio; an expansion port coupled to the system bus; one or more current sensor ports coupled to the system bus; a digital readout display coupled to the system bus; a communication connection indicator coupled to the system bus, wherein the communication connection indicator comprising at least one of: a Wi-Fi indicator, an Ethernet indicator, a Bluetooth indicator, a 6LoWPan indicator, a ZigBee indicator, and a cellular network indicator; one or more current sensor indicators coupled to the system bus; and power usage code stored on the one or more non-transitory memory units; one or more current sensors coupled to the one or more current sensor ports, wherein the one or more current sensors comprising Hall Effect current sensors or core current transformers; an expansion module coupled to the expansion port; a communication gateway coupled to the communication port, wherein the communication gateway is connected to a cloud; a local server and/or a mobile device connected to the communication gateway; and a remote server and/or the mobile device connected to the cloud and configured to communicate with the electric power monitor through the communication gateway; wherein the power usage code when executed by the one or more processors is configured to perform a method, comprising: using the one or more current sensors to measure one or more current or voltage signals over a first period of time; calculating a first power usage from the one or more current or voltage signals measured over the first period of time; using the one or more current sensors to measure one or more current or voltage signals over a second period of time; calculating a second power usage from the one or more current or voltage signals measured over the second period of time; calculating a power difference between the first power usage and the second power usage; using the power difference to estimate a cost savings between the first period of time and the second period of time; and generating an energy audit report.

Numerous additional embodiments are also possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the disclosure may become apparent upon reading the detailed description and upon reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for performing an energy audit, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for performing an energy audit, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a method for identifying and detecting threats to an enterprise or e-commerce system, in accordance with some embodiments.

While the disclosure subject matter is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and the accompanying detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments. This disclosure is instead intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more embodiments of the disclosed subject matter are described below. It should be noted that these and any other embodiments are exemplary and are intended to be illustrative of the invention rather than limiting. While the invention is widely applicable to different types of systems, it is impossible to include all of the possible embodiments and contexts of the invention in this disclosure. Upon reading this disclosure, many alternative embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art.

The embodiment or embodiments described herein solve these problems and others by proposing a new method and apparatus for performing an energy audit. The new method and apparatus uses a compact, portable electric power monitor to measure and calculate a first power usage of existing lighting over a first period of time, to measure and calculate a second power usage of new LED lighting over a second period of time, to determine a power difference between the first power usage and the second power usage, to use the power difference to estimate a cost savings between the first period of time and the second period of time, and to generate an energy audit report. Unlike current energy audit systems, the new method and apparatus may be capable of generating an energy audit report in approximately 14 days, thus increasing the likelihood that the company or individual will proceed with an LED lighting installation. Additionally, after the compact, portable electric power monitor has been used for energy audits in a variety of locations and facilities, the user is able to build a massive cross-section of energy usage data across industries, which ultimately would allow the user to accurately generate an energy audit for a given facility without having to deploy the compact, portable electric power monitor.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for performing an energy audit, in accordance with some embodiments.

In some embodiments, apparatus 100 may comprise an electric power monitor 105 comprising a housing 107, a system bus 109, one or more processors 111, system memory 113, one or more non-transitory memory units 115, one or more hard drives 117, a power port 119, an internal battery 121, a communication port 123, an expansion port 125, one or more current sensor ports 127, a digital readout display 129, a communication connection indicator 131, one or more current sensor indicators 133, and a GPS module 135, all of which are directly or indirectly coupled to each other. The housing 107 of the electric power monitor 105 may be ruggedized and watertight, thus permitting the data gathering from externally located lamps. The electric power monitor 105 may be powered by the internal battery 121 or by an external power source 140 through the power port 119. The external power source 140 may be a standard power cord plugged into a 120 v power source or a power line clamp that is capable of tapping into the power line of the lamps/lighting to be measured. The communication port 123 may comprise at least one of a Wi-Fi radio, an Ethernet port, and a cellular network radio and allows for the communication between the electric power monitor 105 and external devices. For Wi-Fi and Ethernet, communication is established through a communication gateway 145 such as a router/modem. Using an electric power monitor web portal or an electric power monitor app, a local server 150 and/or a mobile device 155 may be used to communicate with the electric power monitor 105 through the communication gateway 145. Additionally, the communication gateway 145 may be connected to the Internet 160, thus making it possible for a remote server 165 and/or the mobile device 155, using an electric power monitor web portal or an electric power monitor app, to communicate with the electric power monitor 105. The status of the communication gateway's connection to the Internet 160 may be shown on a communication connection indicator 131. The electric power monitor 105 may also be connected to the Internet 160 through a cell phone tower if the communication port 123 comprises a cellular network radio. For short range, local communication, the communication port 123 may further comprise at least one of a Bluetooth radio, 6LoWPan radio, and ZigBee radio. In situations where external communication with the electric power monitor 105 is unavailable, the data gathered may always be retrieved later as the data may be stored internally on the one or more hard drives 117.

