In an energy-saving-operation recommending system, a total energy consumption of plural facilities during passage of one material to be rolled through a rolling line is calculated, and the total energy consumption is divided by a width and a length of the material to be rolled before rolling to calculate an energy consumption reference value that defines energy consumption per unit width and unit length of the material to be rolled. The energy consumption reference value is stored in association with a steel grade and a target post-rolling plate thickness of the material to be rolled. An energy consumption reference value corresponding to a steel grade and a target post-rolling plate thickness of a material to be next rolled on the rolling line is obtained. The energy consumption reference value is multiplied by a width and a length of the material to be next rolled to calculate predicted energy consumption.

A system may provide virtual energy audits of one or more target buildings. The system may retrieve weather data and energy usage data specific to a given target building from a weather server and a utility server, respectively. The system may store predefined building characteristics corresponding to the given target building in local memory. Based on the weather data, energy usage data, and/or predefined building characteristics, the system may generate one or more building markers that characterize the energy usage and efficiency of the given target building. Building efficiency diagnostics and energy conservation prognostics may be generated based on the building markers and may be sent by the system to be displayed via a user interface of a client device. The energy conservation prognostics may include one or more energy conservation measure recommendations and corresponding predicted cost/energy savings.

According to various aspects and embodiments, a system directed to measuring, evaluating and improving building energy efficiency. The system includes a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to provide instructions for capturing information pertaining to a facility, receive, from a mobile device, at least one portion of the information pertaining to the facility, the at least one portion of the information including at least one image of the facility, process the at least one image of the facility to identify elements related to energy usage of the facility; and generate, based at least on the elements, a model of the facility.

Automated managing of a data center installation is provided. The managing includes evaluating, at least in part by image processing analysis, a captured image of at least a portion of the data center installation to identify a component-related deficiency within the data center installation. One or more measurements within a data center are used to determine an energy penalty due to the identified component-related deficiency within the data center installation, and an action to correct the component-related deficiency within the data center installation is initiated based on the energy penalty exceeding a predefined threshold.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining causal models for controlling environments. One of the methods includes repeatedly selecting, by a control system for the environment, control settings for the environment based on internal parameters of the control system, wherein: at least some of the control settings for the environment are selected based on a causal model, and the internal parameters include a first set of internal parameters that define a number of previously received performance metric values that are used to generate the causal model for a particular controllable element; obtaining, for each selected control setting, a performance metric value; determining that generating the causal model for the particular controllable element would result in higher system performance; and adjusting, based on the determining, the first set of internal parameters.

The present disclosure relates to a blockchain based platform and a method for consumers to invest in climate related financial products at an amount voluntarily chosen based on a calculation of carbon emission amount from the transactions data crawled from the servers of financial institutions that operates credit and cash cards and to return the principal investment and dividends accrued from the climate related investments options to the consumers who paid the voluntarily chosen amount of carbon emission charges of their consumption of goods and services. The platform embodied in the present disclosure provides an incentive for consumers to voluntarily pay their carbon emission charges by financially intermediating voluntary carbon emission payment into climate related investment options and a blockchain based security of transactions for the return of the principal investments and dividends accrued from the climate related financial products to those consumers who voluntarily paid carbon emission charges.

A demand response management system having a participation predictor. There may be a storage device having information collected about past behavior, related to participation in a demand response program, about a customer. The information may incorporate determining a period of time since the customer last participated in a demand response program, a frequency of participation in demand response events by the customer, and a size of energy loads of the customer. A model of the customer may be developed from this and other information. A processor may be used to collect and process the information, develop a model, and to make a prediction of a customer's being selected to participate in an event based on the various operator selectable criteria.

A pumping energy savings estimator is provided which, based on valve opening data collected for a control valve of a pump-valve system operating in an industrial process, determines an actual maximum (p.sub.org, 50% open) of valve operating region of the control valve of the pump-valve system. User can select a new maximum (p.sub.new, 70% open) of valve operating region for the control valve. Then the estimator, based on the determined actual maximum of valve operating region and the selected new maximum of valve operating region, energy saving potential (p.sub.save) in the pump-valve system. The potential energy savings may be put into practice by replacing the original pump with a new smaller pump, or more preferably, replacing or processing the impeller of the original pump, such that the control valve will operate with the selected new optimal maximum opening of valve operating region.

A method for reducing energy costs at a facility includes identifying candidate production entities at the facility having a high potential for energy intensity variation reduction, determining potential cost savings associated with reducing energy intensity variation in the candidate production entities, identifying a root cause for energy intensity variation in the candidate production entities, and causing an action to be performed to mitigate the root cause.

An integrated solution strategy that integrates multiple domains together in a seamless and standardized way for increasing a users control over facilities and equipment. This integrated approach can lead to a reduction of energy usage, more efficient energy usage, increased safety, health, and security of a facility and its occupants, optimized production in industrial settings, and associated and other economic advantages. Accurate, reliable information about a facility or equipment is essential to making timely, informed decisions. Enhanced automation provides a reliable means of collecting and assembling a variety of operating data and archiving that data into a central database for evaluation, reporting, forecasting, and negotiation with resource marketers.