A thermostat for a building space is disclosed. The thermostat can include a processing circuit. The processing circuit can cause building equipment to heat or cool the building space via one or more heating outputs or one or more cooling outputs. The processing circuit can record the length of time that the processing circuit causes the building equipment to heat or cool the building space. The processing circuit can simulate a thermal plant model to determine a simulated runtime, wherein the thermal plant model is a thermal plant model of the building space and the building equipment. The processing circuit can determine a number of hours saved based on the simulated runtime and the recorded length of time

A combination bottle warmer and cooler device can include a thermally conductive medium plate in thermal contact with a thermoelectric module. Liquid can be brought into thermal contact with the medium plate. A temperature sensor can sense the temperature of the medium plate. A controller can receive the temperature readings of the sensor and apply a voltage differential to the thermoelectric module in order to warm or cool the liquid.

A method for detecting and compensating for sediment build-up in a tank style water heater is disclosed. An illustrative but non-limiting example may include monitoring a temperature of water within a water storage tank of a water heater over time, resulting in a monitored temperature profile. The method may then include determining if the monitored temperature profile includes one or more features that indicate sediment build up in the water storage tank, and if so, provide an output that indicates sediment build up is present.

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for a variable differential variable delay thermostat. The variable differential is based on the duration of a thermostat call for cooling or the duration of a thermostat call for heating. The variable cooling fan-off delay is based on cooling system parameters including but not limited to the duration of the cooling cycle, duration of the thermostat call for cooling, conditioned space temperature, temperature split, thermostat temperature rate of change, or thermostat temperature reaching a minimum inflection point or crossing a fixed or variable thermostat differential or differential offset. The variable heating fan-off delay is based on heating system parameters including but not limited to the duration of the heating cycle, duration of the thermostat call for heating, conditioned space temperature, temperature rise, thermostat temperature rate of change, or thermostat temperature reaching a maximum inflection point or crossing a fixed or variable thermostat differential or differential offset.

A stove controller starts an unattended timer when a cooking process is started. The controller monitors whether motion is detected in the kitchen prior to the unattended timer expiring and resets the unattended timer each time motion is detected. If the unattended timer expires without any motion being detected, the controller disables the heating elements of the stove and starts a return timer. The controller monitors whether motion is detected in the kitchen prior to the return timer expiring. When motion is detected, the controller automatically re-enables the heating elements of the stove so that cooking can continue. If motion is not detected and the return timer expires, the controller locks the stove until a reset procedure is performed. Alerts of the stove activity are sent to external devices over the Internet, and the reset procedure may be performed on the controller or on one of the external devices.

A method is disclosed for measuring a temperature of a fluid in a holding space of an acoustic-based particle manipulation device. The method comprises performing a calibration. The calibration comprises measuring, using a reference temperature sensor, the temperature of the fluid to be a reference temperature value. The calibration also comprises determining a reference resonance frequency of the acoustic-based particle manipulation device having the fluid in its holding space at the reference temperature value. The method further comprises measuring the temperature of the fluid comprising determining a resonance frequency of the acoustic-based particle manipulation device and determining, based on the reference resonance frequency determined during the calibration and based on the determined resonance frequency, the temperature of the fluid to be a temperature value.

A system and method is used to characterize a user with properties, such as location in relation to established geo-fences, speed of traverse, projected traveling time required for a particular distance, etc. Those properties contribute to yielding a quantitative result in the calculated lead time period prior to the user arriving at a monitored space, including but not limited to a rented room in a hotel, and a house. The method uses the user's arrival time to estimate the setback temperature, which is the indoor temperature of a monitored space maintained during unattended time periods. The method also uses the user's arrival time to estimate the heated water volume to be provided, as well as, to house watch other property management interests.

The present disclosure relates to a technology for Sensor Networks, Machine to Machine (M2M), Machine Type Communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT). The present disclosure may be used for an intelligent service (smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected car, health care, digital education, retail business, security and safety-related service, etc.) that is based on the above technologies. The present invention, with respect to a set temperature control method, is characterized by comprising the steps of: setting a control section which is a time section for controlling a set temperature in a certain space; collecting user set temperature information according to weather information for each control section, and predicted weather information; determining set temperature control information for each of the control sections on the basis of the collected set temperature information; and controlling the set temperature in the certain space on the basis of the set temperature control information determined for each of the control sections and the predicted weather information.

A thermostat for a building space can include a processing circuit. The processing circuit can cause building equipment to heat or cool the building space via one or more heating outputs or one or more cooling outputs. The processing circuit can record the length of time that the processing circuit causes the building equipment to heat or cool the building space. The processing circuit can simulate a thermal plant model to determine a simulated runtime, wherein the thermal plant model is a thermal plant model of the building space and the building equipment. The processing circuit can determine a number of hours saved based on the simulated runtime and the recorded length of time.

A system for maintaining a volume of fluid in a predetermined temperature range includes a thermal element configured to one or both of heat or cool the volume of fluid. A sensor may be configured to detect a temperature of the volume of fluid. A controller may be configured to compare the temperature with a tolerance range including a set point between a lower limit and an upper limit. The controller may switch the thermal element on or off in response to the comparison as a switching event. The controller may further adjust the tolerance range in response to a rate of switching events.