A heat storage and transfer system incorporates a primary heat storage chamber that is thermally insulated and which in use, contains a heat storing liquid or solid and a thermal energy to electrical energy converter in or thermally coupled to at least one of: i) a secondary chamber external to and adjacent the primary heat storage chamber through which a liquid or steam to be heated is passed in use; and ii) a thermal conduction plate/surface external to the thermally insulated primary heat storage chamber or body. The system has a heat transfer feature to selectively transfer thermal energy from the heat storing liquid or solid of the primary heating chamber to the thermal conduction plate or the liquid or steam to be heated in the secondary chamber for the thermal energy to thence be converted to electrical energy by the thermal energy to electrical energy converter.

Some embodiments are directed to an apparatus for monitoring at least one thermal control device, the device including a power supply input terminal suitable for being connected to an electric power source. The monitoring apparatus includes an electronic console that stores control instructions from the or each thermal control device. The control instructions include, for each thermal control device, at least one temperature setpoint and one energy consumption setpoint; at least one temperature sensor suitable for providing temperature data measurements, the temperature and energy consumption setpoints being determined based on parameters comprising at least said temperature data measurements; and at least one device for controlling the electric power supply of the or one of the thermal control devices, connected to the power supply input terminal of said device and suitable for controlling the electric power supply of the device based on at least the temperature and energy consumption setpoints.

A heating and hot-water-supply apparatus is provided with: a control unit that performs control on the basis of detection parameters of a plurality of detection means installed at the aforementioned locations and a setting parameter set in an operation unit. The distribution means can adjust the distribution ratio so as to correspond to a heating operation, a hot-water supply operation, and the simultaneous heating and hot-water-supply operation. The control unit prohibits the simultaneous heating and hot-water-supply operation in a case in which the required heating capacity for the hot-water supply operation calculated on the basis of the detection parameters and the setting parameter is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard capacity.

A hybrid heat system, a capacity allocation control method thereof, a readable storage medium and a control system. The hybrid heat system includes a plurality of modular heat recovery units with an air-conditioning mode and a water-heating mode, and a plurality of modular air-conditioning units with an air-conditioning mode, the capacity allocation control method including: a classification step S100 for classifying the compressors in the plurality of modular heat recovery units and the plurality of modular air-conditioning units according to unit category, unit state and start-stop state; a sorting step S200 for sorting classified compressors according to operating time; and a search step S300 for searching target compressors from sorted compressors based on preset energy efficiency search criteria.

A water heating system can include a water heater having a tank, and a first temperature sensor disposed toward a top end of the tank to measure a first temperature and a second temperature sensor disposed toward a bottom end of the tank to measure a second temperature. The water heating system can further include a controller communicably coupled to the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, where the controller determines an amount of heated water in the tank based on a plurality of algorithms and measurements made by the first and second temperature sensors. The plurality of algorithms solves for at least one calculated temperature for at least one point between a first location of the first temperature sensor and a second location of the second temperature sensor, where the at least one calculated temperature is used to determine the amount of heated water in the tank.

A water heating system can include a water heater having a tank, and a first temperature sensor disposed toward a top end of the tank to measure a first temperature and a second temperature sensor disposed toward a bottom end of the tank to measure a second temperature. The water heating system can further include a controller communicably coupled to the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, where the controller determines an amount of heated water in the tank based on a plurality of algorithms and measurements made by the first and second temperature sensors. The plurality of algorithms solves for at least one calculated temperature for at least one point between a first location of the first temperature sensor and a second location of the second temperature sensor, where the at least one calculated temperature is used to determine the amount of heated water in the tank.

An aspect of some embodiments of the current invention relates to an integrated system for heat distribution among a plurality of users. In some embodiments, the system includes a separate automatic control of heat distribution to each user and/or separate billing to each user. For example, a system may supply hot fluid to a plurality of apartments in a building and/or in multiple buildings. Optionally, each apartment has separate remote controlled valves controlling flow of heated fluid to the apartment and/or a sensor sensing how much heat enters and leaves the apartment in the hot fluid. In some embodiments, a processor controls the valve and/or receives data from sensors. The processor optionally controls devices that generate and/or store and/or dissipate heat. Optionally the processor predicts energy availability, costs and needs controls valves and/or devices to provide for predicted and/or unexpected needs while reduce cost of the energy.

An equipment determination method of a cogeneration system includes the steps of: calculating a total hot water supply load for each day over a predetermined period longer than a specific period based on each unit hot water supply load for hour according to hot water supply use by consumers; setting as a representative period a specific period on which the total hot water supply load becomes at least a low load among the calculated total hot water supply load for each day; determining a capacity of the cogeneration equipment based on the total hot water supply load on the set representative period; and determining a capacity of the plurality of hot water storage tanks based on an amount of hot water supply load exceeding the capacity of the determined cogeneration equipment among each unit hot water supply load for two or more divided periods including the set representative period.

The present invention relates to an electrically driven, vapour compression heat pump device. The heat pump device comprises a variable speed or variable capacity refrigerant compressor, a compression stage having a first condenser, an expansion stage having a first evaporator, a DC to AC variable speed compressor drive inverter unit, a grid AC to DC power supply unit and an electronic control unit. The control unit varies the thermal capacity, and the power consumed by the device, in response to an input from at least one of: a renewable electricity generation input, a premises net consumption monitor, a utility grid frequency monitor, and a third party control input.

A heating and hot-water-supply apparatus is provided with: a control unit that performs control on the basis of detection parameters of a plurality of detection means installed at the aforementioned locations and a setting parameter set in an operation unit. The distribution means can adjust the distribution ratio so as to correspond to a heating operation, a hot-water supply operation, and the simultaneous heating and hot-water-supply operation. The control unit prohibits the simultaneous heating and hot-water-supply operation in a case in which the required heating capacity for the hot-water supply operation calculated on the basis of the detection parameters and the setting parameter is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard capacity.