In some embodiments, the electric power monitor 105 uses one or more current sensors 170 coupled to the one or more current sensor ports 127 to measure the current of a single lamp, a single fixture, and/or a series of fixtures. The one or more current sensor, may comprise a Hall Effect current sensor or core current transformers, such as, for example, Chen Yang's CYHCT-C2TC current sensor or EChun Electronic's ECS1030-L72 current transformer, respectively. With the Hall Effect current sensor, it is possible to automatically sense the line voltage, whereas with the core current transformer, the voltage drop across a resistor of known value has to be measured in order to determine the line voltage. The one or more current sensor indicators 133 may show the status of the one or more current sensor ports 127. The measured space may be a room, a series of rooms, or even an entire space envelope. If more current sensors are needed and the current sensor ports 127 are all being used, an expansion module 175 may be coupled to the expansion port 125 in order to provide more current sensor ports beyond those integrated into the electric power monitor 105. The digital readout display 129 may be used to display information regarding the status of the electric power monitor 105 and any acquired data. The GPS module 135 may provide location data for the electric power monitor 105 and may allow for the traceability of the electric power monitor 105 in event of its theft.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for performing an energy audit, in accordance with some embodiments.

In some embodiments, apparatus 200 may comprise an electric power monitor 205 comprising a housing 207, a system bus 209, one or more processors 211, system memory 213, one or more non-transitory memory units 215, a power port 219, a communication port 223, and one or more current sensor ports 227, all of which are directly or indirectly coupled to each other. The housing 207 of the electric power monitor 207 may be ruggedized and watertight, thus permitting the data gathering from externally located lamps. An external power source 240 may power the electric power monitor 205 through the power port 219. The external power source 240 may be a standard power cord plugged into a 120 v power source or a power line clamp that is capable of tapping into the power line of the lamps/lighting to be measured. The communication port 223 may comprise at least one of a Wi-Fi radio, an Ethernet port, and a cellular network radio and allows for the communication between the electric power monitor 205 and external devices. For Wi-Fi and Ethernet, communication may be established through a communication gateway 245 such as a router/modem. Using an electric power monitor web portal or an electric power monitor app, a local server 250 and/or a mobile device 255 may be used to communicate with the electric power monitor 205 through the communication gateway 245. Additionally, the communication gateway 245 may be connected to the Internet 260, thus making it possible for a remote server 265 and/or the mobile device 255, using an electric power monitor web portal or an electric power monitor app, to communicate with the electric power monitor 205. The electric power monitor 205 may also be connected to the Internet 260 through a cell phone tower if the communication port 223 comprises a cellular network radio. For short range, local communication, the communication port 223 may further comprise at least one of a Bluetooth radio, 6LoWPan radio, and ZigBee radio.

In some embodiments, the electric power monitor 205 uses one or more current sensors 270 coupled to the one or more current sensor ports 227 to measure the current of a single lamp, a single fixture, and/or a series of fixtures. The one or more current sensors 270 may comprise a Hall Effect current sensor or core current transformers, such as, for example, Chen Yang's CYHCT-C2TC current sensor or EChun Electronic's ECS1030-L72 current transformer, respectively. With the Hall Effect current sensor, it is possible to automatically sense the line voltage, whereas with the core current transformer, the voltage drop across a resistor of known value has to be measured in order to determine the line voltage. The measured space may be a room, a series of rooms, or even an entire space envelope.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a method for identifying and detecting threats to an enterprise or e-commerce system, in accordance with some embodiments.

In some embodiments, power usage code may be stored on the one or more non-transitory memory units 215 and executed by the one or more processors 211 to perform a method for performing an energy audit. The method illustrated in FIG. 3 may be performed by one or more of the apparatuses illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Processing begins at 300 whereupon, at block 305, one or more current sensors are clamped to the power lines of a lighting system to measure one or more current or voltage signals over a first period of time. The lighting system may comprise a single lamp, a single fixture, and/or a series of fixtures. In some embodiments, the first period of time may comprise seven days.

At block 310, a first power usage from the one or more current or voltage signals measured over the first period of time is calculated from the relationship of P=IV, where P is the calculated power, I is the measured current, and V is the line voltage.

At block 315, the existing lighting of the lighting system is replaced with an LED lighting system.

