One example embodiment relates to a water heater controller. The water heater controller includes an operating conditions circuit structured to receive temperature measurement signals indicative of temperatures over time of water in a tank of a water heater, and occupancy measurement signals indicative of whether individuals are present in an area proximate the water heater. A drift threshold circuit is structured to, in response to the occupancy measurement signals indicating that an individual is present or not present, define a plurality of drift threshold levels to trigger operation of a heating element of the water heater. A control circuit is structured to controllably operate the heating element based on the occupancy measurement signals and on the plurality of drift threshold levels.

A smart boiler system serving boilers each equipped with sensor/s monitoring an aspect of boiler water heating functionality and a local controller collecting sensor data and communicating data to remote server, the system comprising a central server in data communication with said data network and including a processor having operational mode/s including a maintenance-needs-detection operational mode operative to scan data stored in a boiler data repository, on occasion, and to rank boilers accordingly, in terms of predetermined criterion defining maintenance need/s, and provide push output/s indicating a subset of boilers currently ranking high in terms of predetermined criterion defining at least one maintenance need.

A flameless heater system is described. The flameless heater system includes an energy source configured to generate energy and a heating system operatively coupled to the energy source, the heating system being configured to convert the energy to heat. The flameless heater system further includes a humidifying system operatively coupled to the energy source, the humidifying system being configured to convert the energy into moisture and a control system operatively coupled to the energy source, the heating system and the humidifying system, the control system being configured to monitor and control the energy source, the heating system and the humidifying system.

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed towards systems and methods for regulating a water heater via a thermostat. The thermostat comprises a receiver configured to receive one or more inputs from one or more sensors configured to monitor, for a predefined duration of time, usage pattern of the water heater. Further, the thermostat comprises a controller configured to determine, via a machine learning neural network, a scheduling pattern for hot water based on the monitored usage pattern. The controller is further configured to operate the water heater based on the scheduling pattern.

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed towards systems and methods for regulating a water heater via a thermostat. The thermostat comprises a receiver configured to receive one or more inputs from one or more sensors configured to monitor, for a predefined duration of time, usage pattern of the water heater. Further, the thermostat comprises a controller configured to determine, via a machine learning neural network, a scheduling pattern for hot water based on the monitored usage pattern. The controller is further configured to operate the water heater based on the scheduling pattern.

A portable forced air heater including a housing, a heating element located within the housing, a sensor configured to sense a characteristic of the portable heater, a communications device configured to communicate with an external device, and a controller having an electrical processor and memory. The controller is configured to receive, from the sensor, the characteristic of the portable heater, and output, via the communications device, a signal indicative of the characteristic of the portable heater to the external device.

A water heater can include 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 for a hot water demand. The water heater can also include a heat pump disposed adjacent to a first portion of the tank, where the heat pump applies heat to transform the unheated water to heated water in the first portion of the tank. The water heater can further include a resistive heating element disposed within a second portion of the tank, where the resistive heating element further applies heat to transform the unheated water to heated water in the second portion of the tank.

A method for electronic, remote control of an existing heating element. A temperature probe is monitored programmatically. That data is managed via wifi connectivity. A user can then control the operation of the device (water heater or other) at any time and from any location.

A method may measure a respective temperature at a respective remote location or at the respective water pipe with the respective temperature sensor. A method may determine from the respective temperature measured by the respective temperature sensor a water usage event at the respective remote location. A method may determine during a determined water usage event a temperature profile from the temperature measured by the respective temperature sensor. A method may determine from the temperature profile determined during the water usage event a risk factor of microbiological growth at the respective remote location or of microbiological growth within the respective water pipe. A method may execute a disinfection cycle for the respective remote location or the respective water pipe if the respective risk factor of microbiological growth is above a respective risk threshold.

Provided are systems and methods for managing a level of heat provided by a processing module and a heating mechanism. In one example, a method includes determining, by a system such as a management control system, that a demand for water from a hot water reservoir is increasing. The hot water reservoir may serve as a heat sink for a processing module and may include a heating mechanism adapted to provide heat to the hot water reservoir separately from the processing module. A determination may be made as to whether the processing module is able to produce enough heat to meet the demand. If the processing module is not able to produce enough heat to meet the demand, the heat output of the heating mechanism may be increased to provide additional heat to the water in the hot water reservoir.