An information processing apparatus performs a first estimation process based on a data set including a combination of information indicating a situation and information on power consumption when a first air conditioner, installed in a predetermined location, has been operated. The first estimation process is a process of estimating information on power consumption when the first air conditioner, installed in the predetermined location, is operated in a predetermined situation.

A Heating, Ventilating Air Conditioning (HVAC) fan control method to detect an HVAC fan is controlled by at least one fan-on duration control selected by a user and provide at least one fan-on alarm message prior to overriding the at least one fan-on duration control. The method monitors an occupancy sensor signal to determine an occupancy in a conditioned space served by an HVAC system and automatically overrides the at least one fan-on duration control to save energy when the conditioned space is unoccupied. The overriding may comprise operating the HVAC fan based only on a thermostat call for cooling or a thermostat call for heating, operating the HVAC fan for less time than the at least one fan-on duration control selected by the user, and operating the HVAC fan for less frequency than the at least one fan-on duration control selected by the user.

A Heating, Ventilating Air Conditioning (HVAC) fan control method to detect an HVAC fan is controlled by at least one fan-on duration control selected by a user and provide at least one fan-on alarm message prior to overriding the at least one fan-on duration control. The method monitors an occupancy sensor signal to determine an occupancy in a conditioned space served by an HVAC system and automatically overrides the at least one fan-on duration control to save energy when the conditioned space is unoccupied. The overriding may comprise operating the HVAC fan based only on a thermostat call for cooling or a thermostat call for heating, operating the HVAC fan for less time than the at least one fan-on duration control selected by the user, and operating the HVAC fan for less frequency than the at least one fan-on duration control selected by the user.

The present disclosure relates to a method of controlling operation state of multi-split air conditioner and system, and a heat pump multi-split. The control method includes: determining a target operation mode of each indoor unit according to an operation mode set by a user for the indoor unit; performing statistics on heat exchange demands of the indoor units corresponding to different target operation modes, and determining a dominant operation mode among the target operation modes according to the heat exchange demands; and using the dominant operation mode as the operation mode of an outdoor unit.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for performing thermal modeling. In one aspect, a method includes receiving monitoring data comprising temperature data measured inside a site, mode data, and state data, receiving weather data descriptive of weather at the site, and aligning the received temperature data, mode data, and state data with the received weather data. The method also includes determining an internal heat gain representing an amount of heat generated at the site irrespective of the heating or cooling system, determining at least one of a thermal product for the site or a thermal potential for the heating or cooling system, generating, based on the internal gain and the thermal product or the thermal potential, a thermal model for the site, and providing, as output, the generated thermal model.

An air conditioning system control device 10 includes: a switching unit 11 that, when a parameter relating to the indoor environment in which the air conditioning system operates does not satisfy a first condition while the air conditioning system is operating in a first operation mode that is an operation mode in which setting values computed on the basis of a prediction model are used as the setting values for the air conditioning system, switches the operation mode of the air conditioning system to a second operation mode that is an operation mode in which the computed setting values are not used as the setting values for the air conditioning system.

An air conditioning system control device 10 includes: a switching unit 11 that, when a parameter relating to the indoor environment in which the air conditioning system operates does not satisfy a first condition while the air conditioning system is operating in a first operation mode that is an operation mode in which setting values computed on the basis of a prediction model are used as the setting values for the air conditioning system, switches the operation mode of the air conditioning system to a second operation mode that is an operation mode in which the computed setting values are not used as the setting values for the air conditioning system.

A smart-home device may include a plurality of wire connectors configured to receive a plurality of signals from an environmental system; a plurality of diodes configured to receive the plurality of signals from the plurality of wire connectors, wherein at least two of the plurality of diodes have different voltage drops; and a power-stealing circuit that is configured to receive outputs of the plurality of diodes and to steal power through one of the plurality of wire connectors that is determined at least in part by the different voltage drops.

A smart-home device may include a plurality of wire connectors configured to receive a plurality of signals from an environmental system; a plurality of diodes configured to receive the plurality of signals from the plurality of wire connectors, wherein at least two of the plurality of diodes have different voltage drops; and a power-stealing circuit that is configured to receive outputs of the plurality of diodes and to steal power through one of the plurality of wire connectors that is determined at least in part by the different voltage drops.