At block 320, the one or more current sensors are used to measure one or more current or voltage signals over a second period of time. In some embodiments, the second period of time may comprise seven days.

At block 325, a second power usage from the one or more current or voltage signals measured over the second period of time is calculated from the relationship of P=IV.

At block 330, a power difference between the first power usage and the second power usage is calculated.

At block 335, a cost savings between the first period of time and the second period of time is estimated from the calculated power difference, the current estimated cost of labor, the current cost of electricity, the estimated number of lamps and ballasts of the existing lighting system, the estimated cost of lamps and ballasts of the existing lighting system, the estimated lamp and ballast life of the existing lighting system, the estimated labor time for replacement of lamps and ballasts of the existing lighting system, the cost of the LED lighting system, and any applicable utility company rebates for installation of the LED lighting system.

At block 340, an energy audit report is generated. In some embodiments, the energy audit report may comprise a table showing a breakdown of the cost savings for replacing the first lighting system with the LED lighting system. In the table, the cost of operation of the existing lighting system may be presented alongside the cost of operation of the LED lighting system or that of any other proposed second lighting system. The table may also show the cost savings, both electrical and with maintenance accrual, and the reduction in energy use between the current lighting system and a second lighting system. The table may also include the cost of the LED lighting system or proposed second lighting system and the return on investment. In some embodiments, the energy audit report may further comprise a graphical representation of the power used over a period of time, a graphical representation of the annual cost of operation for the first lighting system and the LED lighting system, and a graphical representation of the return on investment of implementing the LED lighting system. Processing subsequently ends at 399.\

In embodiments, the second lighting system may replace the first lighting system.

In embodiments, the estimated cost savings may be extrapolated, based on the comparison between the first power usage and the second power usage, to any desired time period. Similarly, the audit report may produce outputs that show information extrapolated, based on the measurement taken, over any arbitrary period of time.

Some embodiments described herein relate to a computer storage product with one or more non-transitory memory units having instructions or computer code thereon for performing various computer-implemented operations. The one or more memory units are non-transitory in the sense that they do not include transitory propagating signals per se (e.g., a propagating electromagnetic wave carrying information on a transmission medium such as space or a cable). The one or more memory units and computer code (also can be referred to as code) may be those designed and constructed for the specific purpose or purposes. Examples of one or more memory units include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical storage media such as Compact Disc/Digital Video Discs (CD/DVDs), Compact Disc-Read Only Memories (CD-ROMs), and holographic devices; magneto-optical storage media such as optical disks; carrier wave signal processing modules; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and execute program code, such as Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Read-Only Memory (ROM), and Random-Access Memory (RAM) devices.

Examples of computer code include, but are not limited to, micro-code or micro-instructions, machine instructions, such as produced by a compiler, code used to produce a web service, and files containing higher-level instructions that are executed by a computer using an interpreter. For example, embodiments may be implemented using Java, C++, Python, C, or other programming languages (e.g., object-oriented programming languages) and development tools. Additional examples of computer code include, but are not limited to, control signals, encrypted code, database code, and compressed code.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

The benefits and advantages that may be provided by the present disclosure have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. These benefits and advantages, and any elements or limitations that may cause them to occur or to become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features of any or all of the claims. As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variations thereof, are intended to be interpreted as non-exclusively including the elements or limitations which follow those terms. Accordingly, a system, method, or other embodiment that comprises a set of elements is not limited to only those elements, and may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to the claimed embodiment.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it should be understood that the embodiments are illustrative and that the scope of the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Many variations, modifications, additions and improvements to the embodiments described above are possible. It is contemplated that these variations, modifications, additions and improvements fall within the scope of the disclosure as detailed within the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for performing an energy audit, the method comprising:

using at least one current sensor in electrical communication with a first lighting system to measure at least one of a current and voltage signal over a first period of time;

calculating a first power usage from the at least one of a current and voltage signal measured over the first period of time;

using the at least one current sensor in electrical communication with a secondary lighting system to measure at least one of a current and voltage signal of replacement second lighting system over a second period of time;

calculating a second power usage from the at least one of a current and voltage signal measured over the second period of time; and

determining a power difference between the first power usage and the second power usage.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising using the power difference between the first power usage and the second power usage to estimate a cost savings over a period of time.

3. The method of claim 2, the method further comprising generating an energy audit report, the energy audit report comprising at least one of: a breakdown of the cost savings for replacing the first lighting system with the second lighting system, a graphical representation of the first power usage and the second power usage over a period of time, a graphical representation of an annual cost of operation for the first lighting system and the second lighting system, and a graphical representation of the return on investment of implementing the second lighting system.

4. The method of claim 1, the first period of time comprising seven days, the second period of time comprising seven days.

