A system and method for controlling a sound level in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system are disclosed. The system includes a refrigeration unit including a compressor, a condenser fan, a controller, and a sound controller. The sound controller is configured to maintain a sound level of the refrigeration unit within a sound level operating range. A method of controlling a refrigeration unit for a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is described. The method includes determining, by a controller, a cooling requirement of a conditioned space. The controller also determines a sound level operating range for the refrigeration unit. The method further includes the controller applying a cooling setting based on the cooling requirement and the sound level operating range.

A method for controlling HVAC equipment for a building includes generating, based on historical building data, a discomfort tolerance defining an acceptable amount of occupant discomfort, determining a first value of an environmental condition at which the occupant discomfort is predicted to exceed the discomfort tolerance in a first direction, determining a second value of the environmental condition at which the occupant discomfort is predicted to exceed the discomfort tolerance in a second direction opposite the first direction, and controlling the HVAC equipment to maintain the environmental condition between the first value and the second value.

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to assess monitor, improve, and/or modify health and well-being as it relates to people associated with a habitable or other built environments or spaces therein. In some embodiments, an intervention assessment system and methods include one or more sensors for measuring aspects related to the built environment, a personal user device, and a control circuit configured to receive one or more measurements form the sensor(s), identify a problem with the built environment, and identify potential interventions based on the indicators associated with the problem. By one approach, a plurality of potential interventions may be ranked based on, for example, the ability to reduce the prevalence of the problem or indicator in the built environment, feasibility, cost, and timeliness. In some approaches, the system and method also select and may implement one or more interventions.

A method for sensing sneezing based on a wireless signal includes obtaining a wireless signal, where the wireless signal propagates in space including a first object. Doppler estimation is performed on the wireless signal, to obtain Doppler information of the wireless signal. The Doppler information of the wireless signal may be used for indicating impact of the first object on a frequency of the wireless signal. Whether the first object is sneeze droplets is determined based on the Doppler information of the wireless signal.

An environmental equipment control apparatus controls environmental equipment. The environmental equipment control apparatus includes a grasping unit that grasps physical-and-mental-state information about a physical and mental state of a user, a control unit that changes a control state of the environmental equipment in a case in which the physical-and-mental-state information satisfies a predetermined state condition, and a storage unit that stores correspondence information in which changes in the control state of the environmental equipment are associated with changes in the physical-and-mental-state information of the user grasped by the grasping unit in accordance with the changes in the control state of the environmental equipment.

A utility individual usage allocation and control system and method to manage utility and related services to a plurality of units in a facility to increase operational efficiency and cost savings. The system and method include a plurality of controllers positioned in a plurality of respective zones. A plurality of output devices are operably coupled to each controller and a utility provider is operably coupled to each of the output devices. A processor is configured to receive run-time data from each of the plurality of controllers, the run-time data corresponding with actual time the output device is in an engaged state. Run-time data from each controller is processed to determine proportion of total utility used by each zone. The processor is remote from the controllers and data is transmitted by wireless signals. The utility is selected from a group comprising hot air, hot water, cool air, electricity and memory data.

Remote control of energy consumption is realized using a readily installable, flexible approach. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a remote source communicates with a wireless controller for executing energy usage control. The remote source sends signals to the wireless controller via a gateway located near or, in one implementation, forming part of the wireless controller. In response to the signals, the wireless controller sets control settings for operating one or more of a variety of equipment types, such as a furnace, air conditioner, water heater or heat pump. With this approach, wired connections from the gateway to energy-consuming equipment do not necessarily need to be made in order to affect remote energy-consumption control. For instance, when used in connection with a controller wired to the energy-consuming equipment, the gateway need only communicate wirelessly with the controller and does not necessarily need to be coupled to the energy-consuming equipment. In addition, access to the energy-consuming equipment for establishing remote energy control is not necessary; rather, the remote energy control can be effected by accessing user-friendly locations, such as those where thermostats and other controllers are typically located.

In an air-conditioning apparatus including a plurality of indoor units connected to a heat medium converter and a plurality of remote controllers respectively provided for the indoor units, the remote controllers each include a temperature sensor that detect a temperature of a corresponding space to be air-conditioned, and are each configured to communicate with a heat medium converter controller of the heat medium converter and an indoor unit controller of the corresponding indoor unit, transmit an instruction to start and stop an operation and data related to rotation speed of an indoor air-sending device to the corresponding indoor unit controller, and transmit the instruction to start and stop the operation, and a target temperature and a temperature detected by the temperature sensor or a difference therebetween, to the heat medium converter controller.

An intercept device for HVAC controls that allows for overrides of local settings, either by onboard processing and storage, or by networked communication with on-premise or off-premise control mechanisms or cloud services. The existing thermostat may be mounted directly to the intercept device, or the intercept device may be located at any other location along the control line between the existing thermostat and the controlled equipment, allowing for retention of the original thermostats interface, controls, and aesthetics. The HVAC control intercept may also incorporate wired or wireless networking functions, and additional onboard controls and displays to allow for direct adjustment of the intercept device settings and operational mode.

Improvements to an HVAC thermostat include a sleep-enhancing feature which regulates the target temperature of the HVAC system according to a temperature profile which complements the natural changes in body temperature of a person during sleep. The timing of the temperature profile is advanced to cause room temperature to decrease before the natural decrease in body temperature is expected to occur, thereby helping lead a person into sleep without the use of pharmaceuticals or other artificial sleeping aids. The temperature profile causes room temperature to increase towards the end of the sleep period, thus avoiding disruptions of sleep when body temperature is lowest or during REM stages of sleep when the human body's ability to thermo-regulate is diminished. The rate of change of the target environment temperature is controlled to further enhance the quality and duration of sleep.