A heating appliance has a multi-position control switch with a non-off lower than highest setting at an extreme distal position and consumes a non-off lower than highest amount of power at that position. The non-off lower setting is indicated as an energy saving setting. The switch has an off position at an extreme proximal position and the appliance consumes no power at that position. The switch has a highest setting position between the proximal and distal positions and the appliance consumes a highest amount of power at that position.

A facility for performing setpoint adjustment-based duty cycling techniques by adjusting the setpoint of a device or component is described. The facility reduces energy consumption for a system, such as an HVAC system, or device by adjusting or modulating an associated setpoint or temperature setting. The facility modulates the setpoint between a base setpoint value and another setpoint value based on a mode of the system. When the system is in a cooling mode, the facility modulates the temperature between the base setpoint value and a higher setpoint value. When the system is in heating mode, the facility modulates the temperature between the base setpoint value and a lower setpoint value. The facility may modulate the setpoint between the two setpoint values based on an offset value or a fixed setpoint value.

A collaborative energy management system, method and program product for a multi-zone space. A system is disclosed including: a plurality of environment sensors located throughout the multi-zone space; an adaptive learning system that collects environment data from the environment sensors and generates a correlation model that correlates historical environment data with HVAC settings; and an optimization system that utilizes the correlation model, inputted preferences received from a plurality of occupants within the multi-zone space, and energy usage goals to periodically generate new HVAC settings for controlling an HVAC system for the multi-zone space.

A heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) system for a building includes airside HVAC equipment configured to provide heating or cooling to one or more building spaces and one or more controllers. The one or more controllers are configured to generate airside energy targets for the one or more building spaces using a heat transfer model that defines a relationship between the airside energy targets, a temperature of the one or more building spaces, and a thermal capacitance of the one or more building spaces. The one or more controllers are configured to control the airside HVAC equipment in accordance with the airside energy targets.

A multi-thermostat temperature control system and related methods include thermostats spaced about respective conditioning zones in conditioned spaces. The control system includes a thermostat controller configured to store a temperature setpoint value for each of the thermostats in an operating schedule. The thermostat controller is also configured to transmit a first control signal to the conditioning units to control an operation of the conditioning units to maintain a temperature of the conditioned spaces at a first respective temperature setpoint value and to receive offset values for respective ones of the thermostats wherein the one or more offset values are determined to counter the temperature effects of a local heat load in the conditioned spaces proximate an associated thermostat.

A facility implementing systems and/or methods for achieving energy consumption/production and cost goals is described. The facility identifies various components of an energy system and assesses the environment in which those components operate. Based on the identified components and assessments, the facility generates a model to simulate different series/schedules of adjustments to the system and how those adjustments will effect energy consumption or production. Using the model, and based on identified patterns, preferences, and forecasted weather conditions, the facility can identify an optimal series or schedule of adjustments to achieve the user's goals and provide the schedule to the system for implementation. The model may be constructed using a time-series of energy consumption and thermostat states to estimate parameters and algorithms of the system. Using the model, the facility can simulate the behavior of the system and, by changing simulated inputs and measuring simulated output, optimize use of the system.

Various embodiments include a controller for managing activation of a heating element within a thermal storage device comprising: a processor; a first interface for a signal indicating power from a local grid for the thermal storage device; and a second interface for a signal from a sensor. The first interface is configured to receive the signal via the communication bus. The processor, upon receipt of the enable signal: produces an authentication signal; compares the authentication signal to a predefined signal; and if they match, reads the temperature signal via the second interface to produce a measure of temperature, and compare the produced measure of temperature to a maximum temperature. If the produced measure of temperature is less than the maximum temperature, the processor provides an activation signal. A switch in operative communication with the processor activates the heating element in response to the activation signal.

Disclosed herein are related to a system, a method, and a non-transitory computer readable medium for operating an energy plant having a plurality of subplants that operate to produce one or more resources consumed by a building based on ranks. In one aspect, the system obtains rank identifiers indicating ranks of the plurality of subplants. In one aspect, the ranks indicate a priority of each subplant with respect to production of a resource relative to other subplants that produce the resource. In one aspect, the system determines resource allocation of the plurality of subplants according to the ranks of the plurality of subplants. The system may operate the plurality of subplants according to the resource allocation.

A building HVAC system includes an airside system having a plurality of airside subsystems, a high-level controller, and a plurality of low-level airside controllers. Each airside subsystem includes airside HVAC equipment configured to provide heating or cooling to one or more building spaces. The high-level controller is configured to generate a plurality of airside subsystem energy targets, each airside subsystem energy target corresponding to one of the plurality of airside subsystems and generated based on a thermal capacitance of the one or more building spaces to which heating or cooling is provided by the corresponding airside subsystem. Each low-level airside controller corresponds to one of the airside subsystems and is configured to control the airside HVAC equipment of the corresponding airside subsystem in accordance with the airside subsystem energy target for the corresponding airside subsystem.

A water heater including a tank, first and second heating elements, first and second temperature sensors, a communication module, and a controller. The controller is operable to determine a first temperature value related to a first temperature sensed by the first temperature sensor, determine a second temperature value related to a second temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor, and receive a command from the external controller. When the received command is a first command, the controller control current to the first heating element based on the first temperature value traversing a first set point, and controls current to the second heating element based on the second temperature value traversing a second set point. When the received command is a second command, the controller controls current only to the first heating element and not the second heating element, the control being based on the first temperature value.