5. An apparatus for performing an energy audit, the apparatus comprising:

an electric power monitor comprising: a housing; a system bus within the housing; at least one processor coupled to the system bus; system memory coupled to the at least one processor; at least one non-transitory memory unit coupled to the at least one processor; a power port coupled to the system bus; a communication port coupled to the system bus; at least one current sensor port coupled to the system bus; and power usage code stored on the at least one non-transitory memory unit; and

at least one current sensor coupled to the at least one current sensor port;

wherein the power usage code when executed by the at least one processor is configured to perform a method, comprising: use the one or more current sensor to measure one or more current or voltage signal over a first period of time; calculate a first power usage from the one or more current or voltage signal measured over the first period of time; use the one or more current sensor to measure one or more current or voltage signal over a second period of time; calculate a second power usage from the one or more current or voltage signal measured over the second period of time; and calculate a power difference between the first power usage and the second power usage.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, the electric power monitor further comprising at least one hard drives coupled to the system bus.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, the electric power monitor further comprising a GPS module coupled to the system bus.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, the electric power monitor further comprising an external power source coupled to the power port.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, the electric power monitor further comprising a battery coupled to the system bus.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, the communication port comprising at least one of: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, 6LoWPan, ZigBee, and a cellular network radio.

11. The apparatus of claim 5, the electric power monitor further comprising an expansion port coupled to the system bus.

12. The apparatus of claim 5, the electric power monitor further comprising a digital readout display coupled to the system bus.

13. The apparatus of claim 5, the electric power monitor further comprising a communication connection indicator coupled to the system bus, the communication connection indicator comprising at least one of: a Wi-Fi indicator, an Ethernet indicator, a Bluetooth indicator, a 6LoWPan indicator, a ZigBee indicator, and a cellular network indicator.

14. The apparatus of claim 5, the electric power monitor further comprising one or more current sensor indicator coupled to the system bus.

15. The apparatus of claim 5, the at least one current sensor comprising at least one of a Hall Effect current sensor and a core current transformer.

16. The apparatus of claim 5, the apparatus further comprising an expansion module coupled to the expansion port.

17. The apparatus of claim 5, the apparatus further comprising a communication gateway coupled to the communication port, the communication gateway being connected to a cloud.

18. The apparatus of claim 5, the apparatus further comprising at least one of a local server and a mobile device connected to the communication gateway.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, the apparatus further comprising at least one of a remote server and a mobile device connected to the cloud and configured to communicate with the electric power monitor through the communication gateway.

20. The apparatus of claim 5, further configured to use the power difference to estimate a cost savings between the first period of time and the second period of time.

21. The apparatus of claim 5, further configured to generate an energy audit report.

22. An apparatus for performing an energy audit, the apparatus comprising:

an electric power monitor comprising: a housing; a system bus within the housing; at least one processor coupled to the system bus; system memory coupled to the at least one processor; at least one non-transitory memory unit coupled to the at least one processor; at least one hard drive coupled to the system bus; a GPS module coupled to the system bus; a power port coupled to the system bus; an external power source coupled to the power port; a battery coupled to the system bus; a communication port coupled to the system bus, the communication port comprising at least one of: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, 6LoWPan, ZigBee, and a cellular network radio; an expansion port coupled to the system bus; at least one current sensor port coupled to the system bus; a digital readout display coupled to the system bus; a communication connection indicator coupled to the system bus, the communication connection indicator comprising at least one of: a Wi-Fi indicator, an Ethernet indicator, a Bluetooth indicator, a 6LoWPan indicator, a ZigBee indicator, and a cellular network indicator; at least one current sensor indicator coupled to the system bus; and power usage code stored on the at least one non-transitory memory unit;

at least one current sensor coupled to the at least one current sensor port, the at least one current sensor comprising at least one of a Hall Effect current sensor and a core current transformer;

an expansion module coupled to the expansion port;

a communication gateway coupled to the communication port, the communication gateway being connected to a cloud;

at least one of a local server and a mobile device connected to the communication gateway; and

at least one of a remote server and the mobile device connected to the cloud and configured to communicate with the electric power monitor through the communication gateway;

the power usage code when executed by the at least one processor being configured to: use the at least one current sensor to measure at least one of a current and voltage signal over a first period of time; calculate a first power usage from the at least one current or voltage signal measured over the first period of time; use the at least one current sensor to measure at least one of a current and voltage signal over a second period of time; calculate a second power usage from the at least one of a current and voltage signal measured over the second period of time; calculate a power difference between the first power usage and the second power usage; use the power difference to estimate a cost savings between the first period of time and the second period of time; and generate an energy audit report.