One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for a portable heater that may be used in an area used for human occupancy, to provide heat to that area. Such a heater can be portable, and comprise an environmental detector that senses ambient air conditions, and may provide data used to shut down the heater in threshold conditions. In one implementation, a portable heater for use in high altitudes can comprise a housing configured for portability, in which a combustion region and a fuel supply component are disposed. The heater can comprise an environmental detector with a flameless sensor configured to detect an ambient level of a constituent of the atmosphere, and generate a signal indicative of the constituent level; and a sensor interface that can control flow of fuel from the fuel supply, based at least upon a signal received from the sensor.

A freeze prediction system for components such as one or more water pipes situated in a building. The building may have a heating system, a mechanism with a temperature setting connected to the heating system, and an indoor temperature indicator connected to the thermostat. A call may be made for heat if thermostat setting is greater than an indoor temperature. A check may be made as to whether a call for heat may be answered. Outdoor conditions may be read and accounted for in the system. An expected time may be calculated of a freeze danger. One may determine whether the freeze danger is significant according to the expected time of freeze danger compared to a predetermined time. If the freeze danger is not significant, a regular equipment failed alert may be sent out. If the freeze danger is significant, a pipe freeze warning alert may be sent out.

A freeze prediction system for components such as one or more water pipes situated in a building. The building may have a heating system, a mechanism with a temperature setting connected to the heating system, and an indoor temperature indicator connected to the thermostat. A call may be made for heat if thermostat setting is greater than an indoor temperature. A check may be made as to whether a call for heat may be answered. Outdoor conditions may be read and accounted for in the system. An expected time may be calculated of a freeze danger. One may determine whether the freeze danger is significant according to the expected time of freeze danger compared to a predetermined time. If the freeze danger is not significant, a regular equipment failed alert may be sent out. If the freeze danger is significant, a pipe freeze warning alert may be sent out.

A heat pump water heater and systems and methods for its control. The systems are configured to heat water within a water storage tank of a heat pump water heater wherein a controller within the system is operatively connected to a plurality of heat sources including at least one electric heating element and a heat pump and sensors in order to selectively energize one of the plurality of heat sources. The controller is configure to process data representative of the temperature of water within the tank near the top of the water storage tank, and rate of water flowing out of the water storage tank, in order to automatically selectively energize the heat sources. The selection of heat sources by the controller is determined by a mode of operation selected by the user and the data processed by the controller in view of the selected mode of operation.

Provided is a fuel cell system. The fuel cell system comprises: a reformer that reforms fuel; a reformed fuel storage unit that receives the reformed fuel from the reformer and stores same; a fuel cell stack that generates electric power and heat by using the reformed fuel; a boiler unit that provides heating by using heating water, a battery unit that stores the electric power generated in the fuel cell stack; and a control unit that controls the operations of the reformer, the reformed fuel storage unit, the fuel cell stack, the boiler unit, and the battery unit, wherein the control unit controls the reformer to operate using the heating water of the boiler unit when the temperature of the heating water of the boiler unit is higher than a first baseline and the stored amount of the reformed fuel stored in the reformed fuel storage unit is equal to or less than a second baseline.

A method and system for providing an interactive learning heating schedule for a water boiler system, the method including the steps: (a) receiving an estimate of an amount of available hot water in a water boiler of the water boiler system; (b) receiving usage data for the water boiler system, the usage data including at least one expected usage pattern extrapolated from the usage data; and (c) generating a heating schedule for the water boiler, based on at least one expected usage pattern and the estimated amount of available hot water.

A water heating system can include a water heater having a tank, an inlet line, and an outlet line, where the inlet line provides unheated water to the tank, and where the outlet line draws heated water from the tank. The water heating system can also include multiple sensing devices, where each sensing device of the plurality of sensing devices measures a parameter associated with the tank. The water heating system can further include a controller communicably coupled to the plurality of sensing devices, where the controller determines an amount of heated water in the tank based on measurements made by the plurality of sensing devices.

An HVAC controller may wirelessly communicate with a mobile wireless device that provides a user interface for interacting with the HVAC controller. In some cases, the communication module wirelessly receives a sensed parameter from a remote wireless sensor in a living space of the building and receives a wired input from a return air sensor. A controller may be operatively coupled to the communication module and may control the HVAC system based at least in part on the sensed parameter from the remote wireless sensor when the sensed parameter from the remote wireless sensor is available and, in some cases, control the HVAC system based at least in part on the return air parameter when the sensed parameter from the remote wireless sensor is not available.

A hot water supply apparatus has: a thermo-sensitive valve which is connected in parallel to a cold water delivery pipe and a hot water delivery pipe and which is closed when the hot water temperature to flow inside the valve is above a predetermined temperature to thereby shut off communication between the cold water delivery pipe and the hot water delivery pipe; and a circulation pump. By operation of the circulation pump, water circulation takes place from a heat exchanger through the hot water delivery pipe, a return pipe, the circulation pump, and a cold water supply pipe back to the heat exchanger. When the thermo-sensitive valve is open, water circulation takes place also through the thermo-sensitive valve. Instantaneous hot water supply operation is finished when an amount detected by a flow sensor falls below a predetermined amount during the instantaneous hot water supply operation.

An HVAC system has a plurality of humidity sensors and a controller configured to selectively control which of the plurality of humidity sensors affects operation of the HVAC system. A method of controlling humidity includes providing a plurality of humidity sensors, assigning one of the plurality of humidity sensors as a humidity priority sensor, and affecting a humidity in response to feedback from the humidity priority sensor. A system controller for an HVAC system has an interface configured to present a plurality of humidity sensors and the system controller is configured to allow a user to select which of the plurality of humidity sensors affects operation of the HVAC system.