System and methods of operating a water heater receiving power from an electrical grid. The water heater includes a heating element, a controller, and a first control circuit. The first control circuit including an energizing terminal and a microprocessor. The method includes connecting an energizing terminal of the first control circuit between a power output terminal of the controller and the heating element, receiving driving power from the controller based on a temperature signal. The method also includes receiving a control signal from the controller based on electrical grid information, and selectively energizing the heating element, by the microprocessor of the first control circuit and through the energizing terminal of the first control circuit based on the control signal.

The present disclosure relates to modulating energy consumption by a water provision system installed in a building, including one or more electrical heating elements operable to heat water, a heat pump configured to transfer thermal energy from outside the building to a thermal energy storage medium inside the building and a control module configured to control operation of the water provision system, the water provision system being configured to provide water heated by the one or more electrical heating elements and/or the thermal energy storage medium to one or more water outlets, This can include: determining a level of energy demands of a geographical region comprising the building; and upon determining that the level of energy demands is high, controlling the water provision system to switch from using the one or more electrical heating elements to the thermal energy storage medium for provision of heated water.

The present disclosure relates to modulating energy consumption by a water provision system installed in a building, including one or more electrical heating elements operable to heat water, a heat pump configured to transfer thermal energy from outside the building to a thermal energy storage medium inside the building and a control module configured to control operation of the water provision system, the water provision system being configured to provide water heated by the one or more electrical heating elements and/or the thermal energy storage medium to one or more water outlets, This can include: determining a level of energy demands of a geographical region comprising the building; and upon determining that the level of energy demands is high, controlling the water provision system to switch from using the one or more electrical heating elements to the thermal energy storage medium for provision of heated water.

Methods and systems for water heater system receiving electrical power from an electrical grid. The system includes an electronic processor configured to monitor an average water temperature of the water within a water tank of the system based on a first and second signal from a upper and lower temperature sensor, operate a upper heating element heating an upper portion of the tank and a lower heating element heating a lower portion of the tank in a first operation mode, receiving, via a transceiver, either an add load command or a shed load command from a grid controller, operating the upper heating element and lower heating element in a second mode in response to receiving the add load command, and operating the upper heating element and lower heating element in a third mode in response to receiving the shed load command.

A method and system of providing hot water efficiently. A cost of heating a volume of water to a predetermined temperature in a first water heater is determined. A cost of transferring a volume of hot water from a second water heater of a network of interconnected water heaters to the first water heater is determined. Upon determining that the cost of transferring the volume of hot water from the second water heater is lower than the cost of heating the volume of water of the first water heater, the second water heater transfers at least part of the volume of hot water to the first water heater. Otherwise, the volume of water is heated to the predetermined temperature in the first water heater.

A water heater control system includes: a photovoltaic power generator interconnected with a commercial power supply, an electrical load circuit including a storage-type electric water heater using power from the commercial power supply and generated power of the photovoltaic power generator to perform a water heating operation of heating low temperature water to high temperature water and storing the high temperature water, and a HEMS controller limiting a water heating operation of the storage-type electric water heater by stopping or suppressing the water heating operation of the storage-type electric water heater when a power fee data for purchased power supplied to the electrical load circuit from the commercial power supply exceeds a standard monetary amount.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to a domestic hot water (DHW) preheater operable to supply domestic hot water to a structure and/or to preheat a cold return of a space heating system.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to a domestic hot water (DHW) preheater operable to supply domestic hot water to a structure and/or to preheat a cold return of a space heating system.

A method of operating a water heater receiving electrical power from an electrical grid. The method includes providing a water heater in a locked state. A digital key module may be communicatively coupled (for example, via wired or wireless communication) to the water heater and used to unlock the water heater placing the water heater into an unlocked state. Such unlocking of the water heater must only be done for such water heaters that are enrolled in a utility demand response program.

A load management method for controlling a plurality of distributed community loads with a plurality of controllers. The controllers are connectable to a network and the distributed community loads are connectable to a power grid. The loads are controllable by a corresponding one of the controllers according to a local need and a power grid supply or a community need of the loads. A network node device adapted to communicate with other node devices of a same community within an overlay network topology system. The system has a plurality of node devices organized in a number of hierarchically linked rings. The plurality of node devices of a same ring is interconnected in groups of node devices. One of the node devices is a parent node for linking the node devices of a first ring to node devices of a second ring at another hierarchy by being a parent node to both first and second rings.