Sustainable building lighting and energy modelling and control, and the associated computer graphics, including real-time dynamic lighting simulation, are concerned with: an optimized method for radiance modelling, including its application to predictive daylight harvesting; and the real-time simulation of physically-based electric lighting and daylighting for architectural, horticultural, and theatrical lighting systems visualization. In order to display and analyze in real time a photometrically accurate representation of an environment, thousands of lighting channels may have their intensity settings continually varied such that a user may interactively view the three-dimensional environment without the need for ongoing global illumination calculations. This can be accomplished utilizing texture maps as a multiplicity of canonical radiosity solutions, each representing a lighting channel for dynamic lighting simulation, and storing the solutions in the texture memory of a graphics processing unit.

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.

The invention concerns predominantly enclosed spaces, typically buildings, which are exposed to directionally and temporally varying levels of solar electromagnetic radiation, as well as temporally varying levels of ambient air temperature, flow velocity and direction. Such a building can include at least one primary compartment and at least one secondary compartment. The primary compartment predominantly serves to achieve the primary purpose of the building. An electronic controller can modulate air flow to and from the secondary compartment.

A smart window control device controls transmittance of a smart window provided as a window of a space where a temperature is controlled by an air conditioning system in accordance with a set temperature. The smart window control device includes a processor, and a memory storing program instructions that cause the processor to obtain a predicted value of external environment information about outside of the space in an interval between a first time and a second time, the second time being when a predetermined time period has elapsed from the first time, calculate transition of the temperature of the space in the interval based on the predicted value of the external environment information in the interval, and control the transmittance of the smart window so that the temperature of the space in the interval transitions based on the calculated transition of the temperature.

An information processing apparatus includes a controller. The controller acquires sunshine state information that specifies a sunshine state of at least one predetermined spot and repeated behavior information for a user that is associated with the at least one predetermined spot. The controller generates behavior proposal information related to performance of a repeated behavior of the user, based on the sunshine state information and on the repeated behavior information for the user, and outputs the behavior proposal information.

A method for controlling an environmental system may include defining a reference signal of an environmental variable in a greenhouse. The method may also include receiving renewable resource information related to the greenhouse. The method may further include receiving dynamic weather information of an environment external to the greenhouse. In addition, the method may include determining an optimization control scheme based on the reference signal, renewable resource information, and dynamic weather information. Further, the method may include regulating environmental conditions in the greenhouse according to the optimization control scheme.

The invention comprises a system for calculating a value for the effective thermal mass of a building. The climate control system obtains temperature measurements from at least a first location conditioned by the climate system. One or more processors receive measurements of outside temperatures from at least one source other than the control system and compare the temperature measurements from the first location with expected temperature measurements. The expected temperature measurements are based at least in part upon past temperature measurements obtained by said HVAC control system and said outside temperature measurements. The processors then calculate one or more rates of change in temperature at said first location.

An HVAC register or return grille with an integrated nightlight, a battery-operated nightlight module and an area on the grille suitable for mounting the nightlight module. The nightlight module is operatively coupled to the grille and fitted with motion sensing technology to activate the light when a user nears the device. The integration of nightlight technology into HVAC grilles allows for a discrete nightlight location and enhances the utility of conventional HVAC register and return grilles.

A ventilation system utilizing fans to bring air into a building and/or exhaust air out of the building powered at least in part by solar panels that can be quickly and easily mounted on the building, such as on roof vents, windows, and the like adjacent to the fans. A sensor may be operatively connected to a controller or logic circuit to measure environmental factors to determine whether to activate the fans. The ventilation system is configured to be a modular device with versatile fasteners for easy installment in windows, attics, or roof tops.

Building-integrated photovoltaic devices can be provided, which function as sensors, wherein the output parameters from the device are used to provide information about light intensity and ambient temperature, in addition to providing power, to an intelligent building energy management system.